Faced with a shortage of modern armored fighting vehicles due to the sensitive political environment at the time, the Israeli Army continued its tradition of upgrading its WWII-vintage Sherman tanks, culminating in what would be the ultimate version of the old warhorse, the M51 ISherman (supposedly "I" as in Israel, -Sherman. Pronounced "EYE-Sherman"). Developed in the 1960s, the addition of a modified French 105mm CN 105 F1 gun necessitated extreme modifications to the stock T-23 Sherman turret, including the characteristic elongated bustle for gun space and counterbalancing. Other modifications to the basic M4A1 Sherman with HVSS (Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension) included the installation of a diesel engine, turret-mounted smoke dischargers, and characteristic Israeli Army racks and stowage. Although a design well past its prime, clever engineering and savvy tactics allowed the old Sherman to perform quite well against the modern Soviet-built armor of the day.

Dragon has again taken one of its already fine kits and turned it into an absolutely magnificent one with this "Premium Edition" version of its old M51 ISherman kit. In addition to tons of new photo-etched parts for fenders, light and periscope guards, chains, jerry can racks, and tons of other stuff, we also get an aluminum main barrel, clear periscope parts, a new commander's cupola, a new muzzle brake, and...well, really, just all kinds of goodies! This kit also includes Dragon's latest and greatest version of the HVSS suspension (with optional springs if you want a "working" suspension) and a set of gorgeously molded T-80 steel chevron double-pin tracks, which are sharply rendered as flexible "Dragon Styrene" belts with separate slide-molded center guides (plenty of 'em to glue on, but still a heck of a lot less hassle than indy links!). A very welcome addition to Dragon's growing roster of Premium Edition kits!