This Warlord kit is an incredibly detailed piece. There is a large amount of stowage attached to the tank, as the crew look like they have loaded all manner of supplies and spare parts for their trip into Normandy. The level of detail on the model is simply stunning. It is easily on par with any other vehicle I've seen, if not head and shoulders above them. My painting level just doesn't do it justice.
There was minimal flash and clean up was quick and easy, maybe taking 5 minutes at most. Assembly was relatively easy when I used the pictures from Warlord's store as a guide, but at first glance the random seeming collection of snorkels and aerials seemed daunting. One thing I find nearly every company does better with plastic kits is the inclusion of assembly instructions, something often lacking with resin/metal kits.
The detail on the flotation screen is great and the rippled material look, soaks up washes, making it easy to paint for the novice like me. I've painted my DD Sherman up as a tank from the B Squadron of the Canadian 1st Hussars. These guys stormed Juno beach, helping the Canadian infantry to break through the German defenses and then secured the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer.
The stowage on the back really adds a lot of character. My only problem with it is, being a part of the hull, if I want to make a squadron of multiple DD Shermans for Tank Wars they will all begin to look the same. While this is a very small problem (most people aren't going to run multiples of them), I wonder if the stowage had been an optional extra to attach to the tank, if it would help those of us wanting multiple unique tanks.
The Sherman comes with a crewman, although this particular one is from another Warlord vehicle that I happened to prefer.
This kit is a great piece and the DD Sherman is a great centerpiece for a D-Day themed army. The level of detail is excellent and the casting is a high quality, with minimal flash and pieces that fit together snug-as-a-bug. It's big, eye-drawing and unique. I give it 10 out of 10 rusty barnacles. The only problem I had with it, was how I could fit in another 3-4 for Tank Wars and have them all looking as good!
