1:35 Stuart M5 hull with a frame with sandbags armor

Stuart M5: a hull with improvised armor, 1:35

The hull of the American Stuart M5 light tank complemented by a frame on which bags filled with sand sit. The part transforms the look of the front end of the vehicle and replaces the laborious gluing of individual bags. The tank itself is the subject of another kit.

The real subject

The M5 was an improved version of the Stuart with two automobile engines and an automatic transmission; the distinguishing mark is the raised and obliquely sloped nose. It served mainly for reconnaissance, liaison and escort, because neither its armor nor its quick-firing gun were a match for German tanks any longer. That is exactly why the crews added to the front whatever could slow a round down, and bags were the most available choice.

Working with the part

First try how the frame fits in relation to the hatches and the headlights, so that they stay accessible. Lead the sacking into sandy and gray-brown tones, distinguish the individual pieces by saturation and dirty the lower row more than the upper one. Fine lightening works on the edges of the bags and pulls out the structure of the fabric; the steel surfaces of the hull, on the contrary, leave smooth and cooler. Small scuffs on the frame and a muddy lower hem of the sacking give the whole the impression that the vehicle really did drive.

Who the hull suits

• builders of American light tanks
• modelers looking for finished improvised armor
• dioramas with a reconnaissance unit on the advance
• collectors of accessories and conversions in 1:35 scale