FOV M3 Lee "Kentucky"?

[dragon53]

Does anyone have any info such as division, regiment, etc. on the FOV 1/32 M3 Lee "Kentucky"?

[NHoggard12]

I believe it is from the 12 armored regiment, 1st US armored division.
I would guess and say it is from the 2nd battalion, but other than that, I am not sure.

[dragon53]

NHOGGARD12:

Thanks for the info.
I found this on a dealer's website, but I don't know how reliable it is:

"Unimax Forces of Valor US M3 Lee Medium Tank - 2nd Company, 13th Armored Regiment ('Kentucky'), 1st Armored Division, Tunisia, 1942"

The dealers adds that the M3 Lee was in the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia.

[NHoggard12]

13 regiment, yes, this seems reliable:
"On 15 July 1940, the 13th Cavalry was redesignated the 13th Armored Regiment and became part of the new 1st Armored Division. On 8 November 1942, 13th Armored, as part of Combat Command B, landed in Oran, Algeria, to participate in the allied counteroffensive in North Africa."
There are several photos of these lee tanks online.

Here is one photo's caption: M3 medium tank number 309490 of D Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, US 1st Division at Souk el Arba, Tunisia, 23 Nov. 1942.

Would 2nd company be the same as B company I wonder?
Did they not state which battalion?- i am guessing it would be from the 2nd battalion.

I always like learning the unit history for these models myself.

[tmanthegreat]

Don't know much about this particular tank, however to lend credence to the discussion above, Unimax tends to do their homework, at least when it comes to the tank markings. I've researched some of the models in my collection and they have often turned out to be examples of actual tanks or at least tanks from actual units. Unimax sometimes takes liberties with some of the finer details on the camoflauge, etc, but generally their tanks can be matched to actual vehicles that were in a given unit at a given time.

[dragon53]

GUYS:

Thanks for the info.

The M3 wasn't high on my shopping list because it wasn't a historically noteworthy tank, but I just got it for $27 delivered (my local Target didn't have the M3 when they were selling dirt cheap).

I was looking up info on the M3 and saw that it was in the movie SAHARA starring Humphrey Bogart. I remember seeing this movie on tv when I was about 6-7 years old---so it is great for my Nostalgia Collection.

Like you guys, I like try to find background info on my models, too. It helps when other collectors have lots of reference material I don't have.

[NHoggard12]

dragon53:
Just curious, what do you think of the tank?

[PAK38]

I believe that there is a M3 in the Patton Armor Museum at Fort Knox, KY named "Kentucky". If you Google for it, I'm sure you can find a picture and can compare markings.

[dragon53]

NHOGGARD12:

I'm not a tank expert, but the M3 is OK to me. The metal texturing on the 37mm cupola seems to be too big---especially when I compare it to my FOV 1/16 Sherman turret---the M3's metal texturing is much bigger than the 1/16 Sherman. Maybe the real M3 is like that.
As far as the sharp, detailed edges, some of the M3's edges appear to be below that of the FOV M26 Pershing and the M5 Stuart.
The weathering is limited to painted-on dirt and silver-painted scrapes. The chassis hatches, in particular, appear to be "lumpy" and molded on.
The M3 is attached to the plastic base with three screws---but the last screw was worn down, and I literally had to cut and rip the base off the model. I've never had problems removing screws before.
Overall, I recommend the M3, but it's not as good as the FOV M26 Pershing and M5 Stuart.

[dragon53]

PAK38:

The tanks at the Patton museum have been moved to Fort Benning. A collector on another message board is based at Fort Benning and saw King Tiger 332 arriving from Fort Knox. He posted these photos:

[dragon53]

PAK38:

Thanks. I found the photos of "Kentucky" at the Patton museum (I assume it's now at Fort Benning).

[tmanthegreat]

Well, looks like they were close... Just off by a couple digits on the identification number.