The T-23 turret with the M1A1 L/53 76mm gun was originally designed for an experimental American medium tank design also known by the same designation "T-23". Coincidentally, the T-23 turret had the same 69 inch diameter turret ring as the 75mm gun armed Shermans. Combat experience had revealed that the 75mm gun armed Shermans were inadequate in dealing with German armour . So as an expedient measure to up arm the Sherman, the T-23 turret was mounted onto both the late model M4A1 cast hull and late model M4A2 and M4A3 welded hull Shermans. These late model Sherman hulls had the 47 degree slope and wide hatches for the driver and co-drivers. The 76mm gun armed late model Sherman tanks made their combat debut in the battle for Normandy. The Soviet Union did get some late hull M4A2s with VVSS and T-23 turret combination. There are pictures of these vehicles in Vienna.

The Tank Workshop resin turret represents a late version of the T-23 turret, which has the oval loader's hatch and late model commander's vision cupola. The contents are packed inside a thick zip-lock plastic bag. Parts break down as follows: hollow moulded turret, turret ring, mantlet, machine gun post for turret top, turret pistol port cover, loader's hatch, three small pieces forming the MG rack on the back of the turret bustle and one turned aluminum gun tube. The modeller will have to add the Tamiya kit's commander's cupola and the 0.50 MG to this turret. A small 3D line drawing is included to illustrate where the parts should be located on the turret. The gun tube provided is without the muzzle brake. The Tank Workshop's resin turret was designed for use with the Tamiya M4A3 Sherman kit. The Tamiya mid production M4 cannot be used "as is" with this turret because T-23 turrets were only mounted on late cast and welded hulls.  There is a fair degree of flash and excess resin to remove from my sample. I have dry fitted the turret ring to the Tamiya M4A3 hull and found it was a flush fit. But the fit between the turret ring to the turret itself is a different matter. The turret ring also forms the very bottom edge of the turret itself. The bottom of my turret appears to be slightly warped (not quite round) and, hence, it will not fit flush with the turret ring. I will need some putty and a bit of bending of the turret under heat to correct this. Air bubbles were also present on my turret around the area of the gun mantlet. However, the bubbles are underneath the surface so have not caused any pitting. The gun mantlet area will require a bit of clean up of excess resin to get a good fit of the mantlet onto the turret itself after the flash is removed.