M4A3 Sherman

ESCI Kit 8064; ESCI/Revell # H2365; ESCI/Ertl # 8306; ESCI/Ertl # 8604 w/paratroops

There is a small selection of ESCI kits that were never released in the final ESCI/Ertl line with the red boxes and yellow tread across the corner. Kits such as this one, the two Italian tanks, the Wespe and Panzer II, and the Pz. 35(t), are very uncommon in the market right now. What happened to these kits? There have been rumors floating around for many years about some "lost" ESCI molds; molds that were either damaged in a fire in Iowa, destroyed in a fire in Italy, sunk at sea in transit, etc. Whatever the true story is, it seems to be only applicable to less than a dozen kits, including this one.

This M4A3 kit is very similar to the M4A1, with the same turret, lower hull, wheels and tracks. The upper hull is, of course, different, representing the welded-hull of the A3 version. There are fewer options here, with the engine deck molded closed, with no engine or interior detail included. The lack of applique armor on the hull sides indicates this is a wet-stowage vehicle, but it would be a very simple matter indeed to add the extra armor for a dry-stowage version.

The chassis is quite well done. Those ejection pin marks are not noticable once the tracks are installed. As usual, if you get an early release of the kit, as most of these apparently were, the single-piece vinyl tracks are fairly poor. But the hard plastic tracks that come in the ESCI/Ertl releases (plus some of the diorama kits, if you are lucky enough to find one with this kit) are very good. They represent the raised-chevron type, and would be suitable for either the rubber or steel chevron tracks.

As always, the decals vary with the release, and if you get ones that are a single color, like this sheet here, they are really quite good, if a little bit stiff. Nothing that some Solvaset won't handle.

At one time I was recommending that everyone snap up any of these Shermans that they can find, but I doubt that's necessary. I'm sure that very soon we'll see a manufacturer release a whole line of Sherman kits, which will likely make this particular kit interesting only to collectors. I recall buying every ESCI KV-1 that I could find, because it was so rare, and then look what happened ... Anybody want to buy a bunch of ESCI KV-1's? :)