Modelling the M3/M5 Stuart Light Tank (Paperback)

~ Steven Zaloga (Author), Steven J. Zaloga (Author) "The first 1/35-scale plastic kit of the M3 Stuart was the Tamiya M3 that appeared 30 years ago in 1974..." (more)
Key Phrases: howitzer motor carriage, epoxy putty, stowage bin, World War, Armored Division, Dremel Mini-Mite (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lots of excellent information, techniques, tips, construction methods, and of course, as we all expect from Osprey, top notch photography throughout the entire publication…A perfect addition to your home library." -Mark R. Smith, Armorama (December 2004)

"In his latest book Steven Zaloga shows how to accurately model the Tamiya kit, along with offering from Academy and AFV Club." -Rodger Cole, Armorama (January 2004)

'Lots of excellent information, techniques, tips, construction methods, and, as we expect from Osprey, top notch photography throughout' -- Mark Smith (Armorama)

'this reference book really is a must and at a reasonable price . . . it has inspired me. Highly recommended!’ -- Dus Adele (Military Modelcraft International)

Product Description

The M3 and M5 Stuart were the most significant light tanks of the US Army, as well as many other allied armies, during World War II. They have proved to be popular modelling subjects ever since, largely due to the large number of kits available in many different scales covering a broad selection of the different variants used. The Stuarts were also painted in a wide range of colourful camouflage schemes, reflecting their widespread service, and this adds to their appeal. This title shows a number of different ways to model this popular tank in 1/35 scale, covering construction, painting and weathering the vehicle.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767638
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767635
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #937,134 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We Could Use More of Zaloga's How-to books, July 13, 2004

By	BF Halloran (Owings, MD) - See all my reviews

Steve Zaloga focuses on 1/35 scale Stuart models beginning with the Tamiya kit introduced in 1974 and brings us up-to-date with the AFV Club M3A3 kit of 2003. After some preliminary advice, like don't buy Model Kasten after-market tracks unless you're a glutton for extra work, Zakoga builds the AFV M3A3 pretty much out-of-the-box, because the box contains so very much. He then moves on to more difficult projects: cross-kitting the Tamiya M3 with the Academy M3A1, resulting in a beaufiful Soviet M3A1. Zaloga then goes on to show how to correct the dimensional problems of the Tamiya M5A1. There's a section called "Other Stuart Modeling Projects" and includes modeling a British Honey from an early Tamiya kit; an exercise no longer necessary thanks to Academy; the Academy kit becomes an earlier M3; an old Tamiya becomes an M3A1; an Italeri PaK 40 75-mm finds itself inside an M3A1 to become a Yugoslav tank-killer. The last project, the most extensive use of resin after-market parts, is an M8 75-mm howitzer motor gun carriage. Step by step photos are shown throughout this little gem, although it would seem they were shot with insufficient maga-pixels for the sharpest color ever. Yes, there are plenty of hints, brand-name identification of after-market parts and, finally, a process color rendering of color chips for the paints used. If nothing else, Zaloga's modeling is splendid in color, and there's lots of that here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, January 22, 2004

By A Customer

This is the first AFV book in the new modelling series by Osprey, and is probably the best one so far. After being fairly dissapointed with the Harrier and Phantom books, Zaloga's quality builds, photos, and research comes through to save the series from another strike-out.

The good: research, in progress steps well documented, a number of differnt stuarts all in the same book. A complete package for the same price as what you could pay for a single issue of a high-end model magazine

The fair: some photos appear washed out, others are too dark or too small.

The poor: 20 of the 80 pages are re-hashed models and articles that he has written for Military Modelling. If you already have those magazines, then this book could be a bit of a let down. I didn't, so I appreciate having all the Stuart info in one volume.

Osprey would do well to get rid of a lot of the repetative text such as "I did this, then I did this, then I did this" which is inevitable in this type of book, and instead use the space to do some full page and half page photos of the work. In this case, pictures really do speak a thousand words. Overall 4/5 stars, very good value.