The first time I saw a model of this vehicle on a magazine the first thing I looked for was the manufacturer. It was a resin kit from Masters Productions and had a very respectable price tag. I forgot about it. With that kind of money I could buy 3 or 4 decent kits I wanted badly.

But a few months after I first saw the model Hobby Boss announced, not one, but two versions of this tractor!!

Of course I found it on my usual Internet shopping spot but other things got in the way and I just didn't order it. I found it for a very good price on a hobby shop that "used" to exist on a shopping mall close to home.

Of course I bought it.

The vehicle

M4 was produced from 1942 by Allis-Chalmers of Milwaukee. The vehicle was in service up to 1960 in the U.S. Army service.

Between 1943 and 1946 about 5,500 vehicles were produced. The tractor was designed to pull 90-mm anti-aircraft guns, 155-mm howitzers of type "Long Tom" and 240-mm howitzers. In the course of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program after WWII the M4 was exported to Japan, Brazil, Germany, Yugoslavia and Pakistan.

It was used by the Bundeswehr in the field artillery battalions until 1960 towing the howitzers M114 and M115 and the M59 field gun.

The M4 High Speed Tractor was also in the civilian sector, as Airport crash tender.

It was used also in the Netherlands until the 1980 as a fire fighting and rescue vehicle. For this role former Army tractors were converted after withdrawal from military service circa 1960.

Specifications

The M4 High Speed Tractor was based on the chassis of the M3 Stuart. It was powered by a six-cylinder inline petrol engine (145GZ or F817G) manufactured by Waukesha. It had a power rating of 210 hp at 2100 rpm. The engine had a whopping 13,400 cc.

The maximum towing capacity of the M4 came in at 14 tons. The tractor could cope with 30° slopes . Transported up to 11 people, the operating crew of the towed gun, in the interior space. The engine was located in the middle of the vehicle and the ammunition stored in the back. Some versions of the M4 had a crane at the rear of the vehicle for lifting the heavy artillery projectiles. The crane could lift up to 10 tons.

The kit

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

The kit reproduces a M4 with a Class B ammunition container with the louvered side vents. It's kind of easy to do a version without the vents as this ammo container was also frequently used on M4's.

A pair of M4 HST ready for shipment in 1943. They have a class B ammo container (no louvered vents) and T49 Steel Cleat tracks

A M4A1 with the wider suspension and the T49 Steel Cleat tracks with duckbills. Note the wider fenders on this version. Picture from Ampersand's Publishing, A Visual history of the US Army Tracked Artillery Prime Movers book

A very decent set of decals for what appears to be a Korean War version (too bad it's not WWII) and vinyl tracks. It also includes masks for protecting the windows while painting and this is something that is not common to find and some brands even make aftermarket items for this use. A very nice addition to the kit.

The tracks included are T48's although it was common to find this tractor using T49 Steel Three Bar Cleat tracks. Another common configuration included tracks with duckbills and the M4A1 version had the suspension and sprockets farther from the hull to accommodate duckbills on the inside and outside of the tracks. This version had the fenders a little wider than the normal version, so if you want to do a M4A1 grab some plasticard and prepare to make new fenders.

The vinyl tracks were the only thing I was not very amused about, but the price for a set of T48 link tracks from AFV Club is very reasonable and some additional PE from Eduard does not break the bank either.

The worst part was when I found a detailing resin set from Masters Productions and a canvas for the ammo container. Yeah, I know I'm lazy and I could do a decent tarp for it, but when I'm on a shopping spree for After Market parts I have no limits.

After all, the final price tag if close to a what we pay for a bare bones Dragon kit these days so I try to comfort myself with that thought.

Another thing that I got was the Ampersand Publications book about the HST's that is one of the best sources to find photographic information about this vehicle.

Everything is set for the start of the build. As usual you can follow it here. Just stay tuned.

Building

I started by the lower chassis and suspension and found that some minor touches are needed here and there. The model is not completely devoid of flash but it's that type that can be removed very easily with an Xacto. Another thing is the fit between parts. The edges are not what we can call sharp, so sanding and filing is needed. But with care the result is really good.

The suspension is very easy to do but take care when placing the wheels on the bogies because one of the faces has much sharper rim lines and this helps immensely when painting the tires.

There are however some points that need to be addressed with some care

1. Suspension rear wheels

The big rear wheel needs two outside rings to be glued to reproduce the step that the original has. Grab some putty because you're gonna need it. After gluing the rings I had to apply a liberal amount of putty to hide the rings seam. But then I had another little problem – removing the excess putty. Faithful Dremel to the rescue. The hole on the wheels is exactly 1/8" diameter so I inserted a drill and hold the wheel in it with two rubber grommets. I had an improvised lathe. Armed with this tool, removing the excess putty was a breeze.

