M3 Lee Tank by CDW - Miniart - 1:35 Scale - FINISHED

[thibaultron]

The Sherman used a radial engine also. If the engine in your kit is as detailed as the illustrations show, you might want to display it next to the tank, rather than hide it inside.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, thibaultron said:

The Sherman used a radial engine also. If the engine in your kit is as detailed as the illustrations show, you might want to display it next to the tank, rather than hide it inside.

Yes, the M4A1's used radial engines, but these proved underpowered and required complete overhaul after just 200 hours of service. The M4A2's introduced the General Motors diesel engine which was much more favorable for power and serviceability.

[CDW]

 

 

[CDW]

Steady as she goes

[CDW]

Look what's coming soon (pre-order only right now from Sprue Brothers) to your hobby shop.

The massive 1:200 Gallery Models IJN Yamato.

Antiquated, overpriced, Nichimo Yamato's will be relegated to door stops after this one comes out. Boy oh boy, the bottom will drop out on the value of those old kits.

 

I just had to tempt you with this:

 

Scalehobbyist.com: IJN Battleship Yamato by Gallery Models

[thibaultron]

And they can bury me with it, after the admiral kills me for buying it!

[CDW]

Main gun and ammunition cabinets added

 

 

[Javlin]

Liking that Gun platform Craig!

[CDW]

There’s a lot packed in here, but still quite a bit more to go for the interior. Gotta drop back to do some detail painting.

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

That is looking smart Craig  - lots of fine detailing  in there.

 

OC.

[CDW]

[CDW]

While there was a pair of 30 cal guns mounted here, there was little to no way to swing the aim left or right, nor to elevate. Even the main gun had very small lateral movement or elevation. Maybe 15 to 20 degrees total I’m guessing. The main turret mounts a 37 mm gun that fully rotated.

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Bit cramped in there   compared  to modern.

 

OC.

Edited June 10, 2022 by ccoyle
deleted quoted photos

[CDW]

When I look at these vehicles, it reminds me of extremes in every category: cramped, heat, cold, fire trap, etc.

I was never interested in being a “tanker” though I do admire and respect those who served in that capacity.

[CDW]

Have not decided yet, but I may build magnetic fasteners to allow removal of panels to allow major parts of the interior to be viewed. The engine bay cover is an example.

 

 

[thibaultron]

Yes, leave a way to see all that detail!

[Canute]

Roger that. Seems a waste to do up a nice interior and then hide it inside..

[Edwardkenway]

Totally agree with the above comments, it'd be a real shame to hide your hard work.

Was this an early tank? I ask because it has a very primitive look about it.

Looks good though!

[CDW]

14 minutes ago, Edwardkenway said:

Was this an early tank? I ask because it has a very primitive look about it.

Yes, the M3 was the precursor of the M4 Sherman, USA's primary tank for WW2. It was a stop-gap measure until the Sherman was fully developed and put into production. If you compare the two vehicles, you will notice a similarity in the chassis and power train of both tanks. Indeed it resembled those early WW1 tanks in many ways.

[CDW]

Once it’s all done it will look like this closed up

 

 

and liked this opened up

 

 

The panel fit is tight enough that magnets will not be needed.

[Egilman]

13 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

Was this an early tank? I ask because it has a very primitive look about it.

Looks good though!

Looks beautiful doesn't it Ed... 

 

Excellent Work Craig !!! it will definitely be a shame to cover all that masterful work....

 

As far as the M-3?

 

The M-3 and all it's variations was a derivative from our 1938 M-2 Medium Tank.... The M-2 came about in the buildup before WWII and was what the designers thought would be sufficient, it was based upon all previous experience and experimentation with tanks that was done between the wars... Forward to 1939....

