Academy M-18 Hellcat U.S Army

This kit has great detail inside and out. The majority of the drivers' compartment, fighting compartment, and turret have all the major pieces in great detail. The engine compartment contents are not included. Fit is very good, especially considering the large number of small parts. Since the kits does have many small parts, I would not recommend it for younger modelers. As other reviewers indicated, the instructions are somewhat weak (almost completely pictorial), in the sense you need to look carefully at the supplemental pictures on the box and at the end of the instructions to know where some of the small parts are to go. On a positive note, the kit comes with a large number of extra accessories (although no crew figures): cannon rounds, cannon ammo tubes, machine gun ammunition boxes, crew bags and sacks. The kit also comes with two types of track: link and length and the conventional "rubber band" type. (Both sets are molded in black; the rest of the kit is molded in medium dark green.) Other options include cannon barrel with and without muzzle brake, turret mantlet with and without canvas cover, two radio alternatives, and fenders with and without dust covers. Flash was negligible on my kit. Overall, this kit is a gem and a terrific value for the $28 I paid for mine! The kit's only downfall are the decals, which are terrible, and the only reason I gave the kit four starts instead of five. Recommended for tank model enthusiasts. (As a side note, I highly recommend Steven Zaloga's book on the M18 Hellcat. It's a good read and a good reference.)

Fairly easy to assemble but instructions can be vague. Some parts aren’t positively located and take a lot of adjustment and are difficult to place. Good detail especially for the price.

As of Friday 13th I started to build this gem of a kit, and in doing so will provide photos along the way. The kit is full of details inside and out and all about small parts to bring out the exact details of the real tank destroyer, not a tank as one would first think, there was a designation difference in WW II answering the call to arm individual units with tank destroyers to knock out German armor. The history of the M18 should be read throughout construction to add to the drama of a crew in one of these vehicles. The kit depicts one of several versions and the research to be done to get the right vehicle for a campaign is good to do.The crew figures are not included but many optional kits offer at least a commander and driver figure and these are readily available. I would highly recommend this kit to the experienced kit builder as this is not die-cast nor a toy "tank". Be sure to read the kit description of the tank destroyer prior to purchasing.  JERRY CANS by Italeri1/35 Allied Vehicle Accessories Any of the additional add-on kits will enhance the detailing of this models and with the included accessories a full compliment of goods can be carried.  Dragon 1/35 U.S. Army Tank Riders 1944-45 (4 Figures Set) Gen 2 Tank riders could be added to help bring out some more uses of the tank destroyer as well as simply enhance a diorama using this kit as a center piece. I may use figures from a Tamiya Sherman Tank crew  1/35 M4A3 Sherman 75mm as well as the  1/35 US 1st Army-Remagen '45 Any number of possible combinations can be created. A Winter scene at the Battle of the Bulge would be an excellent idea.

This kit is great, the amount of freedom of detail that you have with this one is incredible. Definatley one of my favourites, my only complaint would be the decal sheet. Some of the stars were not the correct size for this scale of kit. Other than that, it's great.

Academy out-did themselves with this kit! I was so impressed with the details and the different options this kit offers the builder. As for the turret? You have the option of building it with a simple one piece floor or, they have a highly detailed interior for the turret that will blow your mind. I built mine with the highly detailed option and, I was so impressed with this kit simply because of those options, that I purchased a 2nd kit and I'm really looking forward to building each kit differently, just to show the different options of such a finely crafted model kit. Yeah buddy, this is one Hell of a Hellcat tank!

It is not a bad model for being 21 years old. Some details are simplified. Overall it's a decent kit. Decals are too thick and I lucked out that they didn't silver,

This model is highly detailed and a good challenge for my 12 year old. He does a little and then lets it sit for a while before painting or putting together another section. The flexible tracks were very tight and one broke as my son tried to stretch it. We were able to tie it back together with some black thread. Overall a great model.

A nice kit with excellent detail is the good part. The bad part is the fit is poor, many parts do not fit together well and require lots of adjustment. The instructions, like many Academy models are not the best, the placement of some parts is just tough to figure out. The bad part is you find out many bad fit options when you try get bigger pieces together. Not for the beginner.

Pretty good model but no crew members

I ordered the HELLCAT for its features and because I didn't have one in my collection , although the tank is really nice looking and the parts are well displayed , I was a bit dissapointed to find it was much smaller than my other 1/35 scale tanks

lots of detail very good instructions was a pleasure to build highly recommened

Bought this as a gift the person I bought it for was very happy with it.

Excellent kit