Hobby Boss 1/48 M4A1 (76) W

The M4 Sherman tank was produced in several variants, a result of mass production spread across several manufacturers and several years. It was also the basis for a number of related vehicles, and Shermans have been modified by several nations, ranging from upgrades to complete hull conversions for another task. Originally designed in 1941, M4 variants were still used by Israel during the 1967 and 1973 wars. M4A1(76)W  was an upgraded M4A1 that replaced the standard 75mm gun with 76 mm M1 gun and large drivers' hatches.

This is one of Hobby Boss' 1/48 armor releases and is a very nicely done kit. The first steps are building up the six nine-pece suspension kpieces. Then the hull lower section is built up. The sprocket assembly is then built and attached as well as the rear hull pieces, which includes the mufflers and baffles.

Next the suspension bits are attached to the hull and work turns to the upper hull. This has separate forward hatches as well as the nose machine gun, engine cover and some pioneer tools. More pioneer tools are attached to the rear  before vents, and the lights with guards are put in place. The light guards are the main feature of the photo etch fret. The upper hull is then attached to the lower section. Tow rings are attached along with a rear radiator.

The rest of the built concentrates on the turret. This includes building the main gun along with a machine gun. The upper hatches are separate items and could be posed open if you had a figure or two to put in there. There are two separate construction sequences for the turret depending on if you are doing a standard or Israeli version. The last step includes attaching the turret and the one-piece vinyl tracks.

Instructions are well done and you are provided a separate markings guide. Two options are given. One in the box art tank in OD and what is shown as a dark brown, but is probably mud. The other is an Israeli version shown in overall olive green, but may well be in sand. The small decal sheet is nicely printed and should work well.

A nice addition to your 1/48 military vehicle collection. I find it interesting that HB only produced three series of armor kits in this scale; T-34s, Shermans, and KV-1/2. Too bad as they build well and are fairly inexpensive.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman_variants

November 2021

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