I still remember the first armor kit I ever built. Tamiya’s venerable M4A3 Sherman.

For years, I’ve thought all evidence of that build was long gone. But this morning, going through an old photo album in the process of cleaning out and packing up the study, I came across a few photos of the beast.

Now…I’ve always thought I did a pretty bang-up job on this build. And I probably did, for where my skills were at when I was around 10 or so. But…bang-up is relative.

If you look closely at the front glacis…it looks a bit strange. That’s because it’s, I kid you not, held together by tape.

I think it’s safe to say I’ve improved in the last 20+ years, but looking back is still a blast, and helps you appreciate just how far you can come.