M5A1 Stuart

First written: June 23rd, 2008 | Updated: April 3rd, 2009

My first AFV Club kit

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

This was my first AFV Club kit and I have to say that I will buy more from them. It was amazing the way everything went together with so many parts.

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)

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