 

The Invasion of Poland revealed that the M-2 was wholly inadequate when compared to the Pz II's used by the German army....  We of course had observers all over Germany and France while waiting for the German invasion of France which everyone knew was coming... There we got a first hand look at the effectiveness of the Pz III with it's 50mm HV gun and it's sheer speed... It was quickly realized that the M-2 was as of that date completely obsolete, the Pz III would eat them for breakfast and then there was the Pz IV which in 1940 was just an infantry support tank based upon the Pz III.... 

 

Very quickly the US Army started putting together a design that would handle the Pz III & IV in most any situation they would be encountered... The engineers that were designing tanks at the time responded that it would take about two years to come up with such a design, (eventually became the M-4 Sherman) so the decision was to build something based upon current technology that was at least equal to the Pz's being used by Germany... It would be an interim design until such time as the real design could be realized and delivered... It was designated the M-3.... The suspension is a beefed up version of the M-2 suspension bogies with an enlarged hull, (either cast or riveted) with the HV 75mm M-2/M-3 gun in a sponson and the standard 37mm AT gun in a revolving turret...

 

The British ordered them in Quantity cause they were a world far more advanced beyond anything they had in inventory, they had a redesigned 37mm turret built for them and named then the "Grant" following their procedure of naming foreign equipment for famous figures from the producing country, the US version they took delivery on were named "Lee" you can easily tell the difference by the much bulkier British designed top turret, otherwise they were identical... The US Army immediately replaced all their M-2's on a 1 for 1 basis as soon as they were delivered....

 

Their first action came in the Eastern African desert against the Pz III's of the German 12th armored division, and took the Germans completely by surprise, they had no clue of what they were approaching... the Pz III's were being destroyed by that 75mm gun like they were targets in a shooting gallery... It wasn't long though, in an act of desperation, before the Germans started using their 88mm's against the new tank, and with the results that typically an "88" produced against most armor of the day... Soon, the Germans developed tactics that negated the 75mm's effectiveness against armor... (being sponson mounted, the gun had a limited amount of travel) A fast maneuvering tank could flank it on the right and effectively remove the usefulness of that powerful gun....

 

The M-3, (and it's derivative the M-4) was designed to defeat the Pz III & early Pz IV, clearly when employed properly, it was more than capable of doing just that... at that point in time, the Germans had advanced and were producing the Pz V and Pz VI, the Panther and Tiger respectively, which in a few short months the American Army would get their first look at (tigers) in the Western African desert, and the push was on for a heavy tank to defeat it (the M-6 Heavy Tank which was never delivered to the army) and would eventually produce the M-26 Pershing which ate Pz VI's  for breakfast.... (and eventually T-34's as well)

 

Nothing advances engineering rapidly like warfare....

Edited June 10, 2022 by Egilman

[Baker]

2 hours ago, Egilman said:

Looks beautiful doesn't it Ed... 

 

Excellent Work Craig !!! it will definitely be a shame to cover all that masterful work....

 

As far as the M-3?

 

The M-3 and all it's variations was a derivative from our 1938 M-2 Medium Tank.... The M-2 came about in the buildup before WWII and was what the designers thought would be sufficient, it was based upon all previous experience and experimentation with tanks that was done between the wars... Forward to 1939....

 

The Invasion of Poland revealed that the M-2 was wholly inadequate when compared to the Pz II's used by the German army....  We of course had observers all over Germany and France while waiting for the German invasion of France which everyone knew was coming... There we got a first hand look at the effectiveness of the Pz III with it's 50mm HV gun and it's sheer speed... It was quickly realized that the M-2 was as of that date completely obsolete, the Pz III would eat them for breakfast and then there was the Pz IV which in 1940 was just an infantry support tank based upon the Pz III.... 

 

Very quickly the US Army started putting together a design that would handle the Pz III & IV in most any situation they would be encountered... The engineers that were designing tanks at the time responded that it would take about two years to come up with such a design, (eventually became the M-4 Sherman) so the decision was to build something based upon current technology that was at least equal to the Pz's being used by Germany... It would be an interim design until such time as the real design could be realized and delivered... It was designated the M-3.... The suspension is a beefed up version of the M-2 suspension bogies with an enlarged hull, (either cast or riveted) with the HV 75mm M-2/M-3 gun in a sponson and the standard 37mm AT gun in a revolving turret...

