1/72nd Scale - M4A1 Shermans

The M4A1 entered service with the early small hatch hull, armed with the 75mm turret. Early versions of this tank had a bolted 3-piece final drive housing (nose piece), and direct vision slots in the front hull. The direct vision slots were removed fairly early, and the nose piece eventually converted to the single-piece cast nose of two styles.

Name	Manufacturer	Medium	Type	Rating	Comments	Links
M4A1 early	ARMO	Resin	Conversion	**	With 3-piece nose, early hull, and M34 gun shield. Comes with etched brass details and turned metal gun barrel. Converted from ESCI.	Preview
M4A1 early	ModellTrans	Resin	Conversion	****	Conversion hull for Dragon. Currently the only direct-vision Sherman available in this scale.	Preview
M4A1 late	ARMO	Resin	Conversion	?	With single piece nose, early hull, and M34A1 gun shield. Comes with etched brass details and turned metal gun barrel. Converted from ESCI.
M4A1 Normandy	Dragon	Plastic	Kit	****	Excellent kit except for flawed bogies.	Preview
M4A1	UM	Plastic	Kit	***	Mediocre kit.	Preview
M4A1 mid-production	Iron Division	Resin	Conversion	*****	Resin upper hull to convert Dragon M4A1.	Preview

When the hull shape was changed from the early style to the late, big-hatch style, most of the M4A1s also changed over to the 76mm T23 turret. There were, however, a small number of tanks that retained the 75mm turret, mostly for use as DD tanks for the Normandy landings. As far as I know, these were all 47° big-hatch hulls, with dry-stowage and the applique armor cast into the hull sides.

Name	Manufacturer	Medium	Type	Rating	Comments	Links
M4A1 (75)	ESCI/Italeri	Plastic	Kit	***	Flawed model of an extremely rare vehicle. Lacking appliqué armor for dry stowage hull.	Preview
M4A1 (75)	HQ72	Resin	Conversion	****	Includes turret and late, big-hatch, dry-stowage upper hull, converted from Italeri (ESCI). Plus accessories (stowage items).	Preview
M4A1 (75) DD	Modell Trans	Resin	Kit	?	Late hull.
LCM(3) + M4A1	Dragon	Plastic	Kit	?	Apparently the error as with the ESCI kit: 75mm turret with a late, big-hatch hull, but with wet stowage instead of dry. Tank has photoetched deep wading trunks.

This is a curious beast. There was a very small number of the big-hatch M4A1 hulls that retained dry ammunition stowage in their sponsons. Apparently used only as DD tanks, I believe that the few hulls of this type that existed mounted only the M4 75mm turret. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

Name	Manufacturer	Medium	Type	Rating	Comments	Links
M4A1 Sherman Calliope	ESCI	Plastic	Kit	***	This is ESCI's M4A1 Sherman kit, with a rocket launcher mounted on the turret.	Preview
M4A1 Sherman Calliope	Italeri	Plastic	Kit	***	Same as the ESCI kit.
M4A1 Calliope Conversion	Al.By	Resin	Conversion	?

Name	Manufacturer	Medium	Type	Rating	Comments	Links
M4A1 (76)W	Dragon	Plastic	Kit	****	Best M4A1 (76)W kit available, but with several flaws.	Preview
M4A1 (76)W	HQ72	Resin	Conversion	****	Contains upper hull, turret and stowage items. Converted from ESCI.	Preview
M4A1 (76)W	MR Modellbau	Resin	Conversion	?
M4A1 (76)W	Revell AG.	Plastic	Kit	**	Mediocre detail, and several dimension errors.	Preview
M4A1 (76)W	Trumpeter	Plastic	Kit	****	Pretty decent kit, though lacking in some areas.	Preview
M4A1 (76)W w/Sandbags	Fine Scale Factory	Resin	Kit	***	Modified from ESCI M4A1. Added sandbag armor, new tracks, and a 76mm turret.
M4A1 (76) w/Sandbag Armor	TP Models	Resin	Conversion	?	Upper body and turret with molded-on sandbag armor. Converted from Revell.
M4A1 (76) w/Sandbag Armor	Goffy	Resin	Conversion	?	Replacement hull and turret for Revell M4A1, with much additional equipment.
M4A1 (76) w/Sandbag Armor	Leva	Resin	Conversion	?
M4A1 (76)W w/Aunt Gemima Mine Exploder	Al.By	Plastic/Resin	Kit	?	Includes complete plastic ESCI M4A1 kit, with resin 76mm turret and mine exploder.

The M4A1 (76)W was one of the versions of the Sherman to receive the HVS suspension, and I think they saw action in Europe during the final months of the war, but I am not certain. This was a very common version of the Sherman to see action in the Israeli armed forces.