OK everybody, a decision has been made taking everything that you knowledgable and experienced chaps have kindly said into consideration.
Plus the personal desirability of the tank and my own reasoning. If after reading the next bit you think I've screwed up big time please be kind once again and don't make a grown man cry

Here goes, I started this incredibly addictive hobby at the beginning of this year by purchasing a finished and complete Taigen Tiger 1. What a beast that is and I love it to bits.
However, I soon realised from joining a club and stalking you chaps that most of the fun was to be had in the construction and modification process. Again that bug bit my ass and I've gone a little crazy on a fairly limited and authorised (by her indoors) budget.
I purchased the Hobbyboss 1/16 Tiger 1 and T34 to see if my childhood modelling skills were still in existence. I also completely revamped my Man Cave into half workshop and half modelling studio and bought all the spray booth stuff etc. I was officially hooked!!!
So I now have the completed Tiger, two static models, and a recently purchased bottom spec HL Challenger 2. The reason for that is so I can learn to modify, upgrade and develop my skills on a large tank from the bottom up.
So that brings me to now. If I bought the finished and painted full metal Mato Sherman I would just have another model to play with. However, after reading hundreds of articles/items on here etc it is clear that the Tamiya kits are the Rolls Royce of models/kits/good fun toys. I am not a 'Rivet Counter' and I don't want the same green Sherman as everybody else (no offence intended), and I love the huge gun with recoil on the M51.
So I have bit the bullet and ordered one from the German supplier that has been recommended earlier today and saving a lot of money even with a poor exchange rate at the moment. I can not wait to see, touch and open my first ever Tamiya 1/16 RC model tank box.
Thank you all for assisting me in this very difficult decision and for suffering whilst reading this novel I've just drifted into writing. I'm sure it won't be long before I'm back on here again asking my next daft question.
Cheers everybody, much appreciated

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