Which of these releases would be appropiate for a scene based on the movie Sahara if any ?

Would love to match it with that Masterbox set.

They had a Lee in both of the movies.

Loved that movie with Bogart and it was a Lee M3A1 model.

Ah, no.



M3.

KL

Thanks everyone

The Belushi version was okay too,not Bogie,but okay.

In the Bogart Version, there is an M3A1in a background shot. But both Lulubelles were M3s

From all the images released so far the first Takom Lee kit will not be the right variant for Lulubelle.

The first Takom M3 Lee kit is an early version. The M3 "air-cooled medium " in the movie (as MSG Gunn puts it) is a middle production. It has the armored aircleaners, rear hull extension, storage boxes typical of an M3 in 1942 not the initial version sent to Russia that Takom has shown in all its adverts. Takom will probably be doing the later versions down the road, maybe even one of the Pacific Burma Lee as featured in the Jim Belushi version of the movie as filmed in Australia.

The tank used in the film was W-304512, SN 442, built in November 1941, the fifth month of production, so it's pretty early. However, terms like "early" and "late" aren't very good descriptors of American WW II tanks where the entire production run may have lasted barely more than a year and multiple factories were working in parallel to build the same vehicle. For example, with Shermans, BLW was making small hatch, direct vision, M4s the same month that Chrysler was finishing up their run of large hatch, composite hull M4s with high bustle, loader's hatch turrets.

On the M3, the extended side plates with triangular gussets were added quite early, for example on SN 217 made in October 1941. (These plates may not have been armor but protection for the air cleaners from damage when the tracks were thrown.) Truly armored air cleaners were seen on the last M3s made by Chrysler



but it is not known when this feature was added.

Stowage boxes were a later addition though (perhaps January 42), and would be needed to make the film tank.

The Russians received M3s from the entire production run. (I have references showing them receiving both SN 229 and 4327.)

BTW, the tank Takom used on their box art was real:

https://goo.gl/photos/mR3hNCGPLdUAU9WJ7

KL