Review: Plastic Soldier Company M4A4 Sherman and Firefly Box

- by Dirty Jon
WWPD got in a box of Plastic Soldier Company(PSC) Allied M4A4 and Firefly Sherman Tank (WW2V15011) to review. I did a review on the PSC German Halftracks, and the Panthers, so I could not wait to get my hands on these guys for my Late War British Flames of War army!

As usual, 1 tank to a sprue and 5 tanks in the box set. You get the option for a normal Sherman or a Firefly. The instructions were pretty clear, with only a few things to wonder about - nothing a quick search on the Interwebs didn't solve. Which rear portion of the turret to use? Which mantlet for the M4A4?



With PSC tanks, I like to assemble the models in 3 groups -- the Track Group, The Hull Group and the Turret Group. I spray paint the tracks black and the other groups with the Battlefront British Army Painter. These guys took about 20 minutes each to assemble. They seemed to take a little longer than the Panthers I had done -- smaller parts, maybe. The attachment points to the sprue are not in completely hidden spots like the Panthers, so I did have to take some extra time. I still got some marks on the hulls, but I don't think you can notice it too much. I also got some short barreled .50 cals, as a small portion of the tip broke on most of them during assembly.

THE GOOD
Price: No surprise here that price makes this box set a great option. The War Store has these for $23.99.
Size: These were very compatible with my other Flames of War tanks.
Detail: The details on these are very crisp. The commander fig looks better in this box set as well.

THE BAD
The Sprue: The attachment points are not as concealed by assembly as there were with the Panthers and the Sd Kfz 251s. I used a really sharp knife, but I could not avoid some scratches visible on the tanks -- if you REALLY hunt through the pics you may be able to see some divots. Also, with the assembly, some joins will be visible. I am guessing that this particular tank just did not allow for that stuff to be hidden. If modeling is your thing, I am sure you could spend some extra time to correct this. If modeling isn't your thing, then paint'm and don't worry about it -- these look fine!
Assembly: For modelers, this might be a plus -- for me, it is not. Now, I have gotten pretty good at this, so it is not so bad.

THE UGLY
The sprue is just 3 pieces short of allowing you to make 2 complete turrets. I would easily give up some of the stowage or other options to get the extra turret. But, whaddya want for $23.99?

CONCLUSION:
5 of 6 Grenades
This box set is very nice. I like the fact that these come in groups of 5 -- get 2 boxes, and Tank Company is all set! Or, you can make 1 Firefly and switch it out in the platoon as necessary. The price point on these is very, very attractive.
Decals are from Battlefront and i94 Enterprises.


From Turning Tide via EasyArmy.com

Models provided by The Plastic Soldier Company