psuedo 1/18 stuart tank found

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:22 am

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Crafted-Collec ... %26ps%3D63

remember, i said psuedo...

however with some TLC it might look ok.

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:56 am

Looks very much like the M3 "Honey" Stuart.

Change the very oversized mg's in the bow and side ports and it would look good.

TTT

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:36 am

except for the guns, the biggest problems i see with it are that the bow is a bit too long and the tracks and fenders don't have the slight arch to them that they should.

Scale wise it's pretty good....about 1/19.

It could be used for either an early war pacific stuart (eg phillipines) or a british or US, north africa honey.

Putting some sand bags, foilage etc on it would help hide some of the shape inaccuracies.

For $12 it's really not that bad.

kduck · Post by **kduck** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:49 pm

It would greatly benefit from new tracks too. The one on it look like corrugated strips of sheet metal.

pickelhaube · Post by **pickelhaube** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:28 pm

It looks like pooh.

But $12 is cheap.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:43 pm

Yes, the price is right. It is not perfect, but could fit the bill for some sort of fictitious inner war or early WWII light scout tank, especially if one pretends it is not a Stuart. For the price, I just might consider getting one

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 10:15 pm

After digging around I stand corrected. This tank, I believe is very close in appearance to a M2A4 Light tank.

Turret was a single man turret with a 37mm gun. Sponsons had one .30cal each side and one bow .30cal. 375 were built and they saw combat in early WW2 before being replaced with a M-3.

Those guns are still a problem as being too big but the tank does not look bad at second glance.

Interesting tank, not perfect by any means, but interesting.

TTT

Post by **aferguson** » Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:38 am

nice research TTT.......you're right. Makes it even more interesting.

One idea i had right away was, since it's metal, to use it in the backround of a diorama, set a small fire inside it so smoke would pour out, which would look cool and in turn cover its crude shape. This would be an outdoor diorama of course.

Here's a neat little art print showing M2A4's and Stuarts at Guadalcanal

http://www.military-art.com/mall/more.php?ProdID=242

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Fri Dec 25, 2009 8:52 am

Back in my misspent youth, building plastic kits of, what else, tanks and jeeps and ships, I would create battles, burning shell holes into tanks with a soldering iron and occasionally setting fires in my "destroyed" tanks. I did this in my room, who knew the dangers of inhaling fumes from melting plastic.

Every six months or so, when my room was filled, I would set up a battle.

I don't know how many gray cells were destroyed by inhaling the plastic fumes, I do remember getting high, but have sustained no permanent damage..... sustained no permanent damage..... no permanent damage..... permanent damage.....

What is this thread about?

Who are you and who am I?

TTT

scbvideoboy · Post by **scbvideoboy** » Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:06 am

looks like poop, indeed, why even waste a thread bandwidth for that?

DH

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:01 pm

I've received this model and the more I look at it, it seems to me to have started life as a Japanese heavy tank. Even the size of the guns would be right, and the metal tracks and the headlights. The only problem would be the the sponson mg's (which the early Stu's had) which could be cut off.

The commanders hatch is rounded, like the Japanese and not like the Stuart.

I like the tank, not as a 1/18 tank, more like a Japanese 1/16.

For $12, it is worth cutting up to make it what you want.

TTT

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:25 pm

I got this model as well. The turret turns and the hatch opens, but one cannot place a figure inside of it. Certainly not the best tank out there. I do like the idea of turning it into some sort of a Japanese tank. It may almost work better for something like that than in its current US configuration. I guess I should be OK repainting it considering the $12 price. Heck, the Chap Mei Wespe set cost nearly 3 times as much!

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:37 pm

lol.....so it's you that bought one. I noticed one had sold and was wondering if it was somebody from this board...the seller should be giving me a commission.

The japanese tank idea is interesting...it's size is better suited for that i think.

TTT, what japanese tank do you think it looks most like?

edit: Tman you got one as well....wow......double commission!

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:51 pm

I said the tank looked to me that the model maker started to make a Japanese tank. Lines and rounded hatch, and guns appear to belong on a Japanese tank.

I think they changed to a Stuart to increase sales or something. Anyway, it's not a good model of a Japanese tank, it just looks to me like it could be a Japanese tank...

Japanese or Stuart, I like it for what it COULD be.

TTT.

grunt1 · Post by **grunt1** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:02 pm

Could one of you post a picture of it next to a 1:18 sherman or something similar? This looks interesting..

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:43 am

i did a little research and the closest japanese tank this resembles is the type 95 ha go. It's not very close but that's the closest in size and shape.

There is also the type 92 light tank, but the hull is somewhat different and they were only used in the early 30's anyway.

I think the best bet for this is either a pretend japanese light tank, or as a little bit underscale m2 or m3.

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:16 am

I like the idea of a pretend Japanese tank. Really, the major drawback in using it as a 1/16 Stuart by just cutting off the ends of the mg's, is the clunky treads, looking like WW1 treads.

TTT

Post by **aferguson** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:24 am

well it's underscale for a 1/18 stuart so it will be really underscale for a 1/16 stuart. Plus, i think it likely a 1/16 stuart will be made one day and maybe even a 1/18 (PH is going to make one iirc). So best to use this as something else.

Using it as an M2 was a neat idea but the M2 was practically the same as the early M3's and so using it as an M2 has all the same drawbacks i mentioned above.

But the japanese had a whole slew of light recon and cavalry tanks, so with a good paint job and some heavy draping in foilage, it could be a passable pretend japanese tank....size is certainly right.

It would also be good for setting on fire and using in the backround of a diorama...being metal it could be used over and over again.

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:24 pm

What's this thing with Aferg and setting things on fire?

I've changed my mind. The tank is great for a M-2 or M-3. Everything is in the right place, hatches, view slots, guns, even muffler and side silhouette. Since the Japanese captured M-2's on Bataan and used them against us when we invaded the Philippines. We fought them. How cool is that, Stuart against Stuart.

TTT