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M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:27 am
by FoolProofMike12
I made the M31 ARV based on my M3 Lee and i made the M3 Grant ARV.

The family of 1/16 tanks designed by me expand with the announcement of 3 M3 tank:
-M3 Lee with the longer 75mm
-M3 Grant ARV
-M31 ARV

M31 ARV

few links to learn about this variant of the M3
http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/trvm31/trvm31.html
http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minu ... 1_trv.html

The image below is the version that a made
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M ... ee_ARV.png
This one will be the final tank
https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery ... -m31-1945/

I already printed the tank , the immage below are from Fusion360,the essential features are the Winch i bought one from Amazon and the Crane.

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M3 lee

Both the 75mm and the 37mm have complete cannon movement .
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M3 Grant ARV or Grant ARV Mk1

I read about this prototype a converted Grant with modification and adding some stowages and a winch they made the Grant ARV Mk1.

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Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:58 am
by Ecam
Just curious, is the lower printed or a was a prebuilt lower used? Do your bogies have working springs?

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 8:42 am
by FoolProofMike12
Ecam wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2025 12:58 am Just curious, is the lower printed or a was a prebuilt lower used? Do your bogies have working springs?
All printed,the bogies use springs

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 2:34 pm
by Ecam
Oops! I missed your reply (usually I try to respond sooner than 17 days).

The work on your M3 Lee and the M3 Grant ARV is fabulous! I have several projects that would use the M3 bogies. I modified an HL bogie to the early but couldn't figure out the springs. I saw a thread here using the Mato metal bogies that had the actual sliding shoes on the suspension arms. But when I ordered a set they were metal versions of the HL except the mountings were Mato style (different than the set I saw on the forum).

Anyway, terrific work on you bogies and tanks! Look forward to more of your work.

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 4:00 am
by Herr Dr. Professor
Ah, the M3 Lee and Grant were such ugly, overly tall, clumsily gunned stop-gap U.S. tanks. So me? Yep, I love 'em! What great work you have accomplished. Bravo!

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 8:59 pm
by FoolProofMike12
Ecam wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2025 2:34 pm Oops! I missed your reply (usually I try to respond sooner than 17 days).

The work on your M3 Lee and the M3 Grant ARV is fabulous! I have several projects that would use the M3 bogies. I modified an HL bogie to the early but couldn't figure out the springs. I saw a thread here using the Mato metal bogies that had the actual sliding shoes on the suspension arms. But when I ordered a set they were metal versions of the HL except the mountings were Mato style (different than the set I saw on the forum).

Anyway, terrific work on you bogies and tanks! Look forward to more of your work.
I paint it and tested the eletronics (I burned a servomotor for the turret rotation :headbang: ,but that's not a big problem ,I'll use the crane only on 2 fixed positions)
Behind the M31 there is the spoiler for the M6a1 thread

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Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 9:18 pm
by Ecam
I bought the Tankograd #6026 book for the tank recovery vehicles (after building my M32). Unfortunately very little text and a single picture of the M31/T2 ARV. I've accumulated a decent picture file on the M31. My M32 used only barrel lift (to run the winch) and has an unused turret rotation channel. On the M31 I think I would need three (besides track drives) for turret swing, boom elevation and winch. I guess the turret rotation or boom elevation could be manual. Or get creative and rig up one channel to switch between three functions/switches for the other channel to power one at a time.

What are you planning to be powered and how? Love the M6A1 in the back ground of the last picture (another favorite).

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2025 7:10 pm
by FoolProofMike12
Ecam wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2025 9:18 pm I bought the Tankograd #6026 book for the tank recovery vehicles (after building my M32). Unfortunately very little text and a single picture of the M31/T2 ARV. I've accumulated a decent picture file on the M31. My M32 used only barrel lift (to run the winch) and has an unused turret rotation channel. On the M31 I think I would need three (besides track drives) for turret swing, boom elevation and winch. I guess the turret rotation or boom elevation could be manual. Or get creative and rig up one channel to switch between three functions/switches for the other channel to power one at a time.

What are you planning to be powered and how? Love the M6A1 in the back ground of the last picture (another favorite).
For the winch I bought one ,it has an external power ,his control unit and a simple remote (it used for 1/10 Rc crawlers, here’s the link https://amzn.eu/d/iYGF9Rl ) and to control the tank I’m using an Heng long 7.0.
I managed to insert 2 batteries inside the m31.

The real m31 for the boom elevation is manually cranked

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2025 9:31 pm
by Ecam
FoolProofMike12 wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2025 7:10 pm The real m31 for the boom elevation is manually cranked
I kind of figured that and assumed the turret was manually turned as the boom was significantly heavier than the 37mm.

Keep up the great work, I am tuned in and following!

Re: M31 ARV 1/16 and M3 family

Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:05 am
by FoolProofMike12
The M31 is almost finished ,it need only the last layer of matt varnish and re-assembly of the tracks

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and I add the photos of his other 2 brothers

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