Tamiya 25175 1/35 U.S. Medium Tank M4A3E8 Sherman ‘Easy Eight’ (w/4 Figures)

The legendary U.S. tank M4 Sherman first went into production in February 1942, and would undergo a number of modifications in order to combat the powerful threat posed by its opposing German counterparts. One such variant was the March 1944 M4A3(76)W, which took the late production hull and its superior armor, fitting it with an effective 76mm anti-tank gun. While this extra weight ultimately proved the undoing of the (76)W, it provided the impetus for the development of the horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS) which was married with wider tracks on the M4A3E8 ‘Easy Eight’ for a smooth and easy drive. The Easy Eight missed the 1944 Normandy landings, but it was manufactured from August 1944 and took part in the Battle of the Bulge towards the end of the year. 2,500 were produced by September 1945, when its manufacture was halted. The Easy Eight would continue to serve in Korea in the years that followed.