_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
Hosted by Darren Baker
No new M3 Halftrack kit?
jimbrae
Visit this Community
Provincia de Lugo, Spain / España
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 07:11 PM UTC

Quoted Text

but it is not and the Academy parts are exactly the same shape and size as the Tamiya masters


Having just laid out the parts side by side I now have to completely concur - Ack! I always gave Academy credit where obviously no credit was due. Perhaps now is the time to stop the euphemism 'pantographed' and use the correct word - copied!

The idea of Italeri kitting out the M3/M3 has a considerable amount of merit - taking into consideration their recent releases. The only problem I could envisage ith this would be the delay between new variants. Trumpeter, after looking at the quality of their recent releases, would also be an excellent candidate although the finesse required for an M3 H/T would be considerably more than that required in the KV series - not perhap's Trumps strongest suit?...Jim
Savage
Visit this Community
England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
Joined: June 04, 2003
KitMaker: 1,405 posts
Armorama: 656 posts
Posted: Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 11:50 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Dragons M4A1 was re-released yes. Not sure on the tankers.


DML US Tank Crew was re-released as well.


Yes, both were re-released, and IIRC in the first quarter of this year, after the release of Dragon’s New- Hornisse (DN6165) & Nashorn (DN6166). As well as after their Brummbar late version.

This adds to my point, I can still get hold of the three German vehicles mentioned above, but the availability of the M4A1 early and Allied crew makes rocking horse dung an everyday occurrence.



yagdpanzer
Visit this Community
Ohio, United States
Joined: August 21, 2002
KitMaker: 415 posts
Armorama: 231 posts
Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:41 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

but it is not and the Academy parts are exactly the same shape and size as the Tamiya masters


Having just laid out the parts side by side I now have to completely concur - Ack! I always gave Academy credit where obviously no credit was due. Perhaps now is the time to stop the euphemism 'pantographed' and use the correct word - copied!

The idea of Italeri kitting out the M3/M3 has a considerable amount of merit - taking into consideration their recent releases. The only problem I could envisage ith this would be the delay between new variants. Trumpeter, after looking at the quality of their recent releases, would also be an excellent candidate although the finesse required for an M3 H/T would be considerably more than that required in the KV series - not perhap's Trumps strongest suit?...Jim


I don't think Academy exactly copied he Tamiya M3 kit as the road wheels in the Tamiya kit are better than the roadwheels in the Academy kit!
oldbean
Visit this Community
Virginia, United States
Joined: July 05, 2004
KitMaker: 769 posts
Armorama: 461 posts
Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:46 AM UTC
One thing to keep in mind. If Dragon decides to put out an M2/3, are they going to make us wait for a year, teasing us with "new features" like they did the Late Tiger I? :-)
jimbrae
Visit this Community
Provincia de Lugo, Spain / España
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 - 12:54 AM UTC

Quoted Text

One thing to keep in mind. If Dragon decides to put out an M2/3, are they going to make us wait for a year, teasing us with "new features" like they did the Late Tiger I?


Firstly, and let's just keep this in perspective please, NO-ONE, not here in the news section nor on any other site has confirmed an M2/M3 from DML. This is pure speculation .

Secondly, news of the late Tiger 1 has only been around for around 5-6 months. We weren't kept waiting for a 'year'. Many more previously announced kits are in the shops now. As they say, patience is a virtue...Jim
tankmodeler
#417
Visit this Community
Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 01, 2004
KitMaker: 3,123 posts
Armorama: 2,539 posts
Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 - 05:50 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Secondly, news of the late Tiger 1 has only been around for around 5-6 months. We weren't kept waiting for a 'year'. Many more previously announced kits are in the shops now. As they say, patience is a virtue...Jim


Frankly, as long as the bloody thing gets made correctly by someone, or anyone, I don't care how lojng it takes. The Tamiy M3 has been out for almost 30 years. If a new one shows up in less than that, I'll die happier.

Paul
tankmodeler
#417
Visit this Community
Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 01, 2004
KitMaker: 3,123 posts
Armorama: 2,539 posts
Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 - 05:57 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Perhaps now is the time to stop the euphemism 'pantographed' and use the correct word - copied!

I don't think Academy exactly copied he Tamiya M3 kit as the road wheels in the Tamiya kit are better than the roadwheels in the Academy kit!

Ah, but, you see, that's why I use the correctly descriptive word pantographed. A pantograph is a copy made by mechanically tracing the outline of a part using a pointer that has a minimum size and using that trace to produce the machining paths for the cutting tools. because the tracing tool size is a physical limit on the accuracy of the copy, it is less exact than the original tooling and, thus, you get copies with less fidelity than the original. If they were exact copies, I woldn't be buying up old Tamiya M3 Stuarts... :-)

If you understand the term pantograph, then you immediately understand that not only did they take the cheap way out by copying someone else's work, but they chose a method that built in additional inaccuracies all its own. Copying is ethically BAD. Pantographing is ethically bad and shows you are a cheap bugger as well. Rather a double epithet, all in all.

Paul
TacFireGuru
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: December 25, 2004
KitMaker: 3,770 posts
Armorama: 2,263 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 03:36 AM UTC
I'm like Dave, I'd get really excited about a resin kit....and think of all the other goodies they'd make (or could make) to go along with the kits!

I spent a fair amount of time on eBay buying Tamiya's M16, M21, and M3 kits for a future large scale dio. I'll combine the 21 and 3 to get a "more accurate" HT. That is, until a company decides to produce a new one.

We can only hope!

Mike
Lucky
Visit this Community
Wisconsin, United States
Joined: July 19, 2005
KitMaker: 102 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 06:09 AM UTC
I'm mostly a German modeller myself, but I wouldn't mind some new M3 halftracks. I would think that Dragon (if they decided to do one) could do a good job with the 3 in 1 concept, but that AFV club could make a real winner. Remember when the new 251s came out and all the issues with the Dragon kits that they continued to correct in later releases? Personally, I find the Dragon kits nice, but the AFV club ones are great. So I would assume that if DML ever did a M3, AFV would too as these two seem to copy each other with almost everything. But just imagine that if Dragon did a series of halftracks up to the quality of the new Tigers, Allied modellers would be in heaven I'm sure.
ProfessorF8
Visit this Community
New Jersey, United States
Joined: September 01, 2004
KitMaker: 86 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 06:51 AM UTC
As I think on it, an M2/3 series would potentially be lucrative, beyond the many US variants. These were exported to many countries, and while I don't know how much money a company would make on boxing a French halftrack in Indochina (I'd build one), for example, I think they'd clean up nicely with the Israelis. We see Israeli armor models on the web frequently, so a manufacturer could really go to town on the half track just as Academy has with the M113.
 _GOTOTOP