Hi there
Can some1 please tell me the best[accurate] kit for the following kits.[swg]
-M4A1 Sherman
-M3A3 Stuart
-M1 Abrams
Thanx a lot.
Keep well.
Well, I will make the assumption in 1/35 scale and that you want to build out-of-box:
M4A1: Italeri M4A1 76mm (w) is the only one available right now. There was the old DML M4A1 75mm early that is out-of-production and now pulls $75 on eBay.
M3A3 Stuart: Only one kit and it is the outstanding AFV Club kit.
M1 Abrams: If you are talking about the original M1 A-nothing, the old Tamiya kit is the one to get. If you are talking about just any Abrams series kit (M1/M1A1/M1A2), then the Tamiya M1A2 or the Italeri M1A2 are both tops. The DML Abrams kits are good builds as well.
For what it’s worth, here are my recommendations:
M4A1 - The DML kit is good, but is OOP and very difficult and expensive to buy. I recommend getting the Formations resin conversion and a donor kit for the lower hull. IIRC, the Italeri M4 is supposed to be the best donor kit for a correct lower hull.
M3A3 - I bought the AFV Club kit and it looks very good, although I haven’t built it yet. If you want to build the earlier versions, look for the Academy M3 and M3A1.
M1 - For me, this was the most difficult to answer as there are several good M1’s. DML, Trumpeter, Tamiya and Italeri all have Abrams kits out, but they all seem to have some problems with accuracy and detail. I have the DML and Trumpeter M1’s and have looked at the Italeri (M1A2) and the new Tamiya release (which is nice, but is still missing the anti-skid texture). When I do get around to building an Abrams, I will probably kitbash the DML and Trumpeter kits. Hopefully somebody can give you a better answer than I did about the Abrams kits. HTH
Hey thanx guys 4 the info. And yes they r 1/35 scale sorry bout that. I will check 2 c what my LHS has in stock. Dont think i can AFV Club here and cant shop over the net.[No credit card] I will c what i can get when i go to the UK in a couple of months.
Thanx again for the info. Really appreciate it.
Keep well.
I didn’t care for the Trumpeter M1, it has some nice details, but I was using a lot of putty and putting a great deal of work into the fit.