Attending the 2004 IPMS/USA National Convention in Phoenix, I admit not having much interest in the Vending Room until I thought I might run into Rob Ervin from Formations Models. In a short period of time, I found Formations' booth and proceeded to purchase several resin conversion and detail sets without hesitation. Formations' products are what finally hooked me on the US M4 Medium Tank.

These are high-quality and wonderfully detailed parts that strike an excellent balance between exacting fidelity to details found on the full-sized prototype and desire to make these fit within the parameters of popular 1:35th scale model kits on the market. It is difficult to produce parts that both fit kits with existing dimensional challenges and still make them accurate. Compromises are often called for, and many modelers voice up when the parts fall short of expectations. Formations Models' delivers in this area with fit and detail going hand-in-hand.

This conversion set is actually a bundle of separately available subassemblies designed to both dress up and backdate the venerable Italeri model kit to an earlier variant of the M4A1 75mm dry stowage medium tank that saw service early in the Italian Campaign and featured in early Pacific tank battles. One of Italeri's all-time best models, the M4A1 Sherman #225 remains popular amongst fans of US Allied WW II AFV's, and likely will for the foreseeable future. This conversion can also be used with Italeri's Marine Sherman (Kit #6389) and other Italeri Sherman based kits. Formations Models doesn't recommend using Italeri's M7 Priest as a donor for this conversion set, however.

The castings and moldings in the Formations conversion are clean, free from warpage, and call for a modicum of cleanup in the example I purchased. There were three tiny air bubbles and no short-casts present in any of my parts, and separation points from the pour gates proved easy enough for experienced resin modelers to handle. Though many modelers intimately familiar with the US M4 Medium Tank will eschew the Formations assembly instructions, I opted to follow them and not get too far ahead of myself. The instructions proved easy to understand. I say this because this is only the second Sherman kit I've built and I don't consider myself an "expert" on the subject matter by any stretch of the imagination. If I can get it - then I figure you can too!

To construct this conversion and the accompanying Italeri model parts (surprisingly few I might add - this is an extensive conversion) I only used a handful of tools. I also purchased a kit of Apoxie Sculpt from CRM Models while at the IPMS/USA National Convention because I've read good things about this product. I also made good use of Liquetex's High-Viscosity Acrylic light modeling paste. This texture gel medium came in handy for both replicating small welds and light texture after fitting parts to the upper hull and for mimicking mud and dirt buildup underneath the sponsons and between the Bogie Trucks on the lower hull. If you've never used texture gel mediums before I highly recommend you give them a try.

Lastly, not all the parts provided in this conversion set ultimately are used in the modeling effort - providing food for the spare parts bin. Keep feeding your spare parts bin and it will always take care of you.

For references, I turned to Ampersand's Modelers' Guide to the Sherman, R.P. Hunnicutt's Sherman reference book, and the set of Squadron Signal and Concord books covering the Sherman. I have them all, but admit it really helps to keep focus by only selecting a couple. It is easy to get distracted in the diverse world of the US M4 Medium Tank.

Formations M4 Low Bustle Turret Subassembly

I began my modeling efforts with the Turret. Before I continue, I must caution you that there are a fair number of parts in this conversion set. The resin pour gates are marked with part number callouts - and it is advisable you have room to spread some out as you go to make sure you've got all the parts in the right place for the step you're working on at that time. I found it helpful to actually cleanup my workbench and remove other in-progress models to make room for this one. I also did not wash any of the Formations Models resin parts prior to assembly, nor afterwards. I found them to be quite clean and free from resin mold release.
There is a small pour plug to remove from the hollow turret shell and the opening for the Mantlet is easy to cut away with a sharp X-Acto blade. Working with resin, it is advisable to keep a supply of new blades handy - they make the cleanup work easier. To remove the resin pour plug located underneath the front lip of the turret casting, I recommend flush sawing with your 1" saw blade. Several times I caught myself wanting to snip this away with a pair of Xuron Cutters, but I was afraid I'd damage or split the thin casting here. Flush sawing was definitely the way to proceed here.

To deal with the turret race (above photo right), I attached sandpaper to a sheet of glass and sanded the part down for a good fit. The turret race in my kit was a little larger than the circumference of the turret opening. Flipping the part upside down to sand helped reduce the diameter of the part. I then matched the flat end of the turret race to the corresponding area of the turret bottom underneath the Mantlet - trimming the areas around the ring slowly with a sanding stick until the two parts fit flushly. Patience (a part of the Formations suggested assembly instructions) pays off dividends in working with any miniature. I can't emphasize how important it is to sand slowly and test-fit frequently when building resin kits. It is eminently easier to remove small bits of resin at a time than to try and go back to fill areas where you too aggressively removed material.

All the Mantlet/Gun Mount parts fit snugly to the Turret opening. Follow Formations' suggestion to leave the flash inside the Lift Rings while you attach them to the Turret. It is easier to attach them and then clean up after the glue sets - lessening the chance of breaking the delicate parts. I chose to model my Loader's Periscope in the "up" position (actually - all of them), so I set Parts #H1 and K1 into place per the instructions. I decided to not use Part #F3 (Antenna Mount) as provided in the conversion set and instead used one of Formations' US WW II Vehicle Antenna Mounts and Masts (#F010). I just love these, they come with the antenna wire cast into the Mounts - and they are removable for painting separately. Part #G5 (MG Travel Lock) was a bit tricky to cleanup, but patience and a sharp knife helped make this a break-free step. I found myself referring back to my completed Tamiya M4 (Remanufactured) to aid in placement. The Formations Models instructions are good, but as I'm not overly familiar with the Sherman - every additional bit helps.

Careful trimming got me the Commander Hatches clean and ready for addition of small details found in nicely cast Periscope and Latch parts. I also fitted the Searchlight provided in the conversion set. All in all, messing around and watching TV, it took me an hour to clean up and assemble the basic turret subassembly.