A02318V welcome return of the M3 Half Track

[Tweezers]

I'm looking forward to making this in M3A1 varient with the armoured windsreen up and browning 7.65 perched on the side instead of the rig and dispensing with the canvas cover.

If anyone knows any articles about how to make the most of this kit, I'd be glad to know.

[Kenneth ONeill]

No articles, but a note that you can fit the pulpit 50 cal and the 2 30 cals to the same model, or delete any one or 2 of those, or scratch-build a skate rail to replace the fixed 30 cal mounts and then fit anything up to 10 x 30 cals on the skate rail!

[Ratch]

 I didn't think the tilt was included in the kit these days

[Tweezers]

 I didn't think the tilt was included in the kit these days

If that's the case, then I hope the aftermarket manufacturers produce internal/external fixtures and fittings.

If anyone would like to see how it looked with a tilt, then I can scan one of the old catalogues pictures.

A guide to improving this half track, I'm sure I would find helpful if I knew where to look.

[Tweezers]

/media/tinymce_upload/b86ef507d56f01a5de936a0111533c85.jpg

"No articles, but a note that you can fit the pulpit 50 cal and the 2 30 cals to the same model, or delete any one or 2 of those, or scratch-build a skate rail to replace the fixed 30 cal mounts and then fit anything up to 10 x 30 cals on the skate rail!"

Do you mean like this?

Also as well as internal modification, it appears to have folding panniers at the rear.

Note to moderator:  Original image was removed by whoever posted it and this is from the search engine.

 

 

[Ratch]

 Something like this

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/1-76-m3a1-and-m5a1-us-armored-halftracks-t50676.html

[Tweezers]

 Something like this

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/1-76-m3a1-and-m5a1-us-armored-halftracks-t50676.html

That's the ticket!  Thank you Ratch

 

[Kenneth ONeill]

@Tweezers - From the colour, ^ tac marking and external kit racks, I think that is an Israelii army vehicle. The comments about the skate rail and about the pulpit being optional still apply to WW2 US army equipment.

[Tweezers]

@Tweezers - From the colour, ^ tac marking and external kit racks, I think that is an Israelii army vehicle. The comments about the skate rail and about the pulpit being optional still apply to WW2 US army equipment.

Or an  American collector has converted it into an IDF one

Are those 7.65 Brownings?  If it had just the one, would it still have the skate rail?

Here is a scan from my dog-eared Airfix catalougue from the early '70s./media/tinymce_upload/3485177f1f8934498d9ca7050e092ef6.jpg

[Kenneth ONeill]

The question of skate rail vs pulpit and/or pintles is about age, factory, and what, if any, field modifications were done. The 10x0.30" on a skate rail was a one-off field modification.

 

Factory fits would normally be a skate rail with 2x0.30" mounts, 2x0.30" pintle mounts, or 2x0.30" pintle mounts + the pulpit 50 cal although that then means you can't fit the full tilt.

[Sailorman]

Airfix Magazine had a series of articles in their June to October 1971 issues.  It was 5 part series.  Informative but not much modelling detail.

I could scan them and upload them here as pics if anyone is interested.

[ntrocket88]

This link show a variety of conversions of the Airfix M3A1 Halftrack by a highly skilled scratch-builder:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/airfix-halftrack-m3a1-to-other-variants-t32643.html#p670869

In summary, the Airfix kit seems to have been copied from a White M13, with the twin 50-cal AA mount removed and with the wrong (International Harvester style) front mudguards. The Nitto kit is nearly identical to the Airfix one, though with a lot more details including the AA turret, it has all the same flaws.

To make a White M3, you need to:

• Fix the front mudguards to make them match the White versions.
• Cut down the divider between the driver and crew areas to just leave the flooring part.
• Make the missing interior. Some Airfix kit releases come with a tilt which can hide the missing interior... but some do not.
• Either heavily rework the 50-Cal MG pulpit (M3A1) or fit a pedestal with a 30-cal MG (M3) instead.
• Fill and sand the hinged side plates and add back rivets (if you feel compelled to...).
• Remove the erroneous step over the driver/passenger side doors.
• M3 and derivatives were only used by US forces. I think only two or so were issued to the UK under lend-lease for comparative trials.

  For an International Harvester M5, you can keep the mudguards, but you will need to:

• Fill and sand the hinged side plates and sand off all the rivets. Rivets are not required as the International Harvester versions were welded.
• Round off the rear corners.
• Cut down the divider between the driver and crew areas to just leave the flooring part.
• Make the missing interior (or cover it up...).
• Either heavily rework the 50-Cal MG pulpit (M5A1) or fit a pedestal with a 30-cal MG (M5) instead.
• Remove the erroneous step over the driver/passenger side doors.
• Remove the sliding opening on the driver/passenger side doors and the front windscreen armor (the mechanism was on the inside of IH ones).
• Add rear bumpers.
• M5 and derivatives were only produced for lend-lease, though there are some photos of US troops training with them in the US.

Obviously you can keep on adding details, but the above list should cover the basics.

[Kenneth ONeill]

And this is before we mention the M2, or skate rail versions, or mortar carriers, or the Maxson turret with its quad 50 cals...

Bottom line, the easy answer to the original question is "buy a book".