Sherman Firefly Vc (Airfix A02341)

[Kanyiko]

So... 2021 is half a month old, and I finally managed to get my hands on the new Sherman Firefly.  This will be my first attempt at an in-build report, so first of all, let's see what the box contains.

 

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And the answer is, of course: a Sherman Firefly Vc.  The Sherman Firefly was a conversion of the Chrysler-built M4A4 variant, which was the variant equiped with a Chrysler A57 Multibank engine.  As such, the M4A4 had both a longer hull than other M4 variants, and a slightly wider spacing between the bogies.

 

Sprue A contains the main hull parts, breaking down as two lower hull halves (top extending into the upper hull; hull bottom, gearbox housing, rear engine doors, differential covers and the upper hull.

Even though the kit is for a Sherman Firefly, the first thing I notice is that the armor cover for the hull machine gun (deleted on the Firefly variant) is not moulded onto the hull - is Airfix planning to issue a variant with parts for the regular M4A4 Sherman V as well?  The lifting rings have been moulded separately, and the engine bays have the smoke dispenser moulded on, which is a good thing.

Sadly, I can also notice one or two minor issues:

- The hatches have been moulded as one part and can only be represented in closed position (this is also true for the turret);

- The gearbox housing falls a bit short in detail.  In real life, the gearbox housing on the M4A4 was the early model, consisting of three separate parts which were bolted together; the seams are moulded slightly too thin, and the bolts are missing from the part.

- And other than the shovel, all of the tools have been moulded onto the hull.

 

Sprue B contains the turret parts, smaller hull details and the simplified VVSS suspension.  

The simplified suspension certainly is a nice addition to this kit, as not everybody appreciates fiddling with small tank suspension parts *cough Churchill tank cough*, however in the case of this Sherman I'm not going to use it.  The turret is a good representation of a Sherman Firefly turret, with the extended radio bustle and the added loader hatch, modifications which were added during the conversion to the standard D50878 turret.

Again, I can't help notice some minor omissions:

- The muzzle brake is moulded with closed holes.  This is easy to rectify, but still a bit surprising.

- While the headlights are moulded separately, they come without their protective cages.  More surprisingly, the rear lights are missing in their entirety.

- The lifting eyes are missing on the turret.

- And, a rather annoying omission: none of the hull or turret appliqué armor plates are included.

 

Sprue C contains all of the parts for the (non-simplified) suspension.  The parts breakdown is noticable for its ingenuity, and certainly is a step up from the method used on other Shermans in this scale.  The tracks themselves appear to be steel chevron T62 links; the drive sprocket is the forged type; and the roadwheels and idler wheel are of the stamped, six-spoke variant  - correct for Chrysler-built M4A4 Shermans.

 

Lastly, Sprue D contains additional parts.  These include the pistol port for the turret; the cast part commonly welded over the hull machine gun opening on Sherman Fireflies; the tool box used on Royal Army M4A4s; and various attributes such as the spare links and their holders for the front glacis; separate spare links; spare road wheels, ammo boxes and a jerrycan.  I'm not entirely convinced by the jerrycan (which appears to be the same part as in the British Airborne Willys Jeep) and a bit disappointed that no kitbags or other personal belongings are included (a common sight on British Shermans), but overall these parts are all nicely moulded.

 

With all that said, I guess the next step is to start the build...

[peebeep]

And, a rather annoying omission: none of the hull or turret appliqué armor plates are included.

 

I would have liked the appliqué to have been included, at least as an option, but there's lots of reference pictures that show Fireflies without it fitted. There's a number of things where the kit is compromised, presumably as a result of it essentially being targeted at the beginner/starter set end of the market. 

[Kanyiko]

I would have liked the appliqué to have been included, at least as an option, but there's lots of reference pictures that show Fireflies without it fitted. There's a number of things where the kit is compromised, presumably as a result of it essentially being targeted at the beginner/starter set end of the market. 

 

Hi Paul,

Yes, that would indeed have been a fine thing. Personally it's one thing that nags at me with starter kits - perhaps it would be wiser to add the parts to the kit anyway, but omit them from the instructions in the starter kit (or add a separate part in the instructions 'for advanced modellers', in the same manner as is done in this kit with the simplified track and suspension assembly)

Going through some period pictures myself ("Antwerpen Bevrijd", Gazet van Antwerpen, Standaard Uitgeverij, 2004; "De Bezetting van Antwerpen in 1000 foto's", Jean Dillen/André Vandewynckel/Joris Wuyts, Davidsfonds Uitgeverij, 2015; "België 1944", Peter Taghon, Lanoo, 2015), the general rule of thumb seems to have been: appliqué armor for M4A4 Sherman V; no appliqué armor for Sherman Firefly Vc. Some pictures exist of Fireflies with appliqué armor; in the above books I am able to identify the following two (more are shown, but it is impossible to identify the individual tanks):

- T232754 (3 RTR, 29th Armoured Brigade): hull appliqué plates & driver hood plates, no turret cheek plate

- T262952 (Irish Guards): hull appliqué plates. No driver hood plates apparent, turret cheek not visible.

 

 

EDIT: Checking back and cross-referencing, it appears these appliqué-armored Shermans are in fact Sherman Firefly Ic's, based on the Sherman M4 (regular hull) rather than the M4A4. For the Sherman Firefly Ic, both normal and hybrid hulls were used; the latter are more easily recognisable, but the former can be easily confused with the Sherman Firefly Vc. The easiest way to tell them apart is looking at the tracks (usually rubber chevrons on the Ic vs metal tracks on the Vc); and the distance between the bogeys.

 

Anyway, back to the build.

No plastic has been cut yet, right now is the time for deciding which tank to go for. And after some careful consideration, I've decided to go for 'Belvedere' of the Staffordshire Yeomanry, 27th Armoured Brigade, if only because it is easier to get visual information on. A quick trawl through the internet turns up a couple of interesting pictures of this particular tank.

 

 

 

 

This is possibly the most well-known picture of this particular tank, T212680 'Belvedere', taken at the eve of Operation Goodwood. First of all, it allows for some interpretation of the camouflage on this particular vehicle, and yes: it does appear that this tank was painted in a two-tone camouflage. The darker areas on the hull are notably darker than the unlit parts of the lower hull, and they are apparent both on the hull and turret. This seems to support the suggestion that the tank was painted in a two-tone black over olive drab scheme. However, another thing this picture allows is to look at this particular tank's stowage.

 

 

 

 

A quick analysis appears to show the above. Two different models of track links appear to be present on the front glacis, however I am going to take some liberty there and only use the ones which are available in the kit (the T62 model as used on the M4A4). Lengths of track appear to have been welded onto the turret - a common practice after the first encounters with Tigers and Panthers in Normandy - and with the presence of the pistol port, it seems more logical that the length of track on the turret left side was shorter than that used on the right side. So I'll probably use part D7 on the left side of the turret, and D12 on the right side. The tarps and camo netting will have to be scratched.

So, time to start the build now, I guess...

[Kanyiko]

Okay, I've decided to slightly depart from the script.

Looking into the spares box, I found parts from a build two years ago of a Sherman issued by a "certain competitor from Trun".  They issued a Sherman (different marque) with options for the single-cast or three-part gearbox cover, and since I used the single-cast part, the parts for the three-part cover were left unused.

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Now, a quick fit shows that while the parts don't 100% correspond, they do correspond closely enough, however some minor cutting and filing is require to fit the "Trun" part to the Airfix kit.

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This leaves the lower hull more or less assembled now - time to clean up the seams and slap some paint on it...