Academy

1/35 M51 Super Sherman

Kit Number: 1373

Reviewed by  Jack Bruno, IPMS# 25313

MSRP: $32.95 Web Site: www.modelrectifier.com About six months ago I started to become enamored about the tanks, aircraft and other vehicles of the Arab - Israeli Wars after I read a book about the 1973 Yom Kippur War*. This was an interesting piece of History and I was there to see it on the television as did millions of Americans during those mid October days. Egypt, in a surprise attack, crossed the Suez Canal (which was a feat in itself) and invaded Israel on the Sinai Front during the Holiest of Days. At the same time Syria invaded all along the Golan Front. The goal was to recapture all of the lost territory during the 1967 Six Day War. In a matter of a few days what happened was truly a testament of Military strategy and the will to overcome great numerical odds. Not only did Israel survive, but it did indeed overpower a stronger enemy on two fronts and turn defeat into gain which has shaped most of the Middle East to what we see today. I recall the United States supplying Israel with Aircraft to make good losses incurred during the "SAM" umbrella. Interesting enough, most of these Aircraft were flown in direct from SE Asia complete in that Theater of Operations camouflage scheme. Israel, during it's early years, used whatever vehicles it had at the time and upgraded them. This included M48 Patton's, M60's, British Centurions and even M3 Halftracks that featured a front machine gun next to the driver. The M51 Sherman was another one of these upgrades that included a revised turret, new gun and engine. Russia supplied the Arab Armies that included SAM Missile emplacements and a powerful contingent of T-55 and new T-62 Tanks. It also introduced a very deadly and economic weapon, the SAGGER. It made it possible to small Hunter/Killer teams to wreak havoc on advancing Tanks. On the Sinai Front, Tank Battles erupted that had the largest concentration of Armor since the Battle of Kursk in 1943. Without getting further into it or off track..........let the modeling begin. It's a Sherman..............basically a bigger and better Sherman that packs a punch! I began building this brute in three sub assemblies (turret/chassis/hull) and it was pretty straight forward. The turret canvas mantlet was a real pain that I had to correct using tissue and white glue. Using a toothpick, I did a little fancy re sculpting. I also added putty here and there to enhance the texture of the hull and turret, but only after I took it out to dinner. One thing that I like to do on my AVF's is after I glue grab handles on to the hull or turret I use a toothpick and apply some putty to the attachment area's to represent welding. It also add's some strength to the piece and is brought out beautifully during the dry brushing process. The two piece gun featured a five piece muzzle break that is just nasty and intimidating at the same time. To me, it made the kit. The bogies went together fine and I found the fit a little better than average, especially for the cost The hull was really cool and the extra's that the IDF included really set off the entire vehicle from a modeler standpoint. The jerry can holders.......extra storage boxes......and rear storage box...and in most cases an extra machine gun mount or two.....all contribute to the final credits. I did add a bit of fine solder wire for the searchlight and a tad bit of Verlinden netting for the front hull. A friendly word of warning here is that there are plenty of small pieces that need to be sanded clean of seams. Use the proper caution. In the paint shop I gave everything a coat of Tamiya Flat Black. I started off the primary color with a few dark and medium grays and ended with some Tamiya RLM02. The markings were out of the Box. Various dark brown oil washes followed and when dry everything was flat coated using Gunze Flat Clear. A little dry brushing followed and brought out some of the fine detail especially the casting texture. The tracks were given a Future treatment followed by the same oil washes for consistency. I mixed some Cellucaly with white glue to give it some mud work. Everything came off without too much trouble and after the one piece tracks were slipped on it was time to mount it on the base. Again, I told the guys in the Club that the wood base came from a downed tree in the Golan Heights. As usual, they swallowed it. I also gave the clear searchlight cover a Future treatment then dusted it for effect. I wanted a little color and elected to go with the red grab handles which I'm told was a measure to alert maintenance to fix or replace parts in the shop. Anyway, I thought it added sugar to the sauce :) As an afterthought, I added a Verlinden bedroll and metal chain. As I said earlier, for the price ($20) it builds up really nice and I would do another in a heart beat. I might even switch out turrets with one of the older Dragon kits or the old MPM offering. Hey......we model...so have fun. Time to brew up a T-55. * The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed The Middle East by Abraham Rabinovich Thanks to MRC and IPMS/USA for the review kit.

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