The Sherman Firefly was born from the need to improve the 75mm gun of the Sherman, a weapon not able to compete on equal terms with the enemy tanks of the time. The answer was the British 17 Pdr, a most powerful and accurate weapon. The new tank was named Firefly and the suffix C indicates 17 pdr gun on the specific model of Sherman IC (M4 classic and "hybrid"), Sherman VC (M4A4) The "low bustle" turret received a square hatch (on "high bustle" Firefly turrets there was an oval hatch). The radio was contained an armoured box which was moved to the rear of the turret helping to provide a counterweight for the heavy weapon. Another visible difference with the Firefly was the omission of the hull .30 cal. MG to make way for increased ammunition stowage. When I decided to start assembling the Dragon kit I wanted to build a tank called ZEMSTA II, but during the search for references my friend Mr. Luigi Manes suggested to me a photo from the beautiful book "Camouflage and Markings Of The Shermans IN NEW ZEALAND SERVICE - ITALY 1943-45 by Jeffrey Plowman". The tank in the photo is unusual in that it
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