Hello, this is my first post so please be gentle........

I have just bought the Academy M3 Grant, which will be my 2nd build as i am just completing a Tamiya Cromwell.

I have read about the variuos 'problems' with the kit so that i would try my hand at upgrading it. However, i read that the Formations kit would be a good starting point but it is not listed on their web site any more. Has it been discontinued?

If so do i have any other options?

Cheers

Nev

If you email rob, he can probably do a couple more.

Neville,
Are you referring to the replacement boggies to correct the height? Academy fixed the problem with subsequent releases. Are you building the Lee or the Grant? The biggest problem I had with the Lee was the rear plate - I had to shim it to fix a small gap all the way around.
Legends made a nice set that fixed the dimensional innaccuracies of the Academy kit also, but its pricey.....

Chris

Ah - right i shall try that then.

I am building a Grant as used by RWY, i want to build a tank from each Squadron (Crusader + Sherman) eventually including one named after the village i was born in :-)

Nev

I shall have another look at the Legends web site then.

Hi nev,

If you have a recent release then the boggeis should be the correct ones.

I did a build article on the M3 Grant here:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/2289

Might help.

Al

Might help? I suspect it will!

Where did you get your refrence from? I have Platts history of the regiment and our local libary has the Pitt book which i understand is more detailed but i am not sure about images. All the other photos i have seen - B Squadron TA centre - are from after El Alamien during the training phase in Syria.

Cheers

Nev

The Lee that I am working on did NOT have the updated bogies. Tasca makes a set, and you can get some donors from the M7 priest kit as well.

Good luck...

Hi Nev,

Most of my reference pictuers come form IWM Collection, Internal pics form guys on site, general date from the Squadron/Signal Publication and two Walk arounds I had photographed one at IWM London and the other at Bovington. War Diaries etc.

Here's a more recent one by Darren Baker of the Bovington example:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/3064

'Monty' form IWM London will be on line soon and the links for other data are I believe in the build thread.

Have fun I really enjoyed the kit.

Al

Al,

Cheers for the info its given my lots to think about! I have a bit of research to do so best get cracking.

A few years ago i spent some time talking to an ex-member of B Squadron RWY who was an operator or loader and his tank was knocked out in the second action with 5 penetrating shots through the front in very quick sucession before he managed to get out! I wish i had asked him more questions at the time which would help with modelling but i was more interested in how he got out and away (which is another story).

Nev

It depends on which version you have, the corrected bogies are in the later releases and apart from them the only real issue is the 37mm mantlet where the gun centreline is offset from the trunnions. It should be in the same plane. It is easily fixed by cutting it off the rotor and reaffixing it so they line up.
THe corrected bogies are approx 12mm high and the original incorrect ones 15mm (Part E 1).
This kit got a lot of bad press when first released and most of it was unfounded (and in one case correct - well done Terry). It was widely critisced for dimensionaland angle errors however these claims are wrong and it is fine against the ordnance drawings. Many people claimed the rivet positions were wrong because there is a supposed missing rivet on Part F 8 (Hull Right) in line with the hatch top. SOme manufacturers had this missing rivet as a check of real vehicles will reveal. In fact by checking 5 real vehicles I was surprised by the differences in Rivetting between them.
The Turret is very soft on detail and needs a softening of the edges (a simple sanding rounds them out well. it also needs a bit of texture and note the real castings are quite rough on the examples we have here. One even has what looks like a sprue attachment point (mould plug?) on the rear face.
The turret height was soundly critisced by reviewers and has also proved to be false when checked against plans (Real WW2 official ones and not post war book ones).
Formations do offer some detail parts but this is a sound kit and will build up well. Most of its supposed horrendous faults identified by the early reviewers have proven false when actual measurements have been taken. It isn't the latest DML or Tasca Standard but a great kit can be made from it.
Regards
Al