Resurrected thread due to building another Tamiya Cromwell MK IV.
This one will have an imagi-neered version of zimmerit as the British tested various anti-magnetic mine pastes with various tanks but didn’t field any. A Sherman & Cromwell were the primary test vehicles. British Zimmerit makes an interesting read and inspired the model. Pictures for discussion only.
Make-your-own-zimmerit-with-tamiya-gray-putty-testors-liquid-cementcovers my Zimmerit application.
Revisiting Tamiya’s Cromwell proved interesting. The one at the top of the thread was purchased when the kit released in ~1997. Construction started in 2004 and it was finished in 2009. It was the finest highest quality easiest to build kit that crossed my work bench up to that point with perfect fit. This kit shown below is a good kit but is apparently a much newer re-pop.
With assembly basically completed, a prior build plus the experience of refurbishing it after damage, revamping another modeler’s Centaur, it’s time for a Wade’s World Review
My opinion, others experiences may vary.
5 Price ~$33, Amazon, a few days ago
5 Instructions - Excellent! Some bonus materials. Pay attention to the interal/external track tensioner comments or the model may end up with a combination of both parts.
4 Molding Quality - The original kit would score 5 as it was flash and sinkmark free. The current kit on the bench surprisingly has some sinkmarks plus minor flash. For a ~28 year old kit it’s very good.
4 Plastic Quality - Recently worked on a Tamiya Leopard 2A7V and a Tamiya Late Tiger 1, both first run production kits and both seemed to have better quality plastic than this kit. Likewise, I recall my first Cromwell as higher quality. The very dark green is off putting compared to the lighter color plastic. The quality is very good.
4 Parts Clean Up - under the fenders is pretty nasty. Lot of punch marks, super glue and accelerator are your friend, if that is the sort of thing bothers you. Several sink marks have to be fixed and sanded flush. Some parts have flash and many have mold seams to remove. IIRC this was the first I saw where the mold seam on the wheels was pushed towards the edge of the wheel. This makes cleaning the wheels easier and seems to me like an excellent approach. Kudos 
Tamiya.
5 Ease of Build - Still nearly 30 years later one of the very best building kits to see my work bench. This kit literally makes me hate all Dragon kits in general.
4 Accuracy - No idea. Looks like a Cromwell to me. One of the few choices for the subject matter. I have zero references on the Cromwell to check. Unlike Airfix’s 1st attempt at Cromwell a few years ago, the Tamiya kit has the correct number of bolts on the road wheels (8) instead of six like Airfix. I have a later produced Airfix Cromwell with the correct number of bolts on the wheels.
Edited score to a 4 in light of the errors on the engine deck.
5 Fit - as good as it gets. Not one 2020+ kit I’ve built was better. Exactly one was equal, Ryefield’s KV-1 1942.
2 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket - that mesh Tamiya put in the kit in place of PE just looks nasty. The mesh looks terrible if installed compared to the Tamiya PE parts. Ripped the nasty mesh off of the previously built Centaur, can’t stomach it. It too will get PE. The kit tracks are passable and the sag can be simulated by using CA to tack them to the top of the road wheels. The MG’s have flash supressors and are easy, enough to drill out. Aber brass barrels if available would rock.
4 Details Built Out of the Box - in ~1997 and years after, this kit was in my opinion a Natural Born Killer for the out of the box category at model contests.
** 42 points out of 50 **
Highly Recommended, with the aftermarket PE screens.
That’s really all there is to say about the build. Used the Tamiya PE screens and otherwise it’s a stock build.
I was able to salvage it with solder but it was a pain in arse
) after a unanimous vote, the Wade’s World score for the Cromwell in Accuracy will be adjusted down to a 4 accordingly.
