Hey folks, I’d like to share my first model finished for 2024.
M3A1 Halftrack purportedly from the 9th Armored Division.
1/35 Tamiya M3A2 kit converted to M3A1. Added spares from Dragon and replaced the MG mount and 50 cal. Unfortunately, the wrong front bumper was in the kit compared to the reference photo. The armored cab/troop compartment at the back was swapped from the M21 Tamiya kit - the M3A1 did not have the stowage racks (incorrectly called ladders), but the M21 were indeed seen with them - making a swap an improvement on both kits. Stowage from both the M21 and M3A1 kit.
3D Tracks, Sprocket and Idler from a local modeler - significant improvement to the look of the tank.
I’d like to know who your 3D print guy is. I have a Tamiya M16 Half-track on my build stash that would definitely benefit from an improved suspension setup.
I think the prevailing theory is that Tamiya designed this kit with the initial belief that the M3A2 saw service - someone must have noticed it was a prototype because they recommend some things you can do to backdate the kit into a M3A1 like removing the storage racks/ladder on the side. Still, if you have the M21 kit the swapping of the parts isn’t too hard to do.
Love this old Kit, it holds so many great memories and feelings of nostalgia for me, you have made a good job of it too. The figures are well painted, wondered how well they’d come up. This kit when it came out was amazing for the figures provided to really humanize the model, stirred my young imagination in 1976. I’m doing the same build soon, but with Hornet heads and some updates to try to bring it up. the tracks will be muddy to negate the old in them and the lack of sprocket teeth. One thing the original kit that interests me is the stowage parcels, they are huge, and bear little in relation to what I see in contemporary images. They remind me of the waterproof canvas covers for specialist kit like HQ tentage/marque and heavy weapons platoons that carried such items off the landing craft on D plus 20. They are too bulky for Infantry soldiers personal kit. I wonder what Tamiya used as their reference back in 1975.
This is the Black Dog stowage set for the back of the M2, it bears no relation to M3 stowage as it would block the rear door, but it’s made up from blankets and packs for personnel use, small stuff packed together at the rear of the hull to make space inside. I can’t use this on my M3 build, it’s too wide, but I’ll use it as inspiration, no sleeping bags in those days, Army issue blankets to keep the sleeping Gi warm.
Great job on that old dinosaur
