What's the Best 1/35 IDF M51 Super Sherman kit?

What’s the Best 1/35 IDF M51 Super Sherman kit for the Sherman & IDF novice?

Any other kits worth considering?

Suggested aftermarket?

Thank you.

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Tamiya hands down. And I’ll only say that because I have built all of them. Legend stowage for the M51 is highly recommended as well.

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Dragon 3539 is an upgrade version of Dragon 3529. They added a turned metal barrel and metal springs to put inside the horizontal volute springs (gimmick BS). The barrel seems like a nice upgrade. The bogies become movable which might be useful if putting the tank on an uneven terrain base …


If I was choosing between the two Dragon kits I would definitely pick 3539
BUT
the upgrade also replaced the multi piece indy-link track with DS-tracks (try them, they may not fail on You since you might be a lucky modeler).

Tamiya has soft tracks, no gimmick springs in the bogies and a two part styrene barrel.

@18bravo posted above and since he has built all of them …

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Tamiya/Academy are the best. Tamiya if you want to build a 1967 Six Day War example and Academy if you want to build a 1973 Yom Kippur War example.

This is my Tamiya M51. Mostly stock, except for the M2 Browning MG (from a Dragon kit), metal tracks and main gun barrel and 3D printed rear bustle rack and barrel travel lock.

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If I remember correctly, the Academy kit was designed as a '73 version from the beginning. I converted mine to a ‘67 version easily enough. The Tamiya kit still outshines it, You’'e built a
very nice example what it looks like out of the box, but it also came with a lot of inaccuracies. I think even the shape of the front hull was off. If it wasn’t this I fixed it was another one. This one began to aggravate me so much I removed it from public view - no Chihuahuas, cats, or my girls can see its shame until it has been fully restored. Of course once a model loses its place on the shelf it may take decades to be reinstated.
I don’t even remember the reason for the latest removal - I think I was redoing the incorrect stowage arrangement and a few other minor things.

Somewhere along the way I lost interest in this kitbashed M50:

I think that’s an MP Models engine deck. As I said, I’ve built them all. and then bogarted parts from them later on in many cases.

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I second Tamiya kit. Academy one is quite inaccurate and has some fit issues. I have not built the Dragon kit but is an old molding, and 1990s Dragon tooling was not the best.

Kind regards,
James

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Thank you, all!

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So for a simple but slightly improved Tamiya IDF build the following aftermarket would be reasonable?

  1. replace tow cables?
  2. aftermarket 50 cal?
  3. brass barrel for hull MG?
  4. aftermarket mounts?
  5. indy link tracks?
  6. aftermarket main gun barrel & muzzle brake?

Any specific aftermarket vendors that are recommended?

Thanks again

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  1. yes if possible, not essential
  2. valid choice - ABER
  3. valid choice - ABER
  4. ABER photoetch set
  5. RFM is the best option but time consuming
  6. ABER newly released

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My 2 cents:

  1. replace tow cables? - you can DIY using some electric wires
  2. aftermarket 50 cal? - a cheaper (than Aber) option would be using an Asuka plastic set
  3. brass barrel for hull MG? - this may be an overkill? The kit part is not bad.
  4. aftermarket mounts? - Eduard does a PE set, too but you could use other Sherman PE sets or even DIY using some Evergreen strips. Not a fan of Aber PEs bc they require you to do PE origami. :frowning: Even less relevant to me nowadays bc I just 3D print my accessories.
  5. indy link tracks? - Several options - AFV C, RFM, etc. but indy tracks wouldn’t make it a “simple” build?
  6. aftermarket main gun barrel & muzzle brake? - this also may be an overkill because the kit muzzle brake is fine and with some TLC, the kit’s 2 part barrel would look fine. There is a 3D print option, too.

Good luck. If you don’t consider the $, so many possibilities, I suppose.

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