"Quick Build M4A3?" Topic

I know of the Armorfast kit. Are there others?

Anyone know if PSC plans to do one?

Italeri makes a nice one, two in a box. Nicely detailed for the $. USD If you are in the US check out Scale Hobbyist, they have them at a discount.

PSC has a 15mm kit 'WW2 Allied M4A3 (Late) Sherman Tank' so in theory it will also appear in 1/72 (though it doesn't seem to be in the Coming Soon or In the Pipeline lists at the moment).

If you are considering the Italeri M4A3 be aware that it has pretty awful running gear even by fastbuild standards with no interior track detail whatsoever:

The Italeri model IMO is much nicer than the Armourfast one.

The cheapest Option I have found is using the Altaya 105mm M4A3 of which the market appears to be flooded with them and can be bought as little as £2.50 GBP each . This is an excellent well detailed model but needs a new gun mantlet with 75mm gun which can be obtained from SandSmodels for a mere 0.75p. So for 3.25 I have a first class M4A3 but I won't be replacing my Italeri examples because IMO they are good enough .

The Italeri model IMO is much nicer than the Armourfast one.

Both have pros and cons. At least the Armourfast tracks have a vague representation of some teeth. Presumably this debate will be academic when the PSC version arrives – provided it is not another 1/68 scale leviathan like the PSC M4A1 !

– provided it is not another 1/68 scale leviathan like the PSC M4A1 !

Whoops. Just bought three boxes of those at fire sale prices. Really? 1/68th?

Keep 'em in their own unit Bill ! ;o)

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– provided it is not another 1/68 scale leviathan like the PSC M4A1 !

Whoops. Just bought three boxes of those at fire sale prices. Really? 1/68th?

I don't know about precise measurements, but I have both the Armorfast M4A3 and some PSC M4A1 76mm, and the PSC model is clearly larger.

But I don't think it will be very noticeable, if at all, on the tabletop.

Are you interested in pre-built kits, or just quick-assembly models? There are some nice pre-built models available.

A while ago I decided we needed a US tank battalion in 1/72 for our Blitzkrieg Commander games. It was depressingly likely that most of the tanks would meet their end being chewed up as Katfood by my friend's Panthers and Tigers, so I wanted something quick, cheap 'n cheerful for the Americans. Numbers do count.

I looked around for options, and for the M4A3's I ended up buying a bunch of the pre-built and pre-painted EasyModel "Ground Power" kits from Hobby Link Japan.

These were on sale at the time, for about the equivalent of $4.00 USD each. I don't know if anyone has them around anywhere at these prices, but that seems to me to be as cheap as I could ever have hoped for.

I had intended to repaint them but never got around to it, as they were pretty much ready for the table from the get-go (save a 105mm version in winter garb).

I was pleasantly surprised with the finish and detail of these models. I can't speak as to their accuracy, although the tracks seem a bit on the thin side. But at those kind of prices I was very happy with what I got. Those who would point out inaccuracies to me at games would be invited to go buy and build me some better replacements.

Money saved is to be spent on a more cherished project, in my case a the Canadian 28th Tank Regiment (BCR) using the PSC model M3A4 model when it is released.

If it was me and collecting a US force I would go for the M4A3 as I have decided to do . The M4A3 is a safer model in terms of overall accuracy.

I ain't an expert on Shermans and Ive seen quite heavy discussions on other forums about the slope on the front being the wrong angle for the other types etc.

The PSC M4A1 has had a lot of criticism levelled at it for being a hybrid ( a mixture of small and large hatches) . I believe they should be one or the other. But hey its not a bad wargaming model if that is what you are looking for .

If they (PSC) have taken the comments on board then again we could have another decent M4A3 added to the already decent range of these fine little tanks :)

There was some discussion over at The Guild about the M4A3 and its appearance during the war. It sounds like the 75mm version wasn't seen in any large numbers at all in Normandy, and would have most likely been more common around Dec '44 during The Bulge. Granted, nothing is stopping anyone from using an M4A3 in a Normandy battle, just something I thought people would be interested in knowing.

I have 9 pf the PSC M4A1's, and 6 of the M4A1 76(W)'s, and they are a tad larger than the Italeri fast-build M4A3 76's I have (I have some 75mm M4A3's coming as well, so a comparison can be made when they show up). Nothing crazily noticeable, and the historical accuracy is something I'll overlook because each PSC tank comes out to about $6 USD USD, is a breeze to assemble, and looks the part, which for a gaming piece first is A+ in my book.

The Italeri fast builds are nice, but they don't have loose hatches for tank commanders, and the track teeth aren't modeled, so there's some trade off involved. Also, throw enough stowage on either of them, and you'd hardly notice they were from different manufacturers.

~iPaint

Stavka,

I assume that you mean an M4A3 for the BCR. According to this list, the BCR used M4A4s (Sherman Mk Vs). The US Army standardized on the M4A3 and let the M4A4s go to the Allies as Lend-Lease.

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Brain not connecting to fingertips when I typed. I meant M4A4.

The M4A4 (Sherman V) is the version due to be released by PSC in 1/72 sometime in the next few months along with the Firefly.

Once their Stuarts are available too, I'll be a happy man!