ColonelKrypton Posted September 6 Posted September 6 (edited) My knowledge of the M3 Stuart is limited only to my vague recollection of the old DC Comics G.I. Combat series featuring the Haunted Tank with Sgt Jeb Stuart as commander of a M3 Stuart in which he and crew fight their way through the war from North Africa to the European continent. The "Haunted Tank was so named as it was inhabited by the spirit of the Confederate cavalry General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart. I have no intention of building a rendition of the Haunted Tank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Tank Not having a suitable kit on hand I have been shopping around for a kit and subject which spoke to me. What? Model kits and subjects don't speak to you? They must. Why else would you visit your favourite local hobby store (physical or online) and leave with more in hand that what you had intended when you entered? The kit that spoke to me the loudest was the newer issue Tamiya No. 35360 U.S. Light Tank M3 Stuart Late Production in 1/35 scale. The Tamiya M8 HMC in both 1/48 and 1/35 scale were both making a raucous fuss at the back of the room and I nearly succumbed. Those nice newish MiniArt kits where kicking up a fuss too but in the end after giving myself a good swift kick in hopes of inducing a bit of sanity, I grabbed the Tamiya M3 Stuart Late Production and hastily retreated towards the door. The poor young lad at the counter couldn't figure out who I was arguing with and thought I was having a fit. I most assuredly convinced him I was not; paid for my treasure in hand and left, leaving behind all of those other kits still noisily vying for my attention. My intention is to follow the KISS ( keep it simple stupid ) principle and build this kit as mostly OOTB but with simple detail adds. That is my intention and we all know what Robert Burns wrote of mice and men. cheers, Graham Edited November 22 by ColonelKrypton update 11
modelling minion Posted September 6 Posted September 6 A fine choice of kit Graham, I'll be building one myself, and good to see another of the Allies being represented. 1
PlaStix Posted September 15 Posted September 15 Hi Graham. Great to have you taking part in this GB with what is an excellent choice of kit (I'm making the same one!) Looking forward to following your's and Craig's builds. Kind regards, Stix 1
ColonelKrypton Posted September 15 Author Posted September 15 Heard the starting bell and I am off and running ... well, moseying along at a comfortable pace - too old and creaky to be doing much running. More of an update later cheers, Graham 2 2
ColonelKrypton Posted September 15 Author Posted September 15 The obligatory sprue shot, As hinted at in the subject line, my intent is to build this kit as something representative of a M3 Stuart in Soviet service during the Great Patriot War. I have been scouring the internet looking for pictures of interesting vehicles but finding few. Even David Doyle's book on the M3 Stuart has nothing of note. Of those pictures I have been finding I am finding a mix of those vehicles with and those without the sponson mounted Browning .30 cal machine guns, some with fittings over the holes and couple without. No obvious pattern as to those with and those without. Perhaps the Soviets found better use of the Browning's in portable use rather than mounted in the Stuart. I have some ideas on where my build will head but nothing yet carved in stone and plans do change. As a side note, I was playing around with some CA trying out different ideas on a good ways to apply the CA in select spots for the attachment of photoetch and the like. I have tried just about everything to try and manage CA without making a mess - toothpick, sewing needle stuck in an old paint handle, piece of thin wire, and a couple of the commercial CA applicators. They all worked to a degree but all had their issues as well, mostly to do with control and consistently. Of late I have been experimenting with cheap 000 and 00 size paint brushes. Just like paint, the brush holds a small amount of CA and a small dot can be placed in a controlled and repeatable manner. Trouble is the CA curing on the brush. However, the brush is easily cleaned with acetone but it makes for a slow process of apply CA, fix part, clean brush and then repeat. Today I had a light bulb moment. I had a number of those long skinny plastic CA bottle applicators on the bunch and the thought was I wondered if I could use one of those to apply small drops of CA. They did work as they were but trying to make an every tinnier tip, I cut the thin tube end on a slant and tried that thinking the that the ever smaller tip would be beneficial. As soon as I dipped the tip in a small puddle of thin CA the light bulb lite up. Surface tension and capillary action saw the thin CA magically wick it's way up the thin tube. Then touching the tiny pointed end of the tube to where I wanted CA didn't work the way I expected. However, applying a gentle bit of pressure to tip causing it flex saw a small release of CA right where I wanted. By varying the amount of pressure I could easily control the amount released. It works just like a quill pen. I suspect the slight flex just breaks the surface tension enough that it causing the CA to flow out. The CA bottle tips are not too long nor too short and easily handled plus the plastic can be heated and the thin end stretched even further to make and even smaller tube. I use an eyedropper to blow out the excess CA after I have applied what I needed to use. Acetone can also be used to cleanout excess CA so that the applicator can be reused. I hope my attempt to articulate the technique and the following picture helps. The smallest drops of CA don't show very well but they are consistently smaller than a straight pin head. I am still experimenting with the technique but it looks does look promising. cheers, Graham 9 1
modelling minion Posted September 15 Posted September 15 Thats a very handy tip Graham, thanks for sharing it with us.
