Takom M3 Lee Late Medium Tank - 1/35 Takom

[Julien]

M3 Lee Late Medium Tank

1:35 Takom via Pocketbond

 

 

The US Army had been remarkably complacent with regard to tank development in the lead-up to WWII, and approached war with precious few that were hopelessly outclassed.  This realisation resulted in a frantic clamour to produce a modern tank that could hold its own in combat, with the M3 Lee coming into service as a stop-gap measure within a year of its first design while the M4 Sherman was in development.  As a consequence of its rather rushed introduction, it was known to have a number of fairly serious flaws, but it also had some strengths that (at least in part) made up for them.  Its high profile and sponson mounted main gun gave the enemy a large target, but when the 75mm main gun was brought to bear on a target, it was surprisingly powerful and effective, gaining a reputation in North Africa.

 

A great many examples were exported to the British and Russian forces in the early stages of WWII, and after the majority of British armour was left on the beaches of Dunkerque, the need became even greater.  The British required some changes to improve the vehicle's performance, which most visibly included a new larger turret with a bustle to accommodate radio gear, and a cupola instead of the sub-turret with machine gun mount, which was named the Grant after general Lee's opponent.  Due to the pressing need for suitable numbers however, the British did take a number of Lees, and the Soviet Union also took delivery of a substantial number of Lee variants, although some ended up at the bottom of the sea thanks to U-Boat action.  The Soviets disliked the Lee intensely and gave it a wide berth wherever they could in favour of the more modern and capable T-34, the production of which ramped up substantially after the initial shock of Barbarossa, which led to its retirement from front-line service by 1943, while the other Allied continued to use them (mainly in Africa) until the end of the war. The Late version deleted the side doors and left only one pistol port. 

 

The Kit

There have been three kits released initially, one being the Early Lee, the other the British specification Grant (see here), and the M31 Recovery version (see here).  This kit does share a core of common parts.. Inside the box are ten sprues and two parts in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with headlights, a PE sheet, decal sheet and instruction booklet as mentioned above.  Construction begins with the lower hull, which has a rear bulkhead and final drive housing attached at the front, with three stations on each side for the VVSS (vertical volute-sprung suspension) units, which held a pair of wheels each.  The drive sprockets are fitted to the front, and idlers at the rear. The individual double wheel units are made up. 12 wheels are made up and fitted into 6 bogie units. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tracks are link and length, with a jig supplied for the top run, which has an upward curve at the front as it rides over the drive sprocket.  The highly curved areas have individual links supplied, with the diagonals under the drive and idler wheels fitted in short lengths.  The tracks fit under the sponson floors, with separate sides added.  The complex angles of the glacis plate and casemate of the 75mm gun are formed over a number of steps, with the roof having a cut-out for the turret and the limited-traverse mantlet of the main gun attached before it is flipped over and fitted to the rest of the hull.  The engine deck is fitted last, and has a choice of pioneer tools and towing cables, which require some holes to be drilled from the inside before fitting.  The exhausts and mudflaps are fitted to the rear bulkhead along with a number of panels and towing eyes to the rear,  with the driver's hatch and caged light cluster on the wings.

 

The turret has a simple two-part construction, with the mantlet inserted into the lower half, allowing the gun to elevate, while the top machine gun turret actually has more parts, including vision ports, a split hatch, lifting eyes and machine gun barrel.  The 37mm gun and coax machine gun are fitted last before the mantlet cover is installed, which makes one wonder what the purpose of the additional machine gun on the top of the turret was when there was already one mounted coaxially.

 

 

Markings

There are four markings options spread over the inner cover pages of the instructions, All of which are in Olive Drab, the captured example featuring applied winter camo.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Unknown captured tank Pz.kpfw M3 744, probably on the Eastern Front?
• 1st Armoured Div , England Dec 1942 Tank #9
• 1st Armoured Div , England Dec 1942 Tank #4
• 1st Armoured Div , England Dec 1942 Tank #7

 

 

The decals are printed anonymously, and have generally good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.  

 

Recommended

 

Review sample courtesy of

UK Distributors for

 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Looks lovely.....The box artwork seems a tad dramatic (& exotic) for a tank based in England though. 

 

A little birdy informs me that Takom are entering the world of Braille.....I trust BM will be following up on this exciting development. 

[Julien]

2 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Looks lovely.....The box artwork seems a tad dramatic (& exotic) for a tank based in England though. 

 

A little birdy informs me that Takom are entering the world of Braille.....I trust BM will be following up on this exciting development. 

It was a dramatic exercise!

 

Yes we hear Takom are branching down into small scale armour, no doubt @Paul A H is waiting for those.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Curious ... Does anyone think Takom will mold a Cast hulled Lee ? It would be a lot easier than scratchbuilding one.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

39 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Curious ... Does anyone think Takom will mold a Cast hulled Lee ? It would be a lot easier than scratchbuilding one.

I'd put money on it.....They are nothing if not thorough. 

 

Which I suspect is good news.....Assuming I recall your future build plans correctly.