The initial Battlefront releases of the M4A3E8 and Jumbo Sherman were not without their issues but still great kits. These kit catered to the more elite tanks in the US Army and I didn't feel the need to buy more than one box of each to use in any possible variation of lists.
However the various vanilla Shermans could potentially be more numerous and I was wasn't looking forward to buying multiple boxes of M4A3, M4A3(Late) and M4A3(Late)(76) tanks!
I like the Battlefront tanks but they do charge a premium price. Enter Plastic Soldier Company, who produce plastic models in the same scale as Battlefront (15mm) at a significantly cheaper price point.
I've done a previous Shootout between PSC and Battlefront Shermans before. Looking at the M4A2 model for a Soviet Lend Lease force I was building at the time.
Original post here Sherman Showdown
This time around we will be looking at and comparing the BF and PSC versions of the M4A3(Late).
Battlefront M4A3 (Late)
You get 5 tanks in the box. The hulls and turrets come in resin while the tracks, hatches and guns are plastic. There are metal crew and storage sprues as well. In addition the box comes with magnets to magnetize the turrets and a decal sheet.
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| Battlefront MA3 (Late) |
The quality of the Battlefront tanks is excellent. The resin needed very little cleanup and there was no pitting or defects in the model.
I am a big fan of the Battlefront plastic track sprue. The single piece tracks need minimal cleanup and fit just fine on the hull. by far I like the Battlefront tracks over the more finicky PSC tracks.
The stowage sprue is great, giving you various bits to glue all over your tanks and give them a little personality.
PSC M4A3 (Late)
You get 5 tank sprues, each with a tank on it. Both companies offer 105mm options for their kits. You will notice immediately that you have more options in the PSC kit over the Battlefront box. PSC has thoughtfully included an option for a 76mm turret in the box which increases the value of this set quite a bit.
Comparisons
Visual
The Battlefront tank is beefier then it's PSC counterpart. Lining the up next to each other it's easy to tell that the Battlefront tank is longer and taller than the PSC tank. Even details such as gun barrels, and tank tools are smaller.
Whether you like Battlefront's larger format or the more petite PSC version is a personal preference Personally I like the look of the Battlefront's more beefy model more overall.
Assembly:
the Battlefront Tank assembles faster than it's PSC counterpart. The annoying track issue on the PSC is easily the worst aspect of an otherwise fun build. I've taken to using green putty to fill the gaps where the Track pieces meet. PSC includes turrets for both the 75mm and 76mm options though sadly there are not enough hatches to build both. You have to pick which one to build. Still nice to have the options though.
As of Feb 2013 the cost of a
Battlefront M4A3 (late) box set was 58.00 USD
Plastic Soldier Company M4A3 (late) box set 25.99USD
The PSC cost is less than half of the Battlefront box set. The PSC set also comes with the option for 76mm Turrets, a great advantage over BF.
However the BF ox comes with magnets for the turrets (Which is a very nice feature) and decals. While these add to the value of the box set it doesn't make up for the cost.
Once you a coat of paint on them the differences aren't quite as obvious until they are right next to each other.
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| PSC on left, BF on Right |
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| PSC left, BF Right |
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| PSC Left, BF Right |
Overall conclusion.
If money is no object I would rate the Battlefront model higher. It's solid, beefier and looks great assembled.
If you are cost conscience that the Plastic Soldier Company is a no-brainer. The tank puts together well and looks almost as good as the Battlefront version. you save more than 50% on the cost to get a tank that looks 90% as good as the more expensive Battlefront tank. the additional option of building the tank as the 76mm version is just another plus.
regardless of which route you go you will end up with a great model of a M4A3(late) Sherman!
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