2. Sprockets

After these little tribulations I decided to make a track run. I bought the T48 AFV Club tracks and found that they didn't go very well with the sprockets. On the spares box I had two M4 Tasca sprockets but they were not exactly like they should. The ring was OK but the center hub lacks a few bolts (4 in between the bigger 8 bolts) and the shape is not exactly correct when compared with the reference pictures.

I don't want to risk being dragged on the mud by the "specialists" so I decided to rework the kit sprockets in order to make the tracks fit. Again with the help of a Dremel I made the characteristic teeth shape a little more pronounced. When I compared the Tasca sprocket with the Hobby Boss one the major difference was precisely on the teeth. The fit was perfect on the Tasca but not on the HB one. It were the teeth – after the rework the track fits perfectly.

3. Ejector marks

The lower tub has some ejector marks that can be visible on the finished model. The wall that separates crew from driver has a few marks also. Removing them is no big deal as they appear on flat surfaces that can be sanded very easily.

Removing them is just a matter of using some putty and sand flat.

Other than that the cabin is a very straight forward build. In the picture you can see the Masters Productions parts. The cabin roof MG ring and the seats that, like the original, have four individual places in the back and 3 in the front with seat belts and all. Much better than the plain plastic ones included on the kit.

Normally I wouldn't care about this but on a open kit these details need attention.

4. Front Fender

One point of note is the front fender. If mounted as it is it'll prevent the cabin to sit right. There will be a visible gap when the cabin is in place.
There are two places to sand to avoid this: One is the lower belly piece that "supports" the fender and the other is the fender itself. You have to sand the fender a little bit on the top face to make it a little narrower. That and a bit of sanding on the lower belly piece where the fender sits will be enough for the cabin to sit flush with the lower hull and fender leaving no gap when glued.

The tracks

Geez, these M4 tracks are a pain to build. If the links don't fit tight they will just fall while you assemble it. I don't know how many times I was on my knees looking for lost links on the floor. I decided that enough was enough and started to apply a little Tamiya thin glue in each link. Before drying I moved the track in order to keep it able to move instead of having a stiff and long track that would be of no use.

These tracks look a lot like Modelkasten due to their brown color. The main difference is the price and in favor of AFV Club since they are considerably cheaper.

I prefer to stay away from MK tracks, especially German vehicle tracks due to their assembly method that relies on tiny pins that break easily and are not very tolerant to turpentine or even white spirit, two things that we may need to use during the weathering phases. I was pissed big time with my Hetzer experience and for me that was a big factor for not buying MK tracks anymore as long as an alternative exists.

Building progresses

After a long period I decided that I had to finish this kit. I started and finished the engine and pretty much the engine bay area.

There are a few omissions on the instructions but nothing dramatic. I found this by looking closely at the pictures and found a couple of pieces that were not in the building steps. The engine is a very nice piece but the mold precision is not the best in the world. A lot of sanding was needed to get rid of seams when I realized that very little of the engine would be visible. I gave up and decided it was good enough for the sort of model display I'm planning.

The Eduard PE that you see on the pictures covers only the engine area, especially the radiator grills and a few other details. Eduard makes a couple of sets for this model but I just got the engine set and it proved to be a wise choice.

Accessories

The tarp on the ammo compartment is from Masters Productions and it did have quite a few repairs with Miliput. It had many flaws that would compromise the final look. At some point I almost decided to throw it away (it didn't sit right), but in the end perseverance took over and I decided at least to try.

Also from them are a few items you can already see on the pictures. The seats, a much better rendition of the real one, with safety belts (oh yes they had belts then), the MG ring with the correct welding marks and a somewhat revised shape and a set of pioneer tools.

Masters made the only MA HST I knew about and many times I has the mouse hovering the buy button. The price however deterred me from that. It was really high. Some of the parts were turned into update sets and as far as I know are the only ones for this model. However, Masters does not have a site and I bought them through Blast Models my faithful hobby supplier.

Pictures

After a few months without touching models, I decided to restart.

Instead of finalizing the models I have almost ready (and this seems to happen to all of us) I wanted to do something from scratch. I opened the box of a Dingo Mk IB from Miniart only to discover that some sprues were switched at the factory for some of the Mk III version. Miniart is going to send the correct sprues (I do have to say that their service is superb) so I had to pick another kit fro the stash.

The Churchill seemed the right choice. I had all the accessories (tracks, rivets, mg's) and it looks like it's a straight forward build. 

