Hello All, I have begun my first project tonight, a Tamiya M5A1 Stuart for $18 from the local hobby store. I will upload pics later. I have completed the chassis and the lower hull minus tracks. I have a question though, since this is my first detailed model (i.e. not Battlefront or Gamesworkshop), Why is it that I have a gap between the side hull and top hull on one side, and the other side of the hull has no gap there. Also, I have a big gap between the doors on the turret and the rear top piece. I will upload pics to help you understand. I think this model may have been a little too tough for me.

Hey Jacob
This would be a good little kit to cut your teeth on, although not having built it I am unfamiliar with the problem you have encountered...
It is a plenty dated kit now with the release by AFV Club of both an early and late M5A1 last year gone. They have upped the ante with detail and accuracy which was well overdue in plastic. But that said Tamiya kits are generally a good fitting easy-ish build and are great for starters.
Brad

Jacob,
Been trying to picture your problem in my head. The best that I can tell you is the old Tamiya kits were originally motorized and meant to be toys as well as models and were designed so that the lower hull could be seperated from the upper hull to replace dead batteries. As far as the gap on the turret goes, not sure what you are taliking about.

Generally though, those old Tamiya kits are for thew most part quick and easy builds, but they due have some issues due to their age and original intended use. If you not worried about accuracy and such, kits like that M5 of yours can be a welcome break from the latest kits out there with 500 plus pieces in them.

Lastly, I just noticed you are a new recruit to Armorama! Welcome aboard! I am sure you will enjoy your tour of duty here!

Welcome aboard Jacob!!
I've personally build this kit in question and I don't remember any gaps in the turrent area, enless you got a kit that had a mold issues and was missed in Tamiya's QC Dept. (Rare, but it could happen.)
The other issues with the hull and sides are like everyone else has stated. The underside of the kit as an on/off switch slot and other slots to hold to guts of the batteries and gear box in place. These can be filled with putty and flat stock as backing.

Rudi, Call sign "Tarok", did a build blog on this and other issues concerning this very kit.
It's buried in the site somewhere, but I'm sure Rudi has it saved somewhere, you just have to ask him. PM him and see what he says, more then likely he'll be more then willing to help out.

Thanks guys. I was having issues with the right side side-plate lining. I just stuck it on as best I could and I am going to fill it with putty and sculpt it down. I have the issue with the turret hatches and decided to model them in the open position with one of the crew men coming out as the tank is wrecked, it is going to be placed in a Normandy diorama.

Hi Jacob and welcome aboard.

It is difficult to troubleshoot your problem without pictures, but I will try. Old school Tamiya kits often do not include sponson bottoms. The sponsons are the areas below the turret but above the tracks on the left and right sides of the vehicle. Once you add the tracks and skirts, you will not see the open sponsons unless you look at the model from below. If it bothers you enough, you can fill them with plastic card. At the rear of the vehicle, the top of the hull hangs over the back plate leaving a huge gap underneath. On a real tank, the exhausts nest up in that space. I am not sure about the turret issue. Something may not be lined up correctly.

Here is one I built last year that may help:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/132799&page=1

-Doug

Thanks. I have lost a few of the handles to the carpet monster, and ruined one of them. I am getting to the stage to paint it. I am going to make it a wreck with a crew man crawling out of the top hatches. It is going to be in a diorama, my first as well. I will try and get pics ASAP for you guys before I continue.

That is a great kit to learn from. Show some pictures and you will get plenty of help with your problems. You can make new handles by bending wire of the same thickness and attaching with super glue. I like cooper as it is soft enough to work with but holds it's shape on the model.

Jacob

The kit you are talking about is a very early mold. Compared to todays manufactor, it's technology is outdated. I don't mean it's not a good kit, just some take a little more work than todays upper level kits.
As I can recall, I built one of these in the late 80's and had to use a little filler putty down in the hull where you are reffering to.

I am a fan of smaller tanks and early tank technology. I more recently built a M-3 "Honey" The British version of the M-3 Stuart by Academy. What a SWEET kit. but it too has to have a little filler where the upper hull joins the lower.

As far as the technology of todays kits have advanced, you will stil find places the models will need a little filler or have a small fit problem Hmmm that sounds liek a good subject. I think I will ask the club what they think of the filler putties they use.

The darned boggie kept falling off, so I glued them in place!

www.ImageShack.us" /> Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

I have conquered the tow hooks!

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The ugly side.

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So far so good, just got to paint her.

www.ImageShack.us" /> Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

The discoloring is from the uncure I used to break the superglue bond to try again.

www.ImageShack.us" /> Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

Jacob,

Welcome to the site.

To be honest, with this sort of kit, you really have no need to use CA (Krazy, Zap, etc.) glue at all. If I may be so bold, what you should use is liquid model cement. It will give you some time before the glue sets to make sure things are lined up and the bond is also stronger than CA glues. Another good hint is to fit each part to the tank without glue so you can make sure you are getting everything right. If there are problems, you can stop and try different methods before adding the glue. Another benefit with the liquid cements is that you can hold parts together and then add small amounts of glue to the seams while the parts are held in place. You have to watch out that the glue doesn't wick to the place where you are holding the parts, but it is a way to make sure that things are put where you want them and then stay there.

