Eyes and Ears of the Allied Advance

[Matt B]

At the risk of spreading myself a little thin, Im going to present another entry.  The historical significance of this GB is just too much for me to pass up.  So since I already have a plane entered, I decided to do an AFV.  Looking through my stash, I wanted to do something different from a Sherman or tank destroyer (which is what most of my armored stash is), and since the GB encompasses the ensuing Battle for Normandy, I decided to take advantage of the extended date range and do an M8 armored car.

 

 

I did some research and found that while the M8 did not make much of an impact in the month following the invasion, it did play an important role once the allies were able to break through the bocage.  Tamiya’s 1/35 kit includes decals for the vehicle pictured below which was part of the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.  The 82nd came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day Plus Four and was held mostly in reserve for the next month.  But when US commanders became frustrated with the slow advance through the hedgerow ridden terrain, fast recon units like the 82nd became a valuable asset when commanders came up with the idea of Operation Cobra.  Using concentrated bombing to try and breakthrough German lines, while also hoping the German lines were unbalanced having to deal with British and Canadian offensives, the fast M8s sped through the gap to scout the enemy and relay valuable information while also helping to escort heavier armored vehicles like the Sherman.  Along with coordinated infantry movement and air support, Operation Cobra was a success and led to a much more rapid advance through Normandy and beyond for the allied forces.

 

Edited May 28 by Matt B

[JOCKNEY]

Never seen one of these built before, so delighted it's joining this GB.

 

Good luck 

 

Cheers Pat 

[Matt B]

Got some goodies in today to really go to town on the M8

 

 

in reading about the 82nd recon in the opening stages of Operation Cobra, it stated the M8s went through a lot of canister rounds since most the targets they fired on with their 37mm guns were personnel and anti tank guns.  The M8 has ready racks in the turret for ammo, but Tamiya only provides a handful of rounds in the kit.  So I was super glad to see that FC Modeltrend recently came out with a set of 37mm ammo since there wasn’t anything else on the market….that is until I opened the packaging.  It appears something got mixed up and they used 1/72 scale dimensions.  I thought I accidentally ordered the wrong thing, but the tree the parts are attached to is clearly printed with the 1/35 item number, and the packaging is labeled as 1/35 too.  
 

At left are the FC rounds and at right is one of the rounds in the Tamiya kit.  Clearly something got mixed up.  I sent them a message and am awaiting a response.  I could understand if the packaging just got mixed up but it’s a bigger issue if they used the wrong scale.  I ordered two of this particular item and both were the same, whereas the other 1/35 items I also ordered were fine.

 

Edited June 10 by Matt B

[Matt B]

17 hours ago, Matt B said:

 

  Clearly something got mixed up.  I sent them a message and am awaiting a response.  I could understand if the packaging just got mixed up but it’s a bigger issue if they used the wrong scale.  I ordered two of this particular item and both were the same, whereas the other 1/35 items I also ordered were fine.

 

Got a message back and they confirmed they accidentally put the 1/72 version on the 1/35 block.  They apologized and said they would send the correct ones in a couple days, so all is good now.

[Matt B]

Time to get back to modeling!  I got five builds going right now but where I live in the midwestern US, we only get a few months of good weather, so other hobbies have taken precedence the past couple weeks, namely fishing and photography on a short little vacation to fish camp.

 

 

 

But back to the bench now.  Focusing mostly on my Navy GB projects, but I pulled out the greyhound tonight while watching a movie and before I knew it I had most of the suspension done.  The underside is quite detailed but went together quickly.  I’ll be spending a bit more time detailing the interior, but this is a start for now.

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

 Nice Crappie’s, Perch, and what appears to be a smallmouth or rock Bass. The deer always make for nice photo’s. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and saw this almost everyday. I miss it badly and get to go visit in October. 

[Matt B]

7 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

 Nice Crappie’s, Perch, and what appears to be a smallmouth or rock Bass. The deer always make for nice photo’s. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and saw this almost everyday. I miss it badly and get to go visit in October. 

There wasn’t much size to the fish like there usually is but we were fishing right after a bunch of storms and that kind of threw everything off.  Lots of food sources in the water, so they weren’t biting as much.  But, as you know, there no better place to be than the Northwoods in the summer and fall.  This was actually at my uncle’s cabin in northern Michigan, but I love both areas just the same. 

[JOCKNEY]

I know this sounds daft but I didn't know there was Perch in the USA, they look identical to one ones I used to catch in the canal, behind my parents house in the UK !

 

"Everyday's a schoolday" 

 

Lovely work on the drivechain 

 

Cheers Pat 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

5 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said:

I know this sounds daft but I didn't know there was Perch in the USA, they look identical to one ones I used to catch in the canal, behind my parents house in the UK !

 

"Everyday's a schoolday" 

 

Lovely work on the drivechain 

 

Cheers Pat 

Oh yes I’ve caught untold numbers of Perch by my family home in northern Wisconsin. They don't taste too bad but a bit bony for me. 

[JOCKNEY]

Apologies I got a bit distracted with all the fish stuff, to change species for a moment,  how's the Greyhound 🐕‍🦺 coming along ?

 

Cheers Pat