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

[CDW]

A ton of parts, this project will test my patience and endurance. 
 

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by CDW

[mtaylor]

Ah... I'm in.  For a minute there I thought it was one in the Haunted Tank comic book series but that was  M3 Stuart,  

[CDW]

1 hour ago, mtaylor said:

Ah... I'm in.  For a minute there I thought it was one in the Haunted Tank comic book series but that was  M3 Stuart,  

I used to buy every issue of that comic book. Loved it.

[CDW]

This begins the journey. Hull floor, transmission, and drive shaft. Lots more to come.

 

 

[Canute]

Wow, those castings look good. I'm in and following.

[CDW]

7 minutes ago, Canute said:

Wow, those castings look good. I'm in and following.

Yes, the castings are quite nice. This kit is reminiscent of limited run kits, in that the sprue gates are rather large and the plastic is a bit on the soft side. Care is needed to be sure details are not being cut off when removing parts from the sprues. I noticed that some of the smaller parts are cast where it appears the mold halves did not align perfectly, creating a small problem to clean up before painting. For the cost of the kit, it is very well done indeed. I picked up this copy at my local hobby shop for less than $65 and 10% off that for the veterans discount. My usual online sources were out of stock, but I am not surprised given the fact that Mini Art is a company out of Ukraine.

[lmagna]

On 5/18/2022 at 7:30 PM, CDW said:

I used to buy every issue of that comic book. Loved it.

Same here. Got my hammock already strung from the rafters. Great view so far.

[Old Collingwood]

3 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Same here. Got my hammock already strung from the rafters. Great view so far.

Bet you had all the nibbles?

 

OC.

[lmagna]

24 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Bet you had all the nibbles?

Only those I brought with me.

 

Been on a bit of a limited diet lately. Not forced just loss of apatite after starting a new med. Down a little over 20 pounds. Who knows, might be a good thing in the long run. Loose pain, pounds and both vertical and horizontal inches! 

[Edwardkenway]

8 hours ago, lmagna said:

Got my hammock already strung from the rafters. Great view so far.

Come on up Lou, I've been waiting to start on the brittle 😉😋

[CDW]

With the hull floor construction completed, I will next move on to paint. Overall, everything is white with various color small details. The ammo locker is dry fitted and will be removed for detail painting of ammo. Will use Tamiya white primer. See you after paint is completed.

 

 

[CDW]

Tamiya white primer goes down like a champ. Dries fast with a nice smooth finish. This should offer a perfect starting point for some interior weathering and wear. 
 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Thats some lovely detail there mate,  and the White  will be an excellent  base   for your  weathering.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

13 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

I've been waiting to start on the brittle

Nice of you to think of me and wait Edward. I'm afraid that my special stock does not arrive until the week after next when my wife returns with it from her trip with a girlfriend. 

 

Nice work Craig I have never seen the interior of a Lee and am learning as you progress.

Edited May 21, 2022 by lmagna

[Old Collingwood]

18 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Nice of you to think of me and wait Edward. I'm afraid that my special stock does not arrive until the week after next when my wife returns with it from her trip with a girlfriend. 

 

Nice work Craig I have never seen the interior of a Lee and am learning as you progress.

Guess  we need  Mark and his  Popcorn  machine  - never  fails.

 

OC.

[CDW]

8 hours ago, lmagna said:

 

Nice work Craig I have never seen the interior of a Lee and am learning as you progress.

It’s my first time seeing it too. A big radial engine will fill the engine bay eventually. Going to see what I can do to leave some of the armor panels dry fitted to allow the finished model to show the interior. Would be a shame to cover all that detail never to be seen again.

[mtaylor]

14 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Guess  we need  Mark and his  Popcorn  machine  - never  fails.

 

OC.

The popcorn machine is always available, OC.   

[Canute]

Fire it up, Kimosabe!

[mtaylor]

10 minutes ago, Canute said:

Fire it up, Kimosabe!

Around here... it runs 24-7.

[lmagna]

6 hours ago, mtaylor said:

it runs 24-7.

Voracious crowd!

[Canute]

We had one in my squadron and it ran from early morning until the end of the duty day (4:30 PM).

[Javlin]

Coming along nicely Craig is the interior white on the Lee I know this is primer but the Germans liked a white of sorts I guess for reflection?I have the Miniart 1/32 French Helo .

[CDW]

@Javlin

Yes, she's white inside the fighting compartment and the engine bay

Edited May 26, 2022 by CDW

[CDW]

Sorry for the construction delay. Just got back from a 1000+ mile trip to visit family in another state (South Carolina)

[CDW]

Plugging along on the interior, going to dirty and beat it up quite a bit before moving on.

 

 

[CDW]

I was not as careful as needed to align the front armor plate on the hull, so an ensuing gap was filled with strip styrene. 
 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Very nice work Craig.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Looking good Craig

 

So strange, at least to me, to see that huge aircraft radial engine inside a tank. I know it was done and worked but it still looks odd. 

[CDW]

3 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Looking good Craig

 

So strange, at least to me, to see that huge aircraft radial engine inside a tank. I know it was done and worked but it still looks odd. 

By all accounts I have read, the M3's were built as a stop-gap measure until the M4 Shermans reached full production status. I suspect the radial engines were in production for aircraft use and as they were available in quantity, used as the tank powerplant. Could be wrong about that as it's just a guess on my part. I read that the M3's provided to the Russians were rather despised, but they nevertheless stood their ground and sometimes performed well against Panzer III's and early Panzer IV's at Kursk and at Stalingrad. I recall reading one time the rivets that were used extensively on the tank hull became shrapnel for the M3 tank crews when the vehicles were hit by enemy fire. 

[lmagna]

Like many allied designs prior to WWII the M-3/4 was just not as well developed or nearly as advanced as their German counterparts. In some ways you could compare them to the P-40s and F-4Fs going up against the Japanese. Not nearly as advanced but when used within their abilities and strengths did an amazing job of accounting for themselves. On the other hand there were some that claimed that the M-3 was superior to the Panzer IV. I am not a tank guy so I couldn't say.

Edited May 31, 2022 by lmagna