Looking for more stuff to add to my "Battle of Bulge" and want to get a US Recon type of feel for a possible diorama. Thinking of the M20 Armored Car or M8 Greyhound. Thoughts on which would work best or better selection? Also I've only had a glimpse at the Tamiya and Italeri M20 kits. So which would you choose to work with or is there a better choice out there? Appreciate the help,

Blade48mrd

Hi there.. here is some info for you.. from "Squadron's U.S. Armored Cars in Action". a good basic resource on these.

this is just part of the section about Europe.

"By the time the Alies hit the beaches in Normandy the M8 had become the primary vehicle of the Reconnaissance platoons armored car sections."

and so forth and then...

"The M20 was used in a utility role by the recon units and headquarter sections. "

From the gist of my reading in this book M8's were used to probe and find weakness's in german lines. and when they found something too big for them their high speed was used to disengage.

From my understanding of the kits Tamiya v/s Italeri the Tamiya ones are generally better molded

Tamiya M8 review by cookie seawell

Italeri M8 review by cookie seawell


I personally have both Tamiya kits 1 of the M8 and one M20. I have done the M8 and had no reall problems at all. the only grip I had was I left the drivers compartmant open and the inside walls of the area were basicly bare so I added the equipment racks and equipment inside there.

the only other thing I can add is be carefull glueing on the wheels of 6 wheeled vehicles as it can be easy to get a wheel that sits on "air"

The M20 kits of both companies are built on the same basic model of the M8 with the turrent spruce exchaned for the new one for to build an M20

The Tamiya M8/M20 is a better kit than the Italeri M8/M20. This does not mean that the Italeri kit is bad, just that the Tamiya kit is nicer.

Just another case of two competing companies putting out the exact same kit at the same time.

Italeri kits tend to be half as much as the Tamiya kits though.

Hi Blade,

I also have an old FSM magazine here about the Tamiya M8. It's a very good kit.

I think it would be better to have that in your Battle of the Buldge dio.

Angela

Few years ago i made M8 from italeri and i'm think it's ok. in addition in italeri kit you have bags, backpacks etc. and in tamiya you don't.

Delbert, Sabot, Angela, & WARLORD
Thanks all for the feedback. Looks like I need to expand my US WW II references and I'll probably go with the Tamiya kit. As always, the help is great and so quick it makes it easy to head off on a lunchtime run to Hobby shop the very next day! Thanks again,

Blade48mrd