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M3 Lee cast hull


Corsairfoxfouruncle

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Hi all im a newbie here at BM. I've already got one topic in ww2 aviation for spitfire's. So if i've overstepped my bounds chalk it up to newbie lack of knowledge. 

 

Anyhow my story is this my Grandfather drove shermans in the pacific for the U.S.Army. He drove all variants of the Sherman. But he trained initially here in the states in 1942 on M3 Lee's both Rivited hulls and cast. He passed almost 20 years ago and since i was the only one in my family he ever told his story to i feel obligated to build his tanks. These wont be my first armored vehicles. I have a number of shermans built including his tank. It also seems that because i've been so interested in ww2 history my family has made me the impromptu historian. I had a granduncle that joined the Royal Navy's polish navy in exile there in Britain in 1940. Thats another story i will eventually start a thread in ships because i have no ability to recreate his british vessel. But thats another story/thread. 

     My problem is this I've built Tamiya's 1/35 M3 Lee. Though its very innacurate considering its based on a prototype (lack of cut-out for engine access doors being the most glaring one.) Tamiya's Grant is the correct hull for both versions so i will consider grafting the two together. Now i've looked at academy's offering and will eventually build that one. But no one any where has attempted to mold a cast hull of an M3. Does anyone know of any attempts in england/europe of this. If so any contact info would be greatly appreciated. Also maybe someone would know this. Did the M3 Grants ever use cast hulls? And if yes did anyone make a kit of one of these? I predominantly deal with 1/35th scale but will build anything if it gets me the version i need. To all i say thanks for any info and thanks for letting me tell a rambling story. 

 

Dennis

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Hi Dennis

In 1/35 Formations did an early M3A1 cast hull conversion for the Academy kit. Panzerserra used this with a Tamiya kit HERE to make a CDL version.

There is a 1/72 option as well HERE that I'm told is pretty good.

 

If you're in no hurry I think I'd wait as Jack suggested. I think more versions will follow from Takom. 

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Thank you sleeper im looking forward to see what Takom does going forward with this. Though not related to my query, i also like there new chieftans. Particularly the model in the berlin urban camouflage. 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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In 1/72 you have several very good M3 kits by Polish Mirage company. There are both US Lees (small turret) and British Grants (elongated turret), welded (M3, M3A3, M3A5) or cast (M3A1) hull in plethora of markings - US, British, Soviet and so on. The kit is very well engineered and crisply moulded, surpassing ancient Hasegawa ofering by miles.

Cheers

Michael

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The M3 series did have cast hulls.  M3A1 (Lee) with riveted lower hull, cast top and Continental radial engine, 272 units.  Next was M3A2, cast hull with GuibersonT-1400-3 diesel engines, only 28 units, total 300 between January - June 1942.  These were the only cast upper hull versions built due to the lack of production facilities for large castings.  Later M3A1 cast had side doors eliminated.  No other M3A1, A3, A4 or A5 Grant types had cast hulls. It is unlikely that no more than 2 or 3 were send to UK as was normal for evaluation trials.  But the M3A1 cast version was used for early CDL trials at least where they were designated Grant CDL .  Whether this conversion was carried out in USA or UK I do not know, I only have one photograph of this.  The history of 79th A.D. only details the use of obsolete M3A1 Grant hulls with photographs and doesn't mention the conversion or use of a cast hulled M3A1 at all.  The users of CDL were 1st Tank Brigade 11 RTR, 42 RTR and 49 RTR until October 1944 but never used in action and the tanks were put in reserve storage.  For the Rhine crossing 'B' squadron of 49th A.P.C. regiment used the Grant CDLs, the only time these were used.

 

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