M3 moulds

[tankme]

It is a definitely a tank only a mother could love. I do like less mainstream tanks...well and Russian tanks... Imcq11's rendition of the tank was great. Don't remember the competition that month so I'm not sure why it lost. I think interest in the tank has been low due to the inaccuracies in all the kits available and the amount of work needed to make it accurate. There is the fact it isn't German also, but I personally don't have any German tanks at the moment except my 1/6th scale home made Sturmtiger. JMHO.

[Exhibitedbrute]

at the moment for the idlers the best option is to use the road wheel as I have on my a1 but we will see what I come up with

[jarndice]

Hi Sgt. Brute: I like the chunky-clunky look of the M3. It reminds me of the phrase (from where ), "a cranky ol' Yank in his clanky ol' tank"). I have three of Andrew Haya's M3 conversions, two Grants and one Lee.

*The missing top turret on the Lee is a disappointment and Imcq11's M3 rectifies the problem (as well as makin' a great model)! If you make the Lee available, I wonder if there would be a way for someone wanting to build the model to get a 3D printed upper turret.
*Of course, Kaczor is right about the need for "proper early bogies" (there were some late ones and Aussie ones with the later, Sherman type offset return roller), and Imcq11's model fixes that, too, double-bubble evidence of his work). Again, a readily-available 3D kit would help and could be applied to some early Shermans.
*Another problem with the conversion seems to be the main gun elevation: there just isn't enough room for it, so it lifts the upper hull a tad.

I do not mean to criticize Andrew Haya at all. His folks did more with the M3 than I have managed (so far). And remember, I bought one and came back for two more.

SGT BRUTE ? I think you mean Sgt Major Brute.

[Exhibitedbrute]

Warrant officer 2nd class now. What ever that is

[jarndice]

Warrant officer 2nd class now. What ever that is

Which means because this is a UK based Forum you should be addressed as Sgt Major or Sir

[tankme]

Warrant Officers in the US can also be addressed as Mr./Ms. instead of sir/ma'am. Equivalent to US ranks would probably Chief Warrant Officer 02 (CW02). Warrant Officers are experts in their field or generally helo pilots. My father retired as a CW03. Typically a Warrant Officer is promoted from the enlisted ranks...hence the warrant part of the rank. My father went from being a Staff Sergeant in the US Army to being a Warrant Officer when his application was approved. They are "working" officers... We had a CW04 in charge of our electronics maintenance shop in the Korean field station. When he came out of his office he would look at the stuff we were troubleshooting. He'd grab the oscilloscope probe, spin the dials on the signal generator, take a quick look at the electronics schematic, and point to the bad component on the board. He was always right...

[Exhibitedbrute]

Sounds complicated

[tankme]

I looked up the UK Warrant Officer and I think it's different than in the US. UK says it's the highest level of the enlisted ranks, but in the US Army Warrants are given the same benefits of officers. It does seem complicated...

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Well that was one heckuva fast promotion, downright Brutal. A few days ago, you were Sergeant and suddenly you're Warrant Officer? Now what warranted that sudden change, apart from windiness? My limited knowledge says that Tankme is correct: "Warrant Officers are experts in their field or generally helo pilots": a (now retired) airline pilot I know went in as a helicopter pilot for a short time during the US invasion of Iran. He was a warrant officer for the term of his service. Now she (yep) is a Medevac pilot, as she was unable to sit still after retirement and had to continue flying and helping people.

[971wright]

Hi there is also a missing crew door on the right side, just a vision port no door, which is a must if you want to do a lulubelle .

regards pete