I just saw on the Alanger US website there is an M3 scout car. I just finished reading the post on the BT-7 and was slightly discouraged by the review. I was just wondering about this kit as well, what is the history of the vehicle and most of all how good is the kit?

I have this kit in my stash, IIRC it was previously released by Mxx, and Airfix? I asked around at the time I got it and the general consensus was that it's a good kit but the the detail is a little soft.

Hi
You can take a look HERE to see what's in the box...

HTH
Frenchy

"A little soft" is a very diplomatic way of putting it.

I love the looks of that vehicle and had the kit for a while but never tackled it. If you are happy with early 1970s-standards of detailing, have fun with it. If you want to build something that is up to modern standards, be prepared for a lot of work. The details are quite heavy, so you'll be replacing handles, hingers, jerrycans and their holders, tools, latches, machinegun mounts, headlight guards, etc. Nothing insurmountable, but lots of work. You could probably steal a lot of the small detail bits you need from a DML M2 halftrack, but the body panels are not the same despite their similar look.

Good luck with it....we really deserve a better kit of this vehicle.

Danny Egan
President
AMPS

Join us: http://www.amps-armor.org

I built this kit about 6 years ago and I liked it. The fit is typical of Italeri's Trucks ( Lots of clean up- sink holes- some mold shift) but with some TLC and scratching it can be made into a nice model. They seem to be relatively cheap and with the relase of the DML M2/M2A1 halftrack there is some carry over in parts.

Go for it!
Chris

I have the Revel kit, does anyone know if this is the same kit re-boxed or is it different ?

Thanks.

I did one as an Israeli version some years ago.

It is the same kit, to date it has been available under Max/Peerless, Airfix, Italeri, Revell and now Zvezda, I cant help but think that the earlier the kit you get the slightly better the moulding as they will have worn over time and become softer around the edges. I'm lucky that I have 3 of the Airfix ones sat around.

AFAIK, the kit is the same, but I do believe the tarp roof is a Zvezda extra, and only available in their boxing.

And while we are on the subject .... I have this kit (Zvezda) in the stash as well. Would the wheels from tamiya´s M8/M20 suit this vehicle? I read somewhere they can be used to upgrade the front wheels for the old tamiya halftracks, so was wondering could all four be used with this? I have aftermarket wheels with chains for my M20. Cheers.

I think not Frank, if they are suitable for the Half tracks. I remember a post on ML that said the wheels from Halftracks were different from the Scout Car and couldn't be used. You could search for an answer over there if no definite answer comes up here.

Hi Pat. I took your bait ... and went and made a search.


Firstly 2 useful sets of walk around images for anybody interested.
M3A1 White Scout Car at Warhweels
M3A1 SCOUT CAR at Toadman´s tank picturres

Next up some disscussion on wheels for the scout car from ML.
ML-1
ML-2
ML-3
ML-4
I take it from the above pages, that some of the different wheel/tire patterns were used on both the halftrack and the scout car. Ive read previously that the wheels from the M8/M20 could be used on the halftrack .. but where Im stuck now ... are those the wheel versions that could also be used on the scout car! Maybe somebody else can better sense of this than me ... as you can see .. Im drawing at straws

Its this text by David harper that makes most sense
There were 5 different production runs of scout cars, there were four different patterns of tires and I believe three styles of rims used in the various batches of scout cars.
The tire size of the M3/M3A1 Scout Car series was 8.25 x 20. This matches the M2, M2A1, M3, M3A1 & M3A2 Half-Track series.
So the answer to your query is......"Yes" some of the tires and rims used on the M3/M3A1 Scout Cars were in fact the same as those used on some of the Half-Tracks.
The M5 & M9 series of Half-Tracks used a bigger 9 x 20 tire, we are still researching these tires and their use.


So question is .. are the M8/M20 9x20 or 8.5x20 ..... would 0.5 be noticeable in 1/35 scale if the hubs are similar?
Maybe its time to open some boxes!

I have the Revell and Zvesda kits in my stash, along with a couple of the Italeri version.
They're identical save for the Revell/Zvesda kits which have the canvas top.
The packaging, markings and instructions in the Revell kit are superior to the Italeri and Zvesda versions.
Maybe DML will come out with a up to date version, a'la their M2/M3 Half-Tracks.
One can only hope
Cheers

jjumbo

There is a new Eduard photo etch set, #35817, that addresses almost all of these issues and really brings the kit up to speed. It's a must-have for this kit. A little help from the parts box and you can build a really decent model.