Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 10:15 AM UTC
Academy are set to release their new tool M7 Priest and the additional good news is that they have corrected the problems with the M3 suspension.
Here are the official Academy photos and sprue images of Kit: 13210 M7 PRIEST
[U.S. HOWITZER MOTOR CARRIAGE]


For a long time the Italeri Priest kit was the only game in town if you wanted to model an M7 Priest in plastic. Now Academy have released this kit and from the look of the sprues have corrected the major fault in their M3 Lee's suspension. If Academy get this one right, and it seems from the photos that they have, then this kit will find a place on many Allied Modelers work benches. (or at least in their stashes)

It also bodes well for their future Sherman releases.
Photos
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Comments

Nice to see the new M7 finally come to light. It looks like only a couple of mods like an M3 Lee/Grant differential cover will be required to make it one for N. Africa. Chris "toadman" Hughes Toadman's Tank Pictures Who just happens to have a M7 photo CD.
SEP 19, 2007 - 05:27 AM
Pretty much the same, actually, apart from small items, like fuel cans and such. Vehicles in North Africa might have a British sun compass. The problem until now was, the only Priest available was Italeri's, which depicted a 1944-45 production model, and the British Priests were all acquired much earlier in the production run, so an earlier suspension and revised hull armor and transmission housings were required. Of course, in later campaigns, the Sexton largely supplanted the Priests in British service, at least in NW Europe, and many early ones were converted to Kangaroo armored personnel carriers. In US service, the early variants survived much later than the equivalent Shermans, since the M7 was ordinarily used for indirect fire, and suffered fewer casualties, so there will be plenty of opportunities for US markings, and kitbashing the two Priest kits will yield yet more US variants.
SEP 19, 2007 - 05:56 AM
Does anyone happen to know, who else used the Priest, besides the US, the UK, and Israel?
SEP 22, 2007 - 06:22 AM
The Free French, French 2nd Armoured Division M7 in front of Notre Dame in Paris, 26 August 1944. The South Africans. 6TH SOUTH AFRICAN ARMOURED DIVISION IN TRAINING IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 2 SEPTEMBER 1943 and the Canadians.
SEP 22, 2007 - 08:28 AM
Well of Course it is coming I just finished my Conversion to an early from the Italeri kit! Never Fails does it??? Cheers Jeff
SEP 22, 2007 - 08:34 AM
The Free French, French 2nd Armoured Division M7 in front of Notre Dame in Paris, 26 August 1944. The South Africans. 6TH SOUTH AFRICAN ARMOURED DIVISION IN TRAINING IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 2 SEPTEMBER 1943 and the Canadians. [/quote] Canadian Army Field Artillery Regiments in Normandy were initially issued with 105mm Priests or with towed 25 pounder field guns. There were 3 Batteries per FAR, each consisting of 2 Troops of either 4 Priests or 25pdrs. Canadian built Sextons mounting the 25pdr. eventually replaced the Priests which were later converted to Kangaroos. Cheers jjumbo
SEP 23, 2007 - 03:03 AM
This is more for the site master than for the article... The correct link to Academy site is: LINK You can pick your language from there. ___________________ By the way, great news on this kit! Thanks
SEP 23, 2007 - 03:38 AM
Thanks Mark- fixed it
SEP 23, 2007 - 05:01 AM
Thanks for the great news! I like this version much better than the Italeri! Did someone say Sexton? That would be an even greater release! Jeff
SEP 23, 2007 - 05:43 AM
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Photos
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