The kit

AFV Club impresses me again. The plastic of excellent quality with very fine engraved detail alone, puts this kit high up with the best. But the quality of assembly is in my view second to none. AFV Club seems to have mastered the art of making multi part assemblies fit together like if they were just one.

The two suspension assemblies are very complicated pieces but everything seems to magically fall into place with no problems whatsoever.

I would like to see the individual link tracks included on the kit, but I can understand that these may only be required by people like me that want the tracks look exactly how they should. However, the vinyl tracks included are some of the best examples I've seen.

The instructions are very complete and clear in spite of the complicated suspension assemblies. In fact these are so complex that the rest of the model seems really simple to do. The sensation I have after building the two sides, is that the rest of the kit will only take a couple of hours to finish.

Even on those complicated steps the instructions make them look simple. Very clear drawings and adequately placed part numbers help a lot in doing these assemblies correctly.

There was a wrong pat number in one of the suspension drawings, but upon parts inspection prior to assembly, the error was not a very big issue. Anyway, take care on step 3.

I love this kit and I will buy more AFV Club for sure.

AM Parts

The Ultracast petrol cans are beautiful and totally made in resin. The handles are perfectly cast and there is just a little flash below the handles. Easily removed with an Xacto. I looked at them for a while wondering how they cast a piece like that without flaws. Awesome.

The RB BESA MG's are probably the most delicate little things I've seen in terms of brass barrels. They are a two part barrel and they add a lot of quality to the final product. Considering the price and quality I would recommend them to anyone doing a Allied vehicle that needs them.

And finally the tracks. What can I say? They are from AFV Club and they are absolutely on par with the likes of Friul and MK, if not better. The only situations where I prefer Friul is where the sag is something to consider. In this tank there's no such need so I bought the AFV ones. They are considerably cheaper.

Building

The build starts with the sponsons and suspension. And what a suspension that is. First the are the shocks and their springs and after that the structure that holds everything in place followed by the wheels. Each side takes a couple of hours to assemble and it's something that needs attention.

The quality of AFV Club is very clear here. Amazing how they can build a kit with so many parts that has a near perfect fit. Looking at these complex assemblies it's very difficult to understand where the separate pieces are.

Each side of the tank has 7 big conical rivets that are included on the kit in their plastic version. AFV Club also makes brass AM rivets that I used on this build. First the holes have to be drilled (1.5mm bit) and the rivets glued in place with a small drop of ciano on the inside.

The tracks

Next I started to build the AFV Club (Kit No. AF 35156) tracks. They are really good and have a very smart assembly method. I would recommend anyone building this kit to go for the AM tracks if the decision is to leave a lot of them visible as I am going to do.

They assemble very well and each run didn't take too much time to complete. Preparing each link is just a matter of sanding an attachment point and it's really easy to do.

As always each run was either too tight or too loose. Even with one more link than the vinyl ones the fit was not that easy to do. Especially because I want to paint them off the tank. It will be a bit tricky to do because the sprocket is enclosed behind armor. For being able to do what I plan I will need to glue that rear plate that protects the sprocket after the tracks are in place with all the model painted ready for weathering.

The only problem I see here is the fact that the tracks need to be in place when the painting of the hull is done. I really don't like to paint tracks in place.

The hull

Again, AFV Club is remarkable in designing their kits. The hull consists of several parts that go between the two suspension sides. A lower plate, a rear plate and the top plates (3).

The lower plate has to be very well aligned from the beginning and mine was a little warped. I had to resort to ciano glue to hold it in place. But when I started to glue the rear and top plates I was amazed with the almost nonexistent gaps on the model.

Like the Stuart, they manage to assemble many pieces together without causing the dreaded gaps. I really like the no nonsense approach that this brand has to designing kits.

The turret

I'm loving this kit. It's incredibly simple to put together (with the exception of the complicated suspension).

The turret consists of very few parts. The main structure (not counting hatches, antennas and pieces like that) is just a dozen of parts. And they all fit like a charm. The rear plate has an odd shape but it all comes clear when placed in the correct position. Assembling the turret took me less than an hour to do.

Painting

Vallejo colors with some modulation effect

Colors, colors colors… This is the point when all the efforts can be reduced to garbage. Hopefully not, because it's at this phase when I usually do everything wrong.

This time I wanted to make sure everything was ok to proceed with the painting process.

Because of my decision to prepare the tracks off the model and then installing them I had to paint the sides of the tank, suspension, wheels and the bottom of the tank with the tracks uninstalled.

The colors are from Vallejo and they are a mix of 893 and 894 in equal proportions. I tried several mixes but they were either too dull or too bright. This mix gives the balance I was looking for. I sprayed some panels with a few drops of 986 (Deck Tan) to highlight some panel centers or areas where the light would make the color seem lighter. The color balance for these highlight areas is 50% 986 (Deck Tan) + 25% 893 + 25% 894.

Because all these colors are matte, the final effect can only be seen in full when a satin or gloss coat is applied but an can see that I have a nice base for filters and washes that tend to darken the model a little bit.

I'm not going into "full" modulation this time but I'll use the technique in small doses. A plain color model is something to be approached with care. It can either be an excellent model or just a miserable attempt. Although I see a lot of superb CM examples, when they are presented without filters and weathering I always think that the result is going to be very weird. I guess I still lack that confidence that allows certain modelers to know it's going to look "just right".

The tracks were given a coat of black with a few drops of metal and several washes of dust color and several tones of rust from the Lifecolor range.. They'll receive the final treatment with pigments but that's only when the vehicle reaches the weathering phase.

Hull and Turret

The modulation effect is very visible on this shot

The effect of modulation was deliberately softer on this model than on previous examples. I just applied some lighter green on the horizontal surfaces and a little on the sides to give the impression that the color darkens towards the lower parts of the vehicle.

I didn't want to have a very dark base color because of all the filters, washes and pigments that usually make the vehicle darker, but a single color model can be very monotonous and I wanted to avoid that badly.

The trick of changing the colors a little bit from horizontal surfaces to the vertical ones helps break that monotony and gives the impression that light is coming from above or better yet, that the parts of the vehicle that are more exposed to the sun have become lighter. And that's exactly what happens in real life. Or so they say. They? Who? Well, they, the guys that know "stuff" and that know more "stuff" than me LOL.

A "sponge bath"

During my modeling life I tried many techniques with various degrees of success. What determines the choice of one or the other is something I can't really point exactly.

For chipping and scratches I'm using the sponge technique. I made some wear with dark grey and after that a very dark brown to simulate some spots with oxidation.

This adds some character to a flawless green paint. Some may disagree that a tank has that kind of wear, but imagine soldiers climbing to a tank, riding it, things bumping into the paint and you know it's virtually impossible for the paint to be just dirty. Some spots and scratches have to exist. They exist in our cars and we don't treat them with the same level of abuse a tank got treated.

The wear was done in areas where it could happen. Places that get hit by rocks and sand dragged by the tracks, places where the crew walks or climbs to the tank and places where there is real possibility of scratches and paint wear.

This is the minimal I think is logical to have. The rest is now up to the pigments and the occasional touch with oils or washes to give it that final look.

Pigments, pin wash and all the tricks I could think of

In this step I used pretty much all the pigment earth colors I had on my drawer. From the sandy dust to the Russian earth I put them all and blend them with white spirit. On the lower parts of the suspension I added some pigment without blending it and just fixed it with MIG pigment fixer.

A few more chips and bare metal touches (very light) in places where the typical wear could happen.

Some MIG Oil and Grease Effects were used on the petrol/oil cans on the engine deck and on the places of the suspension where some lubrication could occur and spill to adjacent areas. The oil effect on dusty surfaces is very characteristic but not very easy to master. I hope I nailed it

Final Veredict

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

AFV Club has become one of my favorite brands. Not only their price is adequate and very far from the insane values that Dragon or Tamiya are charging for their kits, but the quality leaves nothing to desire in absolute terms. It's not just a matter of price /quality ratio – These kits are good, period.

The instructions are clear (after reading the instructions on a Dragon kit with multiple variants you'll know what I mean) the parts are perfectly molded and the fit is superb. Although AFV is not into the sliding mold "thingy" the multiple parts assemble so well that is seems almost impossible. I have yet to use filler on one AFV Club model. There's no need, as simple as that.

Using Tamiya Thin Glue helps a lot in having good builds. There are no glue blobs anywhere and the bond is as strong as can be.

AFV included a lot of neat stuff in the kit. The Alu barrel, PE fret being the most notable. Of course like a good AM freak I bought a few goodies for it. The tracks (also from AFV and excellent), a pair of precious BESA MG's from RB Models and the petrol cans from Ultracast. All of these parts are not absolutely necessary but add some quality to the final product. And after all I usually do the very same thing in much more expensive kits, so the final cost is still below a pimped Dragon kit.

Pictures

While doing the SdKfz 250/3 I became very fond of these half tracks. The 250 and 251 always appealed me but there are other HT’s that I never considered building.

While browsing my favorite WEB store (Blast Models) I found this one from AFV Club and I liked it a lot. The artillery piece is included in the same kit and all at a very nice price.

Having built the AFV Club Stuart I know that their kits are of excellent quality and parts fit. So I ordered it.

And as it happens many times, this kit got in front the other 100 waiting for their turn to be built.

I’m building it very fast and finding out what I already suspected. This is another excellent kit from AFV. In spite of the many pieces that compose the chassis (for example) the fit is amazing. There’s no need for adjusting the parts. I dry fit everything obsessively but this kit truly surprises me.

I’ll be posting pictures of the build, but the first ones will be of a almost built kit ready for painting. It was that fast. In 3 nights I made the bulk of the work and I’m now browsing the instruction sheet to see if I missed something.

I wholeheartedly recommend this kit .

Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Building the gun

I’ve almost finished the gun. It’s a very detailed piece, with lots of small parts and a beautiful metal barrel and recoil damper. I compared it against a 1943 War Office manual and the details are spot on. The gun breech and firing mechanism are delicately reproduced and I can’t imagine how they could be more accurate.

Building the gun is not a complicated task, but removing the flash on some parts and assembling it all very carefully is a recomendation to follow. The final assembly will be done after painting the two main subassemblies – the gun itself and the support. If assembled completely it will be a difficult to paint because of the areas that will be out of reach.

Painting

This was probably the fastest build I ever did. From box to paint in just 8 hours.

I was eagerly anticipating the painting phase. I wanted to try color modulation. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the DVD, and what I can say is that is not that difficult to achieve good results.

As long as we follow the basic rules – Where does the light come from? What color to add to do the shadows? What makes sense? – the results can be amazing. The end result has something that we can’t really define but in spite of having light and color highly exaggerated it looks incredibly good.

The next step was the application of oil washes. For the first time I used White Spirit and I have to say that the results are much better than using turpentine (artist grade refined). There is no smell and it dissolves the oils so much better that they are transformed in a hue. The accumulation by capillarity is much finer than with turpentine.

I noticed that it does not attack the gloss Vallejo varnish as turpentine does. It’s a winner. My future choice for sure.

The chipping consists in a first step with a lighter color and the scratches on top of those tiny marks. It’s a tedious process and it has to be done carefully. If not the chips start to look less random than they should. When I’m tired I stop. I tend to start giving less attention to the process after a while and the result is not as good.

I’m trying not to overdo it, and apply the chipping where it’s reasonable.

Gun finished (well, almost)

The only thing missing are the pigments. And of course an occasional chip that I didn’t do.

I’m very pleased with the result. I find myself looking at the gun and wondering how does color modulation work that well. For the first phase I decided to get a clear difference from light to shadow.

I grabbed the MIG DVD and watched it once more. The base colors do have a marked difference from light to shadow, but before knowing how the oils will blend things and create harmony I just wondered if I hadn’t go too far.

Well, I didn’t and now I know what to do. I just need that kind of certainty for the pigments but I’m going to wait for the HT to do it all in at the same time.

	Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Tractor ready for paint

This is in fact a simple kit. It has it’s flaws but nothing that an average modeler can’t cope. An xacto and needle files are needed, especialli for the cargo compartment. Parts fit is not 100% precise, so some of the parts have to be encouraged to fit.

I may be saying this because I build all of my kts under a magnifying glass and everything seems big. But that may be the explanation why the build look so precise – I see them 2.5x bigger than you do

The tractor consists of 3 major parts – The chassis frame, the driver cabin and the cargo compartment. The chassis goes toghether very well and I had no complaint whatsoever.

The driver compartment needed some adjustment because the engine compartment sides were a little warped and the hood was "levitating". But now that I assembled all and under a coat of primer it looks like it is made of one piece. Love it!!

The cargo compartment is where I found the most complicated situations. The parts that assemble into a railguard were kind of distorted and it took me a while (hairdryer in hand) to convince it to stay straight. And in the end I found that all my effort was covered with another part. Anyway I know it’s correct now even if no one can see it.

The seats on the back are a very tight fit. Filing and cutting convinced them in to place, but it was a struggle. Now, only the details are missing and I guess that I can start applying the base coat tomorrow (eh eh eh)

Tractor painted

Painting the tractor didn’t take long. The usual steps of blck pre shading followed by the base color (DunkelGelb) very diluted and sprayed in a very fine mist. Then I used the base color darkened with DunkelBraun on the darker areas and finally the base color mixed with white for the highlights.

Some panels were then painted with a even lighter color to enhance the areas that portrude more or are more exposed to light..

Decals were then applied over a coat of gloss (to avoid the dreaded silvering effect) and again some gloss over decals and the whole model to protect them for the next phase. Oil washes.

Weathering

I’m not exactly the most adventurous guy when it comes to using pigments. I’m always afraid of ruining a good paint job, or to go overboard with making a model look worn and battered. I’ve seen so many deplorable examples that I really don’t want to do the same mistake.

With this in mind I decided to be a little "bolder" in using pigments. With the Mig DVD about pigments at hand, I decided to use the same technique in the tractor (apply pigments and blend with thinner). I was very proud of my efforts and decided to ask for opinions on a couple of forae.

Bad decision. I just got a couple of answers and both of them were – I can’t see the pigments…

Talk about valid input. I would expect something like: it’s too much or too little etc etc. But no…. they just don’t see the pigments. I suppose I’ll post a picture with the pigments bottle beside the model. That may help.

The last picture of the gallery clearly shows the pigments blended on the running gear and sides of the HT, but somehow these guys just missed it. And the two pictures were there, the before and after pigments pictures.

So, I decided to do what I think it’s correct and eventually ask in the end. There is no real advantage of asking for advice in these circumstances. It’s a pure waste of time.

There are little things I made to the vehicle to give it a weathered look

The windshield was masked with Tamiya  tape (template made in CAD and then cut by hand) and then lightly sprayed with Vallejo Iraqui sand (very diluted)

The metal plates that protect the fenders close to the doors were rubbed with a finger dipped in Gun Metal Mig pigment to simulate the exposed metal.

A few spots on the rear compartment sides done with old rust and sanderd rust Mig pigments, and the ever present rust streaks with oil paint.

The tractor is pretty much done. I’m still waiting for the resin tarp for it and then I’ll decide if I’m going to apply some wear to the top (behind the driver position) or just install the tarp an leave that as it is.

Finished

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

The weathering on the gun (pigments) was made to match the two and it’s now complete.

Hope you like it

Parts and materials used

AFV Club individual Link tracks (AF35044)
MIG Tarp and Wheels for SdKfz 11 (MP 35-006)
LifeColor Acrylics Paints
MIG Pigments (Europe Earth, Russian Earth, Gun Metal)
Resicast Lenses (3 mm – 1 unit)

Pictures

leFh18 10.5 just after painting. It was painted using the Color Modulation technique

leFh18 10.5 just after painting. It was painted using the Color Modulation technique

leFh18 10.5 after filters and chipping

leFh18 10.5 after filters and chipping

leFh18 10.5 before having the pigments applied

leFh18 10.5 before having the pigments applied

SdKfz 11 3 ton Tractor

SdKfz 11 3 ton Tractor

SdKfz 11 after painting.

SdKfz 11 after painting.

First phase of pigments

First phase of pigments

It seems to be a very simple kit to build and sometimes I want quick results. It happened with the Miniart T70 and I’m wanting something that I don’t want to invest to much time in preparing for paint.

I want to concentrate on paint techniques and this one seems the ideal kit for it – Just one color that needs some skill to avoid monotony

	Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Building

23-06-2008

I had the first look at the kit today. It looks real good, with fine detail and very delicate parts. The molds seem to be top notch. Some of the parts that I used already (idler wheels) need some touches before all fits adequately. The arms that support the idler wheels have some injection and sink marks on the inside. They were removed easily but at first I wondered if they were meant to be there. It seemed odd why they were needed on a those parts. The hull comes in a multitude of individual parts glued together to form a tub. The bottom, sides (where the suspension attaches) the engine deck section and upper sides (the biggest and most complicated piece), the front glacis and finally the transmission housing. That’s a lot of stuff to glue and to keep aligned. I saw one build log where the modeler made a jig to assure that alignment. I did it by gluing all the parts in sections assuring that they were aligned before moving to the next.

Everything fits perfectly and in the end there are no open seams. That says a lot for the kit quality. I’ve seen chassis with much lesser parts and huge gaps in the end. Thumbs up for AFV on this one!!

Just a few hours and results appear

23-06-2008

I love this simple kits. They are simple but full of detail. As you can see, after 4 hours the hull is pretty much complete. I even like the tracks. They are the correct length, plenty of detail and there is separation between links. The best example of vinyl tracks I’ve ever seen. Parts fit well, especially on the hull, but some of them have a bit of flash. This was more frequent on the turret and gun. A really nice build. From the look of things I guess I’ll paint this one during the weekend. That would be an absolute record for me.

Hull ready, turret follows close behind

1-07-2008

I’ve done the hull and suspension. The additional toolbox from the Blast set was glued in place and once again it’s perfect. Just a tiny air bubble in there bit the detail is awesome and the fit superb. It adds a lot of character to the Stuart and it will result in a different model. If possible I like to make little changes to the versions included in the kit to make them more  unique. The tracks are very good and I see no need for aftermarket tracks. I’ve primed them with Tamiya primer and it sticks very well, so I guess that I’ll have no problem with painting them, which is a major issue with vinyl tracks from any brand. The fit of this kit is superb as can be verified by the included photos. Amazing if we think that the hull consists of more than 10 parts. They go together smoothly. All the detail on parts is very crisp from the welds on the hull to the tiny bolts that come molded on parts.

The turret is already painted on the inside. Gun, radio and the weathering is also done. I only have to paint the top panels and periscopes before closing it. Again, here I am detailing something that no one will ever see. There’s a good excuse to open the hatches and put some figure un there. Not all will be lost.

Photos taken with Canon EOS 1D Mark III TrueVision lighting products

Painting. The fun begins

7-07-2008

The Stuart is painted.

I used the pre shading method that didn’t work very well on previous attempts. I guess that the colors that I used over it were very thick, or I made too many passes and destroyed the effect. But tins time it worked perfectly. I used Lifecolor paints from their Olive Drab Allied set, and again, top notch product. These paints are ideal for airbrushing. With very diluted paint I have a degree of control that is difficult to match with any other paint.

The layers are very thin and the detail is all there after the paintjob is complete. I made the pre shade in black, in areas that are typically less exposed to light, or in places where I needed to enhance some detail. This will be further enhanced by a dark wash on weld lines, recesses and all those little things that need attention. The center of the panels were further lightened with a mix of the base color and sand color to give it that yellowish look. On top of it all the gloss coat (also very diluted) for decal placement and washes.

Update

14-07-2008

Decals are on, and weathering is progressing very fast. Yesterday I applied the washes and pigments to the hull and tracks. I found that not even the Tamiya primer sticks well to the tracks.

It  started to peel from the guide teeth, but fortunately a little pigment disguised what could otherwise be a great mess. The pigments were applied using two different techniques.

European Dust mixed with water on the recesses and in places where dust accumulates. Another mix, this time European dust with Sand Dust was applied dry with a large round brush to the sides of the hull and front plate. After that I created vertical streaks by removing some of the dry dust with a damp (in water) brush. This creates and effect similar to what would happen if a dusty vehicle with falling rain. The model is very close to completion, with only minor details remaining.

The typical finishing touches that take forever, like the turret machine gun, hatch interior and antenna are among those little details that are still missing. I hope to finish the model very soon. The question is: What model to do next?

Final Veredict

Price
Accuracy/Detail
Build
Extras
Instructions

The surface detail and accuracy is also of note with the absence of the exhaust deflector being the only exception. The vinyl tracks let me thinking if it wouldn’t be better to get the AFV Club workable track set, but I decided to use them and see if the final result was acceptable. After seeing them on I decided to keep them.

The instruction on this kit are also very good and unlike other brands they have everything you need with correct drawings for placement and, very important, correct numbers.

On top of all that a very cool price (around half of a Dragon kit) and we have a winner. Of course I added the flawless stowage set from Blast to give it a little more character.

What is used in this kit

Lifecolor Paints
Bison Decals
Mig washes and pigments

History & Development

The Light Tank M3 was an American light tank of World War II in use with British and Commonwealth forces prior to the entry of the USA into the European theatre. The name General Stuart or Stuart given by the British comes from the American Civil War General J.E.B. Stuart and was used for both the M3 and M5 Light Tank; in British service it also had the unofficial nickname of Honey. To the United States Army the tanks were officially known only as Light Tank M3 and Light Tank M5.

 The British Army was the first to use the Light Tank M3 as the "General Stuart" in combat. In November 1941, some 170 Stuarts took part in Operation Crusader. The results were mostly disappointing. Although the high losses suffered by Stuart-equipped units during the operation had more to do with better tactics and training of the Afrika Korps than with any superiority of German vehicles in the North African campaign, the operation revealed that the M3 lagged behind enemy tanks. Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37 mm M5 gun – too weak by the standards of 1941 – and poor internal layout. The two-man turret crew was a significant weakness, and some British units tried to fight with three-man turret crews. On the positive side, crews liked its quickness and mechanical reliability, hence its unofficial nickname of "Honey". The high speed and high reliability distinguished the Stuart from British cruiser tanks of the period. From the summer of 1942, when enough US medium tanks had been received, the British usually kept Stuarts out of the main battlefront, using them primarily for reconnaissance. The turret was removed from some tanks to save weight and improve speed and range. These vehicles became known as "Stuart Recce". Some others were converted to armored personnel carriers and were known as "Stuart Kangaroo", and some were converted command vehicles and known as "Stuart Command". M3s, M3A3s, and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war, but British armor units had a smaller proportion of these light tanks than US units.

The other major lend-lease recipient of the M3, the Soviet Union, was even less happy with the tank, considering it undergunned, underarmored, likely to catch fire and too sensitive to fuel quality. The radial aircraft engine used in the M3 required high-octane fuel. However, the M3 was superior to early-war Soviet light tanks such as the T-60. In 1943, the Red Army tried out the M5 and decided that the upgraded design wasn’t much better than the M3. Being less desperate than in 1941, the Soviets turned down an American offer to supply the M5. M3s continued in Red Army service at least until 1944.

In U.S. Army service, the M3 first saw combat in the Philippines. A small number fought in the Bataan peninsula campaign. When the American army joined the North African Campaign in late 1942, Stuart units still formed a large part of its armor strength. After the disastrous Battle of the Kasserine Pass, where M3s and M5s faced German Panzer IVs and heavy Tigers, the US quickly followed the "British route", disbanding most of their light tank battalions and including one company of Stuarts to medium tank battalions, to act as scouting and screening units. For the rest of the war, most US tank battalions had three companies of medium tanks (normally the medium Tank M4) and one company of M3s or M5/M5A1s.

In the European theater, the light tanks had to be given secondary roles since they could not survive against most enemy AFVs. The only place where the Stuart was still adequate was the Pacific Theater, as Japanese tanks were both relatively rare and, when met, were weakly armored and armed. Japanese infantrymen were poorly equipped with anti-tank weapons and tended to attack tanks using close-assault tactics. In this environment, the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks.

However, the number of M3s/M5s produced was so great (over 25,000 including the 75 mm HMC M8), that the tank remained in service until the end of the war. In addition to USA, United Kingdom and USSR, it was also used by France, China and Tito’s partisans in Yugoslavia (M3A3s and few M3A1).

After the war, some countries chose to equip their armies with cheap and reliable Stuarts. The M5 played a significant role in the First Kashmir War (1947) between India and Pakistan, including the battle of Zoji-la pass at an incredible altitude of nearly 12,000 ft. The vehicle remained in service in several South American countries at least until 1996.

During the 60′s and 70′s, the Portuguese Army also used some in the war in Angola, where its all terrain capability (compared to wheeled vehicles) and fire power were greatly appreciated.

Observing events in Europe, American tank designers realized that the Light Tank M2 was becoming obsolete and set about improving it. The upgraded design, with thicker armor, modified suspension and new gun recoil system was called ";Light Tank M3".

Production of the vehicle started in March 1941 and continued until October 1943. Like its direct predecessor M2A4, the M3 was armed with a 37 mm M5 gun and 5 .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns: coaxial with the gun, on top of the turret in an M20 AA mount, in a ball mount in right bow, in the right and left hull sponsons.

To relieve the demand for the radial aero-engines used in the M3, a new version was developed using twin Cadillac automobile engines. The new model (initially called M4 but re-designated M5 to avoid confusion with the M4 Sherman) also featured a redesigned hull with sloped glacis plate and driver’s hatches moved to the top. Although the main criticism from the using units was that the Stuarts lacked firepower, the improved M5 series kept the same 37 mm gun. The M5 gradually replaced the M3 in production from 1942 and was in turn succeeded by the Light Tank M24 in 1944.

Specifications

• Weight : 14.7 tonnes (32,400 lb)
• Length : 4.5 m (14.8 ft)
• Width : 2.46 m (8.1 ft)
• Height : 2.3 m (7.5 ft)
• Crew : 4 (Commander, gunner, driver, co-driver)
• Armor : 13 – 51 mm
• Primary armament : 37 mm M6 in M44 mount (174 rounds)
• Secondary armament : 3 x .30-06 Browning M1919A4 MG (7,500 rounds)
• Engine : air-cooled Continental-Wright radial petrol 250 hp (186 kW)
• Power/weight : 17.82 hp/tonne
• Suspension : Vertical volute spring
• Operational range : 120 km (74 mi)
• Speed : 58 km/h (36 mi/h) (road), 30 km/h (18 mi/h) (off-road)

The vinyl tracks. Not bad, detail wise...

Primer applied

Primer applied

Primer applied

Base coat and post shading

Base coat and post shading

A coat of gloss before the "big" decals