Is this for the Tamiya or Acedamy kit?

Sol Model has a new conversion for the M3A5 Grant, which comes with the whole upper hull and turret.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

What about this this one, Gerald?

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Sol Model has a new conversion for the M3A5 Grant, which comes with the whole upper hull and turret.

Read the Full News Story

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

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I am puzzled by this one. All of the M3A5 tanks I have seen used the US pattern "Lee" turret with the large stowage boxes on the hull rear (though all later model M3 Medium tanks were identified as Grants by the British, despite having the US type turret shell--they were only interested in identifying the engine type for supply purposes).

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Sol Model has a new conversion for the M3A5 Grant, which comes with the whole upper hull and turret.

Read the Full News Story

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

---

I am puzzled by this one. All of the M3A5 tanks I have seen used the US pattern "Lee" turret with the large stowage boxes on the hull rear (though all later model M3 Medium tanks were identified as Grants by the British, despite having the US type turret shell--they were only interested in identifying the engine type for supply purposes).

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AGREE- The same info is contained in a book that I own, "Pictorial History of TANKS OF THE WORLD 1915-45", by Peter Chamberlain & Chris Ellis, which I don't even think is in print anymore. In this book, in the section dealing with United States Tanks, on page 174, Photo #46 clearly shows the Rear Deck of a Standard M3, with the single Engine Vent Screen on the Rear Engine Deck, which was used with the Wright-Continental R-975 Radial Engine, (gasoline/petrol); on the next page, (175), photo #55 clearly depicts the M3A5, with the "standard" M3 Lee Turret, and the "double" Engine Vent Screens which were used with the twin General Motors 6-71 Diesel Engines. M3A1 & M3A2 Lees were equipped with the Guiberson Diesel Engines, due to shortages of the R-975 gasoline/petrol Radials... (R-975 radials were used in numerous American WWII-era aircraft; building aircraft and ships were the #1 priorities, at the time...)

The SOL Upper Hull Conversion is definitely NOT the correct Upper Hull to be used for your plain "vanilla" M3, (R-975), whether you want to use it with the old TAMIYA "DOG", or the vastly superior, but still incorrect in a few ways, ACADEMY M3 Lee/Grant kits... Some of you will no doubt contest my opinions of the ACADEMY M3s, but I really don't give a flying leap through a rolling doughnut- Those ACADEMY M3s are not quite what the doctor ordered. There ARE some issues with those kits, notably their US-style Turrets and the British-style Turrets as well.

The M3-series Medium tanks were manufactured at three different plants; the Rock Island Arsenal, the Detroit Tank Arsenal, and at the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), in Schenectady, New York; all three arsenals produced Turrets which varied in details and shapes, although these differences would not have been apparent to the casual observer...

The British-style Turret was a different entity altogether, and it was manufactured in the US, to British specs...

Hope the above has helped, even if it's just a little...

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Sol Model has a new conversion for the M3A5 Grant, which comes with the whole upper hull and turret.

Read the Full News Story

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

---

I am puzzled by this one. All of the M3A5 tanks I have seen used the US pattern "Lee" turret with the large stowage boxes on the hull rear (though all later model M3 Medium tanks were identified as Grants by the British, despite having the US type turret shell--they were only interested in identifying the engine type for supply purposes).

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AGREE- The same info is contained in a book that I own, "Pictorial History of TANKS OF THE WORLD 1915-45", by Peter Chamberlain & Chris Ellis, which I don't even think is in print anymore. In this book, in the section dealing with United States Tanks, on page 174, Photo #46 clearly shows the Rear Deck of a Standard M3, with the single Engine Vent Screen on the Rear Engine Deck, which was used with the Wright-Continental R-975 Radial Engine, (gasoline/petrol); on the next page, (175), photo #55 clearly depicts the M3A5, with the "standard" M3 Lee Turret, and the "double" Engine Vent Screens which were used with the twin General Motors 6-71 Diesel Engines. M3A1 & M3A2 Lees were equipped with the Guiberson Diesel Engines, due to shortages of the R-975 gasoline/petrol Radials... (R-975 radials were used in numerous American WWII-era aircraft; building aircraft and ships were the #1 priorities, at the time...)

The SOL Upper Hull Conversion is definitely NOT the correct Upper Hull to be used for your plain "vanilla" M3, (R-975), whether you want to use it with the old TAMIYA "DOG", or the vastly superior, but still incorrect in a few ways, ACADEMY M3 Lee/Grant kits... Some of you will no doubt contest my opinions of the ACADEMY M3s, but I really don't give a flying leap through a rolling doughnut- Those ACADEMY M3s are not quite what the doctor ordered. There ARE some issues with those kits, notably their US-style Turrets and the British-style Turrets as well.

The M3-series Medium tanks were manufactured at three different plants; the Rock Island Arsenal, the Detroit Tank Arsenal, and at the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), in Schenectady, New York; all three arsenals produced Turrets which varied in details and shapes, although these differences would not have been apparent to the casual observer...

The British-style Turret was a different entity altogether, and it was manufactured in the US, to British specs...

Hope the above has helped, even if it's just a little...

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That's because it is a Grant Mark II as is currently displayed at the IWM. I explained all this already.

It's in the Polish M3 Lee/Grant book as well as records of tanks sent to North Africa.

For a long time it was assumed that Grant Mark II were diesel Lees when in fact they were diesel M3 with the Grant turret as the vehicle at the IWM. The only difference between a Grant and a Lee was the turret, radio installation, rear storage boxes and driver's periscope. All things easily done after the tank was finished at the factory.

Using the Tamiya Grant [with Tasca's initial suspension set] would be a better base. Not much of a point getting the Academy kit when this conversion replaces 70% of all the detail.

I am puzzled by this one. All of the M3A5 tanks I have seen used the US pattern "Lee" turret with the large stowage boxes on the hull rear . . .

By the way over in another thread about M3 Lee in the ETO, Frenchy put up pictures of the Grant command tank used in Italy by the 6th.South African division.

There is a clear rear view with the long hull rear plate and exhaust deflector of a diesel engine M3. It is a Grant Mark II. What's more it had late heavy duty bogies retro fitted.

So you could use the spare M4 suspension in the Academy kit rather than the M3 suspension.

Add a Dozer and Grenade nets to this and you would have one of the (Only) three Australian Grant II's to serve in Action during the Invasion of the Dutch East Indies in 45 alongside Matildas. A lot of these were in use by the Australians during WW2 but only three M3 mediums ever saw action with them.
Al