U.S. Light Tank M5A1 (Late) - 1:72 Mirage Hobby

[Paul A H]

 

U.S. Light Tank M5A1 (Late)

1:72 Mirage Hobby

 

 

Designed prior to entry of the USA into the Second World War, The M3 Light Tank was based in part upon the experience of the British, which led to the US command to conclude that their M2 light tank might be obsolete. The M3 featured an improved radial engine compared to the M2, but was compromised by its underpowered 37mm main gun. The British Army in Africa used it against the Afrika Korps, but it fared badly, suffering from a lack of range in the wide open spaces of the African desert. It was fast and manoeuvrable however, and a British comment that she was a "honey" to drive led to one of its nicknames during the war.

The M5 was an improved version that featured twin V8 engines derived from a Cadillac civilian car engine, mated to twin Hydra Matic transmission units. This change was enacted mainly to reduce demand on radial engines which were needed for the manufacture of aircraft more than the need to improve the performance of the tank, but the automatic transmission did make the tank easier to drive and therefore simplified crew training. The M5 retained the 37mm main gun but featured a redesigned hull with a sloped glacis plate and rearranged driver hatches. The M5 continued in service until replaced by the much more modern M24 Chafee.

 

 

 

 

Mirage Hobby have a wealth of excellent 1/72 tank kits in their range, some of which are of fairly mainstream subjects but many of which are a little more obscure and interesting. I have fond memories of building one of their T-26 tanks, procured from the excellent MR and ME World of Models in Kempston before their demise sometime in the mid-2000s. The range has gone through a revamp since those days, however, and this kit is a brand new tool that features not only a dozen sprues of grey plastic parts and flexible vinyl tracks, but also a small sheet of photo etched details and decal options for four different tanks. I was a little concerned about the plastic parts at first, as the sprues feature some whopping sink marks, but the parts themselves are very nicely moulded and feature extremely fine and delicate detailing.

 

Construction starts with the M5's distinctive boxy hull. This is made up in the conventional way from eight parts. Somewhat unusually, the turret ring and glacis plate are fitted at this early stage of the build, before any of the running gear. The wheels and suspension units are incredibly finely detailed and will require no small amount of patience and care to make sure everything lines up properly. A host of small details can also be added at this stage, including tow hooks, headlights and hatches. Even smaller details such as fuel filler caps are also moulded separately, which is a very, very good sign for fans of fine detail.

 

 

 

 

 

Construction of the turret comes next. The 37mm main gun is moulded from a single, solid part and joins onto a two-part mantle alongside the coaxial machine gun. Another .30 cal gun is provided for the ball mount on the right hand side of the glacis, while a third – which is much more detailed but lacks an ammo box – fits on a mounting attached to the commander's cupola. The square turret hatches are both moulded as separate parts and even have tiny handles moulded separately to the hatches themselves. A set of spare track links have been provided to hang on the sides of the turret too, but they aren't used for every version depicted on the decal sheet. The tracks are moulded from flexible black vinyl. Although nicely detailed and very flexible, they do look rather delicate and could be difficult to join up seamlessly, particularly as this version is not equipped with side skirts to hide the join. Photo etched parts are used for the guards that fit around the headlights.

 

 

Four different schemes are provided for on the decal sheet:

• M5A1 Light Tank, 2^nd tank, 3^rd Platoon, C Company, 33^rd Armoured Regiment, 3^rd US Armored Division, Normandy, July 1944;
• M5A1 Light Tank, 1^st Tank, 4^th Platoon, C Company, 33^rd Armoured Regiment, 3^rd US Armored Division, Normandy, July 1944;
• M5A1 Light Tank, 3^rd Platoon, C Company, 33^rd Armoured Regiment, 3^rd US Armored Division, Great Britain, April 1944; and
• M5A1 Light Tank, 4^th Tank, 3^rd Platoon, C Company, 33^rd Armoured Regiment, 3^rd US Armored Division, Normandy, July 1944.

 

 

Conclusion

 

This is an excellent little kit that will no doubt look great once completed. The overall level of detail is outstanding, although the pay off for this is a model that will require some patience and care to build to its full potential. I would have like to have seen some plastic link and length tracks included as an alternative to the rubber band versions supplied, but I shall reserve judgement on the latter until I get the chance to use them. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Julien]

This one look good.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Well worth checking the parts closely on the various Mirage Stuarts.....A number of small parts have been absent in some boxings and they have also had some issues with short-shot parts.  

 

In my experience Mirage vinyl tracks glue nicely with ordinary CA if they are not painted.  

[badger]

I have a couple of the earlier M3s but think this needs adding to the stash!!