1:35 M3 Stuart Late Production

The M3 light tank in the late form

The American M3 came about as a development of the prewar line of light tanks and entered the fighting at a time when reconnaissance and direct support of infantry were both still expected of a light tank. A crew of four, a gun of 37 mm caliber and a radial engine gave it a speed and a reliability its European opponents did not have. The British, who received the machine among the first, gave it the nickname Honey for its smooth running.

Where the M3 met the war

It had its baptism of fire in North Africa at the close of 1941 in British hands, while further machines fought on the Pacific islands, where weaker armor mattered less and getting through the terrain decided more than the power of the gun. Deliveries also went to the Soviet Union. The later production machines can be told from the first examples at first glance: welding took the place of the riveted shell and the turret received a rounded shape without the superstructure for the commander.

The kit

The package holds parts of injection-molded plastic in the usual scale for ground equipment. A knife, cement for plastic, abrasive paper and paints are needed for the build, because the parts are not colored in advance. The line this machine belongs to also offers versions with a worked-out interior of the hull; this kit is not among them, which can be told from the name already.

• A real subject from the start of the war in the late production form
• Suitable for a diorama from Africa or the Pacific as well
• A rewarding real subject for trying out wear and dust