Product Features and Details
Artitec 87.104 Highlights:
Model: Artitec's 87.104 1/87 scale Firefly is a resin kit and is unpainted.
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.