ColonelKrypton Posted September 24 Author Posted September 24 Chapter one. I promised myself that I would not let myself get lost within the worry of and the never ending discussions of colour. Didn't work and I have spent too much time digging through various old and current postings on olive drab OD9 SCC15. As fascinating as those discussions are the result is always too much time fussing over minutia and not enough time at the work bench. I think I have it licked now and have decided on which direction I am going to proceed. Also of note is that those model fayres at my local hobby store have been working their influence. Out of sheer happenstance on my recent visit I stumbled over some interesting after market detail bits for my Stuart - a set of Masterclub and AFV track links, a very nice turned barrel for the 37mm main armament, and a couple of brass barrels for the Browning .30 cal guns. I just couldn't pass on these items as they were all discounted and too good a deal What I will use on this Tamiya is uncertain at this point but will most certainly at least be one of the individual track links sets. My first impressions of the Tamiya 37mm gun barrel is very good; molded as a single piece and straight. The Browning barrels are likewise very nice as well. Will the extra set of individual track links mean that there will be a second M3/M5 ? Can't promise either way what with the never ending influence of those darn model fayres. I may have been distracted by fussing over colour but I did manage to get some parts cut from the sprues, cleaned up, and glued together. I even managed to get some paint on the road wheels. If you are wondering what the M3 is sitting on, it is a magnetic mobile phone ball mount glued to a faux marble coaster found at the local dollar store. There is a cupped washer shaped magnetic on the steel ball which would usually be mounted to you mobile phone. In this case it not attached to anything other than the largish N52 magnet glued to the inside floor of the M3. There is also a large steel nut on the N52 magnet to help a bit of weight to the M3. So far it works well but I am still uncertain of it's overall utility. My thought was as a stand to hold and assist with adding wee detail bits and detail painting and weathering. Time will tell. Also of note, I thought would include a photo of my simple lathe that I use to true and clean up mold lines on wheels. it is a standard Foredom handpiece ( 25mm in diameter ) held in a tactical flashlight holder which in turn is mounted a chunk of 1/2" aluminum. Very handy. Of course a Dremel, Proxxon or similar hand held rotary tool can be use the same way. Those blue, yellow, and pink bits are acrylic and about 5mm thick, 12mm wide, and 100 mm long or somewhere near those measurements. They work very for holding sandpaper of various grit. I got them from some Gundam oriented hobby store, might even had been from Amazon. I have tried all sort of home made sanding sticks over the years made from various bits of wood and stirps of metal. They all work but these acrylic bits are my current favourite - the right size and have a hard surface. Could be that I am be wowed by their being new; time will tell. cheers, Graham 8
IanC Posted September 25 Posted September 25 I like the lathe - that's an inspired way to do the mould seams! 1
modelling minion Posted September 25 Posted September 25 Thats a very neat way of sorting the seams out Graham. 1
Bullbasket Posted September 25 Posted September 25 The latest info that I've gleaned from another AFV modelling site, from a well known modeller on there (Kurt Laughlin), is for Tamiya. He suggests 5 parts XF62 (OD), to 1 part XF60 (Dark Yellow) and 1 part Brown (I've forgotten the XF number). I'm going to give that try once I get to the painting stage. John. 3 2
PlaStix Posted September 27 Posted September 27 Nice ideas there and great to see progress on this. Kind regards, Stix
Muchmirth Posted September 27 Posted September 27 Oh yes, I really like that holder idea and may try something similar. Paul. 1
