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Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 10:25 am
by BlackSheep214
I just love the lines of Stuart tank. I really enjoyed building my Stuart Honey tank.

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 10:44 am
by Stikpusher
I love the lines of the M3 Stuart’s too! And the M3 Lee & Grant tanks. Not the best tanks on the battlefield in that era, but good enough for the moment until better ones came along. I’m looking forward to building the Honey myself one day. But in researching this one, I found that lots of changes will need to be made on the interior. Academy gave both kits the M3A1 interior, and not the earlier M3 type. But that’s where the fun comes in… ;)

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 10:49 am
by speedgraflex
Yes, truly! I’d like to know about the white you sprayed earlier as an interior base color. Was that a flat primer? It looks like it has tooth. Was the kit itself textured inside or does the paint have texture or thickness?

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 12:14 pm
by Stikpusher
AK 3rd Gen White Primer… a lesson learned long ago… best white top coat is over a a good white base coat/primer.

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 4:30 pm
by speedgraflex
Thanks!

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 5:20 am
by Stuart
Stikpusher wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2026 10:23 am
speedgraflex wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2026 11:09 pm Love that movie!
The remake with Jim Belushi was not bad either… mind you that Belushi is no Bogie, but it was decently done. And I kinda like their twist on the ending.
Okay, so the Jim Belushi one was a remake? I didn't know that - I own a copy of that film and love it. I'll have to go out and find the original.

Great looking progress on the Stuart Carlos - I really must make an M2 one day for obvious reasons. I quite fancy getting the Airfix Honey kit, which I think is a rebox of this kit.

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 11:02 am
by Stikpusher
Yes, the Airfix kit is a rebox of the Academy Honey kit. It’s not a bad kit by any means, especially on the exterior. They just compromised when it came time to do the interior. If you build it buttoned up, that’s not a problem at all. After building this one though, I want to have a go at Academy’s Lee and Grant kits with interiors… I do love the North African campaign for subjects.

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 11:12 am
by Stuart
Stikpusher wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2026 11:02 am I want to have a go at Academy’s Lee and Grant kits with interiors… I do love the North African campaign for subjects.
Same. I want to get back to the Ambulance, A10 Cruiser and the Crusader I started last year, and I have a few more North African subjects in the stash too. Matilda, Valentine, LRDG Trucks and SAS Jeeps. I also have stack of books on the subject I want to read through - well that was the plan for this year anyway but as usual I've been a bit sidetracked.

I'd love the get a British Grant, and the Honey (and a British Sherman as well). I've been reading a fair bit over the past few months on the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry in the desert - they loved their M2, M3's and M4's.

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 3:10 pm
by Stikpusher
Never enough time in the day for all the projects I want to build. I have a couple of Dragon Shermans earmarked for my 1/35 8th Army… a Sherman II and a Sherman III, both early types…. plus a Bishop SPG…. and a Crusader I… and a Matilda… and… :giggles:

Not to mention my US and DAK stuff… :whistle:

Re: Academy M3A1 WIP

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2026 6:07 pm
by Stuart
lol! I know what you mean - the list goes ever on! :whiteflag: