Ok, chaps, here it is. The Tamiya new tool M4A3E8 "Easy Eight."
As per my past experiences thus far with Tamiya kits, this one went together with no problems. Everything fit and the instructions were clear. One thing that stands out to me on this kit, is the way the upper hull attaches to the lower. I pointed it out on an earlier installment, but in short, a tab on the front of the upper front hull slides underneath the front transmission/differential casting, while the rear attaches via a pin in the upper hull fitting into a poly sleeve (similar to the poly sleeves that Tamiya uses for attaching wheels) in the lower hull. No glue necessary. Once together, the front has no gap whatsoever. It looks like it is cemented in place. The benefit of this, for me, is that the hull can be painted and weathered, then assembled. Then once it is done it can be separated so the tracks can be installed, then reassembled. To me, this is a prime example of the engineering that makes a kit great.
The tracks, although of the dreaded "rubberband" style. are molded very nicely with very good detail.
The weld seams and cast texture are very well done, as well as the cast numbers/letters.
The kit supplied, styrene barrel is nicely done and the very faint mold line is easily removed without distorting the shape. The muzzle brake is multi-piece, but also goes together well and looks great once cleaned up.
Now, I will discuss places where I think the kit could be a little better. Keep in mind, these are my opinions and these items don't really detract from the finished product.
First, and probably my biggest complaint about this kit, are the hatch grab handles. The handles on the crew hatches are all of the solid, molded on type. It doesn't seem to me that it would be that hard to leave them off, and make the handles a separate piece. It is not really that hard to cut the molded on handles off and make some from thin gauge wire, but given Tamiya's abilities, it would be a nice change. The same goes for machine gun barrels. Hollowed out muzzles would be nice, although it is not too difficult to bore them out with a pin vice.
For this build, I tried a few new products and techniques. I tried Archer dry transfers for the first time to do the unit markings. I tried some different weathering techniques, most notably the application of pigments. I used pigments for applying thin mud to the lower hull and running gear, as well as the tracks. I was especially pleased with the results on the tracks.
I also put a small bit of stowage on the vehicle. A couple of fuel cans (kit supplied), and some crew items (packs and duffel bag). I could have made the colors on the packs and duffel bag a bit more different than the vehicle, but in hindsight, it is probably OK as is since it keeps them from standing out too much. Kind of blends in with the vehicle.
So, anyway, here is the finished product. It represents a 6th Armored Division vehicle in April, 1945 in support of First Battalion, 417th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division in Germany as they moved closer to the Czech border. My grandfather was in Co C, 417th, during his wartime service.
As per my past experiences thus far with Tamiya kits, this one went together with no problems. Everything fit and the instructions were clear. One thing that stands out to me on this kit, is the way the upper hull attaches to the lower. I pointed it out on an earlier installment, but in short, a tab on the front of the upper front hull slides underneath the front transmission/differential casting, while the rear attaches via a pin in the upper hull fitting into a poly sleeve (similar to the poly sleeves that Tamiya uses for attaching wheels) in the lower hull. No glue necessary. Once together, the front has no gap whatsoever. It looks like it is cemented in place. The benefit of this, for me, is that the hull can be painted and weathered, then assembled. Then once it is done it can be separated so the tracks can be installed, then reassembled. To me, this is a prime example of the engineering that makes a kit great.
The tracks, although of the dreaded "rubberband" style. are molded very nicely with very good detail.
The weld seams and cast texture are very well done, as well as the cast numbers/letters.
The kit supplied, styrene barrel is nicely done and the very faint mold line is easily removed without distorting the shape. The muzzle brake is multi-piece, but also goes together well and looks great once cleaned up.
Now, I will discuss places where I think the kit could be a little better. Keep in mind, these are my opinions and these items don't really detract from the finished product.
First, and probably my biggest complaint about this kit, are the hatch grab handles. The handles on the crew hatches are all of the solid, molded on type. It doesn't seem to me that it would be that hard to leave them off, and make the handles a separate piece. It is not really that hard to cut the molded on handles off and make some from thin gauge wire, but given Tamiya's abilities, it would be a nice change. The same goes for machine gun barrels. Hollowed out muzzles would be nice, although it is not too difficult to bore them out with a pin vice.
For this build, I tried a few new products and techniques. I tried Archer dry transfers for the first time to do the unit markings. I tried some different weathering techniques, most notably the application of pigments. I used pigments for applying thin mud to the lower hull and running gear, as well as the tracks. I was especially pleased with the results on the tracks.
I also put a small bit of stowage on the vehicle. A couple of fuel cans (kit supplied), and some crew items (packs and duffel bag). I could have made the colors on the packs and duffel bag a bit more different than the vehicle, but in hindsight, it is probably OK as is since it keeps them from standing out too much. Kind of blends in with the vehicle.
So, anyway, here is the finished product. It represents a 6th Armored Division vehicle in April, 1945 in support of First Battalion, 417th Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry Division in Germany as they moved closer to the Czech border. My grandfather was in Co C, 417th, during his wartime service.
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