Artitec 387.103 Highlights:
Model: Artitec's 387.103 1/87 scale Firefly is fully assembled and painted Standard Camouflage Colour Shade or SCC 15 Olive Drab and has its gun barrel camouflaged to make it appear like a standard M4 Sherman. All the new Artitec finished models are highly detailed works of art. They are all hand painted and finished using the highest quality resin, plastic and metal parts. Add a few to your collection today before they are sold out. Models are made in small production runs so don't delay in ordering.
Prototype: The Sherman Firefly was a British variant of the American M4 Sherman tank which replaced the Sherman’s 75 mm M3 L/40 gun with the much more powerful Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) high velocity antitank gun. The 17 pounder was able to penetrate 131 mm of armor sloped at 30° from 1,000 m, allowing it to take on Panther and Tiger tanks. The rear of the Firefly’s turret was mounted with an armored box to allow for the recoil of the larger 17 pounder gun; otherwise there were no other differences between the Firefly and the Sherman. The Firefly began as a temporary measure in late 1943 to provide the British army with a tank powerful enough to take on the Panther and the Tiger. The British had the Cromwell, Challenger, and Comet tanks in development but needed something in the interim due to design delays. Firefly conversions began in January 1944 and after impressive results during the Normandy Campaign, the Firefly was given production preference for a time over new tank construction. The Germans became so wary of the Firefly that they were ordered to knock out Fireflies in combat first before other tanks and armored vehicles; the British responded by painting camouflage on half of the 17 pounder, giving it the appearance of a lower-velocity 75 mm gun from a distance. Over 2,100 Fireflies were converted during the war.
PLEASE NOTE: These models are all handmade and painted which makes every one unique. This means the paint patterns may vary a little and the detail parts like sandbags, turret tracks, antennas, etc. may also be arranged differently. This was also the case in real life. These models are very prototypical.
