This
set covers 4 Sherman tanks used in the Pacific, all of them large
hatch M4 composites. Three are gun tanks and one is a flamethrower:
- "Cognac",
706th Tank Bn, Guam, August, 1944. Right and front view given.
While the manual refers to p.51 of Squadron/Signal "US Armor,
Camouflage and Markings, World War II", the same picture can
be found on Sherman
Minutia. The instructions tell you to place a white star on
the nose (and none on the sides), but the picture of the tank (showing
the front and left of the tank) shows no star on the nose. The number
"758" is not perfectly aligned in the picture and it seems
that the stencil for the "8" had been placed upside down
when painting. The top (as painted) of the "8" is missing.
In the decals "758" is perfectly aligned and the 8 intact.
Cutting out the "7", "5" and "8" individually
and scraping off a part of the "8", is not that difficult
to do. The instructions show a marking in the middle of the side
of the hull that is not shown in the picture (but could be present
on the right side which is not shown in the reference).
- "Cupid",
706th Tank Bn, Guam, August, 1944. Right, rear and front view given.
While the manual refers to p.51 of Squadron/Signal "US Armor,
Camouflage and Markings, World War II", the same picture can
be found on Sherman
Minutia. The instructions tell you to place a white star on
the nose (and none on the sides), but the picture of the tank (showing
the front and left of the tank) shows no star on the nose. The number
"751" is not perfectly aligned in the picture. The instructions
show a marking in the middle of the side of the hull that is not
shown in the picture (but could be present on the right side which
is not shown in the reference). The instructions instruct you to
put a "C2" on the rear hull, but this is not visible in
the reference, while the "C2" for the nose is. (At least,
a "C" is visible, followed by something that might well
be a "2".)
- "Another
Dinah", 763rd Tank Bn, Okinawa, April 1945. Right and front
view given.
The white stars are barely visible after having been painted out
as the instructions clearly indicate and as can be seen on Sherman
Minutia. Using the decals for the stars would actually be a
waste but can help as a template.
- Flamethrower,
713th Tank Bn, Okinawa, June 1945. Right, rear and front view given.
The white stars are not visible after having been crudely painted
out as the instructions clearly indicate and as can be seen on Sherman
Minutia. Using the decals for the stars would actually be a
waste but can help as a template. The picture in the reference only
shows the left and rear of the vehicle.
Modelers
should be aware that the drawings used in the instructions are only
meant as a help for placing the decals, and not for the specific features
of the tank. For instance, the first tank has different tracks than
those in the drawings and the last one has track extensions. Another
example is that all drawings show low bustle turrets, while the first
three options had high bustle turrets. There are probably other characteristics
to pay attention to.
Looking
at the decals themselves, it is immediately clear that they are printed
to a very high resolution, with no pixelation whatsoever; even the
smaller items are still readable. The only thing that gives them away
as not being printed by the big decal companies is that they are printed
on continuous film. Being laserjet printed, it is also wise to protect
them before weathering starts on the model.
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My
scanner always has trouble scanning white decals on a blue background,
that's why the image from the Braille
Strike website has been included on the right.
In all,
a very promising start from a new company, with a printing quality
that is second to none.
Well researched, even though the modeler needs to take care to get
all the specific features of the actual vehicle right. Too bad that
the M4 composite is not readily available from mainstream manufacturers.
Review
sample kindly provided by Braille Strike.
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