Milan Mynar Posted September 29 Posted September 29 On 24/09/2024 at 03:47, ColonelKrypton said: Chapter one. I promised myself that I would not let myself get lost within the worry of and the never ending discussions of colour. Didn't work and I have spent too much time digging through various old and current postings on olive drab OD9 SCC15. As fascinating as those discussions are the result is always too much time fussing over minutia and not enough time at the work bench. I think I have it licked now and have decided on which direction I am going to proceed. Also of note is that those model fayres at my local hobby store have been working their influence. Out of sheer happenstance on my recent visit I stumbled over some interesting after market detail bits for my Stuart - a set of Masterclub and AFV track links, a very nice turned barrel for the 37mm main armament, and a couple of brass barrels for the Browning .30 cal guns. I just couldn't pass on these items as they were all discounted and too good a deal What I will use on this Tamiya is uncertain at this point but will most certainly at least be one of the individual track links sets. My first impressions of the Tamiya 37mm gun barrel is very good; molded as a single piece and straight. The Browning barrels are likewise very nice as well. Will the extra set of individual track links mean that there will be a second M3/M5 ? Can't promise either way what with the never ending influence of those darn model fayres. I may have been distracted by fussing over colour but I did manage to get some parts cut from the sprues, cleaned up, and glued together. I even managed to get some paint on the road wheels. If you are wondering what the M3 is sitting on, it is a magnetic mobile phone ball mount glued to a faux marble coaster found at the local dollar store. There is a cupped washer shaped magnetic on the steel ball which would usually be mounted to you mobile phone. In this case it not attached to anything other than the largish N52 magnet glued to the inside floor of the M3. There is also a large steel nut on the N52 magnet to help a bit of weight to the M3. So far it works well but I am still uncertain of it's overall utility. My thought was as a stand to hold and assist with adding wee detail bits and detail painting and weathering. Time will tell. Also of note, I thought would include a photo of my simple lathe that I use to true and clean up mold lines on wheels. it is a standard Foredom handpiece ( 25mm in diameter ) held in a tactical flashlight holder which in turn is mounted a chunk of 1/2" aluminum. Very handy. Of course a Dremel, Proxxon or similar hand held rotary tool can be use the same way. Those blue, yellow, and pink bits are acrylic and about 5mm thick, 12mm wide, and 100 mm long or somewhere near those measurements. They work very for holding sandpaper of various grit. I got them from some Gundam oriented hobby store, might even had been from Amazon. I have tried all sort of home made sanding sticks over the years made from various bits of wood and stirps of metal. They all work but these acrylic bits are my current favourite - the right size and have a hard surface. Could be that I am be wowed by their being new; time will tell. cheers, Graham Nice kit, I'm thinking of buying it. 1
ColonelKrypton Posted September 30 Author Posted September 30 On 9/29/2024 at 8:12 AM, Milan Mynar said: Nice kit, I'm thinking of buying it. It is a very nice kit. Typical Tamiya fit, everything just fits. I took some time research to try and understand where this M3 (Late Production) fit within the M3 - M3A1 versions as it wasn't immediately clear to me. It looks like a M3 trying to be a M3A1 or a M3A1 trying to be a M3. It has the turret without the cupola of the M3 with the two piece rolled armour turret as seen on the M3A1 but otherwise is the M3. I think it was what referred to by the British as the M3 Hybrid. Buy the kit if you like the M3. You will enjoy the build. cheers, Graham 1
ColonelKrypton Posted September 30 Author Posted September 30 I have not been idle though my lack updates may indicate otherwise. Snipping parts, test fitting, planning, and otherwise sorting out my next steps. It is not a difficult kit to assemble and could easily be done a couple long dedicated building sessions but that is not the way work. I have my plan for tackling the running gear and some of those pieces are in the paint shop. Turret is assembled but waiting on a bit of filling and trimming. The turret was manufactured of two curved pieces of rolled armour plate. We all recognize that cast armour can have a rough uneven texture. Rolled armour is not necessarily smooth either. I have been studying some photos of the real vehicle to try and gauge how much texture the rolled armour on this vehicle might have. I want to add some just because I can but I don't want to over do it, subtle will be the key. That will be my next step before moving onto adding more detail bits. I will be using one of those sets of individual tracks and they will need assembly too. Individual track links don't usually cause me much concern and should be a quick job. I still haven't decided on whether to