Had a little time to kill this morning so I wandered into my LHS (the one who can't seem to get it into his head that if he has Shermans on the shelf, I will buy them). Much to my delight, there was the new Academy M4A2 Sherman sitting there waiting to come home with me.
So here's a quick first look review of what I see in this package.
The model is of a late version M4A2 (76) with vertical volute suspension.
The detailing is sharp with no visible flash whatsoever. The kit is moulded in O.D. green styrene and the tracks are "rubber band" style T-51 rubber block and are very flexible compared with the Italeri offerings. Not as many "extras" as I've become used to with other Academy offerings but this kit still offers the choice of road wheels (either open spoke or pressed steel). The pressed steel roadwheels are very well done with details on both the front and back which has been an ongoing problem with past Sherman kits. The kit includes markings for the Soviet Red Army who recieved the lion's share of this version.
As with any kit, there are a couple of pitfalls.
Number 1, the gun barrel. The 76mm barrel has a step in it that shouldn't be there. This has been an all too common mistake made with 76mm Sherman kits and it's about time one of the manufacturers got this corrected. Italeri, DML and now Academy have all made this very same mistake. Seems like they've all got some stocks in Jordi Rubio to keep this little company selling AM barrels.
Number 2, the upper rear of the hull. The M4A2 had a sharper angled rear hull than the M4A3. This kit does that but goes a little too far and almost makes the rear plate vertical. Close, but no cigar. It will take a little "adjusting" with an exacto blade to correct this.
DML is also supposed to be releasing the same model this year some time and both companies have announced and 75mm version too.
Even with these glaring errors, the kit is a welcome additon to my collection and is highly recommended for any other Sherman efficianados.
Happy Modelling and God Bless
Robert