US ARMY GMC M36B1

Published on
December 28, 2015
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$55.00
Product / Stock #
13279
Company: Academy Models - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: MRC - Website: Visit Site
Product Picture

History

Due to a urgent need for tank destroyers towards the end of WWII the United States took the turret from the M36 and mounted it on a M4A3 hull and chassis. The reason for the use of the M36 turret was that it packed a 90mm gun that could destroy German armor from a distance.

Kit

When you open the box, you will find it packed with ten sprues of green plastic, one photo etch sprue, several loose parts in green plastic and one section of rope. For you spare parts lovers, there is a plethora of leftover parts. Sherman fans may find these most useful.

Building the kit is pretty much straight forward. As most modelers I used the instructions as a guide and didn't follow step by step but more of a bunch sub assemblies. The parts have light mold lines, a few sink marks and ejector marks. With basic modeling skills you should be able to correct these with no problem. There was no noted flash on the parts and there was some texture placed on the transmission housing. This texture is very light and really would benefit from adding your favorite material to replicate the cast texture that normally would be found on it.

There are a few areas that you need to use caution with. The first is the application of the tracks. The fit is too tight if you are to apply the tracks after the bogies are in place they will not fit between the bogie and the bottom of the hull. This could end up becoming a very frustrating effort . The best way to deal with this is to attach the sprocket and idler first. Let them dry completely, then put the tracks over them (verify your track direction first). Now start applying the bogies and let them dry securely. I recommend attaching the center bogie last.

The second area of caution is the alteration of the turret ring on the hull. This is a pretty straightforward procedure, but go slow and constantly check the fit with the turret. There is also some minor surgery required on the bottom of turret. The last caution note is the application of parts O32 and O32. These are fitted parts and just need to swap sides.

Overall this is a great model that has not been kitted by many manufacturers. You may find this funny, but the real gem of the kit is the M2 machine gun. This comes with the barrel and receiver molded separately. Actually it takes fifteen parts to assemble the machine gun. I will let the photos help you make up your mind.

I highly recommend this kit for allied armor fans and modelers with at least a moderate skill level.

I would like to thank Model Rectifier Corporation and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to be able to review this kit.

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