I have built this kit about 6-7 times and it really does go together pretty well. If you are having problems with getting things to fit, take your time, look at things several ways and dry fit it again to try another way to get it to fit. I will say, though, that if some of the major parts have been glued with poor fits, then this may cause other parts to fit poorly later on.

All the best,

Paul

Thanks for the tips and advice. I will keep that in mind. Like I said, this is my first time putting together something like this. I only have experience with Battlefront and flames of war, and warhammer 40K. I am really enjoying this, even if I did loose two handles to the carpet monster. I am thinking of getting this model again, seeing its price, and just practicing. I will try the liquid model cement. I ended up using model cement glue for the lower hull and upper hull attaching. Is that the same thing as Liquid model cement? I just got done spraying my first layer of OD green on the model, I think maybe a little to heavy so I am taking a paper towel to it.

Question: I have extra bits, what are they for?
B1
B5
B6
B18
A8
A11
A24
A31
A28

Those extra parts are for the M3 Tank model. They share some parts so they just use the one sprue for both kits. Save the extra parts for later when you have more experience for scratch building and making mods.

Use this one as a learning experience,
Like Paul I would also suggest dry fitting your parts first, a little sanding and dry fitting, then use liquid model cement like Testor in the bottle with the brush, or Tamyia liquid. (either their regular liquid or their Extra thin). CA is unnecessary for building a straight plastic model.
I suggest getting a few more of the cheaper kits to practice your budding skills on, concentrating on refining your basic building skills.
Welcome to the site.

Did this glue come in a tube or a bottle? The stuff in the tube is OK and, in fact, makes the strongest bonds. But it can be pretty messy. The stuff in the bottle is what you want, though, for most jobs. If you are used to using CA glues, you may find that the drying time of model cements is too long for you, but the wait is definitely worth it in terms of ease and strength of assembly.


Were you using a rattle can or an airbrush? In either case, using a paper towel is probably not the best idea and it will leave streaks of paint on the surface that will probably remain after you respray. If you have used a rattle can or enamel paints it can be very hard to remove the paint, but one of the best ways is to use "Easy Off" oven cleaner.

After the paint has dried, put the model in a plastic grocery bag and spray generously with Easy Off. Then close the bag & leave overnight. Next day, wearing good rubber gloves and goggles (and an old shirt & pants!) use cold water to wash off the Easy Off and use an old tooth brush to gently remove stubborn areas. You may need to spray a second time for really thick or stubborn areas, but most will come off with one coat.

If you have used acrylic paints, the Easy Off will work as well, but soaking areas in Isopropyl Alchohol will also dissolve most Acrylics (Tamiya, Gunze, Model Master Acryl, etc).

As you've implied, model building is a skill. It all comes with practice. If you are not happy with how this kit comes out, buy another and then use this kit as a practice piece to try out new techniques on. Keep at it, you'll be amazed at how fast your skills get better.

Keep asking questions ad we'll try to answer them for you.

Paul

Thanks guys. I used the paper towel to soak up the paint sitting on the top of the grate in back where the engine would be. It worked alright. I didn't use it anywhere else. I got the decals off and just have to wait till my next paycheck to pick up some more supplies to weather it and base it. Have any of you guys used Tamiya weathering sticks? Also the stuff I used comes in a light blue tube from Testors. I told my mother that I was going to order the same kit again from the local hobby store (Since I get a discount) but she suggested that I try ordering another model for about the same price. What do you guys think? (I am still in high school, that's why I live with my mom )

SO guys, here it is... The might M5A1 Stuart in all her glory. I haven't given her a final touch of weathering, I don't have the tools right now and I just lost my seasonal job without notice. SOOO, I am going to what till I get paid next week and pick up the stuff to do a final weathering on her to make it look like dirt and use. I was thinking of throwing on some stuff to make it look like she was camouflaged for Normandy, as I saw some pictures of the real thing where they did. What do you all Suggest?

Looks pretty good for first time. You will learn the building and painting tecniques pretty quickly if you find that you love model building as much as most people on this board. Just like anything else it takes practice. You might find it helpful to study the work of others for painting and weathering tips. There are also some great articles under the features tab that will help you along the way. Keep up the good work and stick with it. It will only get better and more fun

Thanks. I have an idea for a diorama I want to build. I really like this board, everyone's been helping me. I play alot of table top wargames, if anyone is used to that or knows what I mean, and I though of up scaling it and trying out the more accurate and detailed models.

Looks like your poor commander figure got his right arm shot off at the shoulder! Ouch!!!

Yeah, I wanted him peeking out but didn't have xp with two part epoxy. I figured if I did it right it would look like he was peeking out and not be too noticable. It is my very first one so I am still learning. In fact, I manned up and entered it into the contest for January DMOM hope i win!

That sounds strange

Welcome to Armorama, Cameron. When posting on any website forum threads, it's always a good thing to notice WHEN the thread was started and when the last reply was posted. This one about the M5A1 last saw activity in 2010. It's 99% likely that all the players have moved on.

Usually, read old threads for info. But save your replies for newer, ongoing threads. Take care

Thanks Roy for the tip, it will come in handy