Model Forum / General / Models / April 2009

Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale ‘39-‘45 Kit No. 6441; M4
Sherman “Composite Hull” PTO - Smart Kit; 642 parts (560 in grey
styrene, 57 etched brass, 22 clear styrene, 2 DS plastic track runs, 1
twisted steel wire); retail price US$49.95 via Dragon USA

Advantages: new and fully redone version of this kit replaces the old
Imperial kit; new parts provide lots of options, as well as more “mix
and match” bits for the true “Shermaholic”

Disadvantages: nothing major noted

Rating: Highly Recommended

Recommendation: for all Sherman and ETO fans

    The final basic production model of the M4 series medium tanks to
come from the Detroit Tank Arsenal used a new composite hull with a
cast glacis with the complete “big hatch” section for the driver and
the bow gunner and initially the low bustle turret without and later
with a loader’s hatch. Nearly all of these tanks were sent to serve
with the US Army in the Pacific, hence the PTO moniker (e.g. Pacific
Theater of Operations) for this kit.

    A number of years ago DML released an Imperial series kit of the
“Composite” hull M4 which could be built as either a US Army M4 in the
Pacific or a Sherman IC Firefly; the kit included two turrets but
suffered from the original Italeri suspension clone and also the much-
disliked three-piece DML VVSS tracks. This kit is a total do-over and
shares nothing but its subject with the original kit, but does use
most of the “common” sprues from recent DML M4 Smart Kit releases.

    The kit has a ton of options, but many are not usable with the
“Composite” tank. Photographic evidence tends to support the fact that
these tanks nearly universally used the low-bustle turret with
loader’s hatch and twin radio antennas (transmit/receive and receive
only), M34A1 full width mantlet, “sharpnose” transmission housing,
either five-spoke welded wheels or the “six spoke” welded solid
wheels, flat or “upswept” return roller mounts, plate or machined
drivers, T48, T49 or T51 tracks, no fenders or skirts, and no
antiaircraft machine gun. While the kit comes with a high bustle shell
and details, none of the photos I found show a Composite hull with
that turret in the Pacific through early 1945.

    The kit provides brand-new moldings of the low-bustle turret and also
a new “Composite” hull with the sharpnosed transmission. It comes with
its own unique driver mounts; while recent complaints on the internet
indicate some DML kits have these undersized, I cannot tell if these
are or not as I have no blueprints for comparison. In any account,
once the kit is built they are virtually invisible so this is more a
matter of taste than wrong or in the wrong place.

    This kit provides a choice of fender tips (plastic or brass) as well
as the M4A1 DV kit details for the rear and etched brass grillework
under the air intake cover and also under the rear lip of the hull
above the exhaust outlets.

    Some things are constants now such as the familiar M4A2/A3 basic
detail sprue of tools and fittings as well.

            Technical assistance was provided by Pawel Krupowicz.

    Four different finishing options are provided in the kit and
Cartograf decals for each one: “Southern Cross”, 44th Tank Battalion,
Limon, the Philippines, 1944; “Bushmaster”, 763rd Tank Battalion, 96th
Infantry Division, Leyte 1944; “Battlin Basic”, 44th Tank Battalion,
Manila 1945; “Ole Miss”, 44th Tank Battalion, Manila 1945.

    All four of these tanks are found in Steve Zaloga’s book “Tank
Battles of the Pacific War 1941-1945" (Concord #7004, 1995) and
provide the specific details for each one: “Southern Cross” uses five-
spoke road wheels and machined driver toothed rings and a single
antenna; “Bushmaster” uses two antennas but the tracks are not visible
(mud!) in the photo; “Battlin Basic” and “Ole Miss” show single
antennas, “six spoke” wheels and machined drivers. All use the T48
tracks which come in the kit. (This is a great book for reference for
anyone doing PTO tanks!)

    Overall this fills another gap and leaves us with essentially only
the M4A6 and the Sherman “cousins” Ram and Grizzly not kitted. It will
be popular with Sherman fans as well as provide “mix and match” with
other kits.

    Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

Cookie Sewell