I recently got in an Uparmored M4A3 Easy 8 for review. In the Bridge at Remagen book, the US player can add in up to three of these guys into a platoon for +50 (RV) or +55 (CV) points - 10 points more than a standard Easy 8. For those points, you get one more FA and one more SA (8 FA, 5SA), a .50cal Hull coax instead of just a regular MG. The drawbacks are losing Detroit's Finest and Smooth Ride. That seems like a LOT to lose for the benefits, but you guys can make up your own mind about that!
This is a pretty standard blister with metal tracks. The main model is just an update of the Lt. Colonel Creighton Abrams model - it looks similar, but not exactly the same to me.
The added armor is pretty obvious, with plates on the side of the hull and turret. Most noticeable are the huge sloped plates on the front of the tank. Someone got bust with the welder!
I did my standard thing here -- primed the turret and hull in the base color and did the tracks in black. I then went back and drybrushed the tracks in a medium grey before attaching to the tank. From there, I went ahead and re-painted the hull and turret with Brown Violet, as the spray is really some weirdo color I don't recognize.
For most reviews, I try to decal up the model close to that pictured on the site. I recovered some decals I had sitting around and did just that.
From assembly to finished model, this only took about 45 minutes of work over about three hours -- I had to let stuff dry. I am pretty happy with this model, but I am not sure how much it will actually hit the table, as giving up Detroit's Finest and Smooth Ride is a pretty steep price to pay. It is good to have some options!
Model provided by Battlefront Miniatures.