 

The British ordered them in Quantity cause they were a world far more advanced beyond anything they had in inventory, they had a redesigned 37mm turret built for them and named then the "Grant" following their procedure of naming foreign equipment for famous figures from the producing country, the US version they took delivery on were named "Lee" you can easily tell the difference by the much bulkier British designed top turret, otherwise they were identical... The US Army immediately replaced all their M-2's on a 1 for 1 basis as soon as they were delivered....

 

Their first action came in the Eastern African desert against the Pz III's of the German 12th armored division, and took the Germans completely by surprise, they had no clue of what they were approaching... the Pz III's were being destroyed by that 75mm gun like they were targets in a shooting gallery... It wasn't long though, in an act of desperation, before the Germans started using their 88mm's against the new tank, and with the results that typically an "88" produced against most armor of the day... Soon, the Germans developed tactics that negated the 75mm's effectiveness against armor... (being sponson mounted, the gun had a limited amount of travel) A fast maneuvering tank could flank it on the right and effectively remove the usefulness of that powerful gun....

 

The M-3, (and it's derivative the M-4) was designed to defeat the Pz III & early Pz IV, clearly when employed properly, it was more than capable of doing just that... at that point in time, the Germans had advanced and were producing the Pz V and Pz VI, the Panther and Tiger respectively, which in a few short months the American Army would get their first look at (tigers) in the Western African desert, and the push was on for a heavy tank to defeat it (the M-6 Heavy Tank which was never delivered to the army) and would eventually produce the M-26 Pershing which ate Pz VI's  for breakfast.... (and eventually T-34's as well)

 

Nothing advances engineering rapidly like warfare....

Correct and clearly explained 👍.

 

And very nice work CDW 👍

[Canute]

Great work, Craig. Well fitted parts, nice.

 

And a good history lesson on armor development in the 30s into WWII. Thanks, EG.

[CDW]

Once the suspension and road wheels are added to the Lee, the similarity and evolution of design between the Lee and the Sherman will be easy to see.

 

 

[Egilman]

Yep, the M-51 ISherman was the pinnacle of M-4 development... The Israelis did what everyone was saying couldn't be done with a Sherman, mount a 90mm gun in a 63" turret ring...

 

Designed to defeat the Pz IV it held up well against everything thrown at it, including Egyptian T-62's...

[CDW]

The kit includes a basic photo etch sheet for various detail pieces including these headlamp guards. The wiring shown here is not included, instead I used .1 mm lead wire for this. 
 

 

[CDW]

Each of the six trucks consist of sixteen parts and are a bit fiddly to assemble but look good when finished I think. The part fit is not entirely ‘Tamiya-like’ but not too shabby. Probably just a wee bit over engineered. It is what it is but don’t consider this a put down of the kit. Just have a feeling some modelers won’t like it due to all the parts/pieces.

 

 

[mtaylor]

Looking at the one truck you have finished, I don't think it's over-engineered as like the rest of the model it looks great.

[Egilman]

6 hours ago, CDW said:

Just have a feeling some modelers won’t like it due to all the parts/pieces.

That is an absolutely gorgeous representation of the early narrow VVSS used on the M-3... (and early M-4) The first mod was to move the roller off to the back side of the bogie making them left & right handed, and then eliminate the roller altogether by putting a bolt on sheet steel guide on the top of them....

 

The evolution of that bogie system is a story in and of itself...

 

What is represented in the kit, could not be improved upon in aftermarket, unless they want to make it operational...

Edited June 13, 2022 by Egilman

[CDW]

The tracks for the M3 Lee consist of 79 links per side. Each link consists of 4 separate parts, a total of 316 parts per side. Just the road wheels, trucks, drive sprockets, idlers, and tracks = more than 800 separate parts.