ESCI – 8308 – 8028 – M4 A1 Sherman

Description:

M4 A1 Sherman

This is a pretty good kit in terms of quality and detail level, with separate pioneer tools, openable hatches and engine deck, engine detail, something really excellent for a kit tooled in 1975. In the early releases the poor single piece tracks worsened the kit, but the later ESCI-Ertl link and length track, also present in the Italeri release, Italeri – 7003 – M4A1 Sherman, are better.

But the main problem of the kit, is its accuracy. ESCI never was very fine in their research of the topics, and is quite common to find in their kits a mix of early and late production variants which sometimes are hard to justify and this kit is probably the most famous victim of this. ESCI mixed here an early 75mm turret, with a later hull that belongs to the 76mm wet stowage Shermans. After all, is accepted that a number of late production M4 A1 were produced with this kind of hull, with larger drivers’ hatches but for sure is not the majority of the M4 A1 and there is little, if not none, evidence of these as the number was not high.

Same hull was used later in the ESCI – 8313 – 8059 – Sherman Rocket Launcher “Calliope” kit, presenting the same problem.