use the Masterclub or AFV set. Comments please from anyone who has used both or either set ? I have a number large square steel nuts that are used to hold parts in place while glue dries: they are about 20mm square and approximately 10mm thick. Not only for holding parts on builds while glue dries, they are also quite properly square ( i.e. good 90 degree corners) and work well as small square for other assembly task. For example, gluing a couple of pieces of plastic together at right angles using one of the nuts and a small magnet ( picture is self explanatory) Starting to look like a Stuart tank now .. I have an urge to stick some bits of plastic together. With that I am off to the workshop. cheers, Graham 8
modelling minion Posted September 30 Posted September 30 Thats good progress Graham, its a nice kit isn't it. 1
ColonelKrypton Posted September 30 Author Posted September 30 1 hour ago, modelling minion said: its a nice kit isn't it. It is indeed. 1
Bullbasket Posted October 1 Posted October 1 It's looking good Graham. This Tamiya M3 appears to be much better than their earlier M5. John. 1
PlaStix Posted October 1 Posted October 1 Hi Graham. Great to see you are making similar progress to me with your build of the same kit! Kind regards, Stix 1
ColonelKrypton Posted October 1 Author Posted October 1 5 hours ago, Bullbasket said: This Tamiya M3 appears to be much better than their earlier M5. Indeed. On a recent to my local hobby store, a Tamiya M5 kit caught my attention and so followed me home. It is clear that the design thinking of both kits is of a different time and thinking. I had never before built either of the earlier Tamiya M3 or M5 kits. This recent issue of the M3 has been a pleasurable build. I am thinking I will have enough time in the group build to tackle the M5 as well but for now I have put it aside just out of sight in an attempt to ward off the thought of starting too soon. cheers, Graham 1
Bullbasket Posted October 1 Posted October 1 1 hour ago, ColonelKrypton said: On a recent to my local hobby store, a Tamiya M5 kit caught my attention and so followed me home. It is clear that the design thinking of both kits is of a different time and thinking. In Steve Zaloga's book, he superimposes the upper and lower hull of Tamiya's M5A1 onto a drawing. It's hard to believe that they're the same tank. Depth and length are way to short by as much as about a quarter of an inch. Still, getting hold of that book is a good idea for anyone building that kit. John.
ColonelKrypton Posted October 5 Author Posted October 5 On 10/1/2024 at 11:29 AM, Bullbasket said: On 10/1/2024 at 10:24 AM, ColonelKrypton said: On a recent to my local hobby store, a Tamiya M5 kit caught my attention and so followed me home. It is clear that the design thinking of both kits is of a different time and thinking. In Steve Zaloga's book, he superimposes the upper and lower hull of Tamiya's M5A1 onto a drawing. It's hard to believe that they're the same tank. Depth and length are way to short by as much as about a quarter of an inch. Still, getting hold of that book is a good idea for anyone building that kit. John. Indeed, Mr Zaloga's book is a good reference for building these kits. I am glad I found the copy I did when I did. I have been re-reading bits of it when I find a quiet moment to do some reading. He describes his efforts to make those old Tamiya kits more accurate going so far as to make his own master with which to cast a new rear deck so that he didn't have to scratch build one every time. Makes you wonder what the Tamiya designers used as their references. I am thinking I will forgo getting lost in making the old Tamiya M5 more accurate but you never know what bug might bite when I get around to that kit. The M5 kit shows it's age with it's hole on the bottom of the hull to take a switch for electrics and those horrid rubber band tracks with the track link end connectors centered on each track link rather than connecting track link to track link which I have already binned. cheers, Graham 2
Bullbasket Posted October 5 Posted October 5 1 hour ago, ColonelKrypton said: but you never know what bug might bite when I get around to that kit. Go on. You know you want to! John. 1
ColonelKrypton Posted October 5 Author Posted October 5 1 hour ago, Bullbasket said: Go on. You know you want to! Yes I do. You will never improve your skills unless you keep reaching for that which is just out of your grasp. The M5 kit is placed just out of site so that I can concentrate on finishing up the M3, for now ... cheers, Graham 4
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