Modell Trans Article by Doug Chaltry; last updated 29 May 2008.
I am somewhat confused by the title of this conversion set. What do they mean by Mk.II? Do they mean Sherman II? I hope not, because the M4 was called Sherman I in British nomenclature.
Anyway, this is basically a kit-bash between the Dragon Sherman III and M4A1, using the Sherman III hull and replacing the engine deck with the M4A1 parts, thereby making an early M4. Since the original Dragon parts were extremely high quality, so too is this conversion piece. Superb detail, open hatches, and likely it's a drop-fit to convert the Dragon Sherman III kit. There is one mistake in the conversion, however. The rear overhanging armor plate has a different angle between the M4 and M4A2. The rear plate on the M4 was almost vertical, as opposed to the M4A2, a difference that ModellTrans failed to incorporate into their conversion. The shape of this rear plate is also different between the two versions, with the plate on this hull being appropriate only for the original M4A2. This seems to be a common mistake being made by more than just ModellTrans. Aside from that glaring error, this is a very fine conversion piece. The resin casting is very good, with no air bubbles on the surface of the resin. There are a few bubbles inside the resin, as can be seen on the front armor plate in the scan above, but as long as one is careful to not break through the surface in these areas, they shouldn't pose a problem. Hopefully ModellTrans will revisit this project in the future and correct the rear armor plate. |
