M3 Lee APC - Reporting name, General AP Hill

[buzzbomb]

Been a bit slack with Whiff builds for the last year or so. But with the current pestilence and plague, the mojo has returned. So time to contribute again.

Being quite useless at backstories.. here we go.
Once the M3 Tank, called the General Lee or Grant (depending on fitout) by the British, was withdrawn as a gun tank, many of the chassis sat idle. One officer noting how large the superstructure was, both the blessing and the curse.. carrying the 75mm gun but not in a rotating turret, plus the 6-7 man crew, may make a viable Armoured Personnel Carrier for the forth coming Sicily and Italy operations.
To that end an example was selected to have the superstructure modified with large hatch/doors, cable controlled to ease opening that could carry 8 fully equipped infantry, 10 if "youse was cozy"
Removal of the gun allowed the M3 Commander Auxillary Turret fitted to the General Lee version, complete with .30 cal MG to be fitted in the space. It was tiny but still functional and did not require any additional design resources. Others just had an open ring the same as the M7 Priest. But at least this conversion provided overhead armoured protection.

Later still this small turret was planned to have a better, more efficient turret, mounting a M2 .50cal, but that never eventuated when these early APC units were withdrawn from service as their lifting capacity was not deemed sufficient.

Academy M3 Lee. Nice enough kit as it is. Enough detail for this build, but still with the slightly incorrect running gear, which again, in this context does not matter.


hack, hack, cut. The basis of the self loading/unloading cargo compartment.


Crude "will they fit" test


Ok, this is pretty much all the major construction work and plastic cards bits





Tried to keep it as modular as possible to minimize the post interior paint construction fiddliness.
This was a second hand kit so of course two of the hatches are missing for the Aux Turret and the tracks !

Some more detail bits to go on then paint shop
More to follow

[NARSES2]

I like this idea, indeed you wonder why no one thought of it at the time. Was it slightly too advanced in thinking ? I can see them operating in Burma as well as Southern Italy.

[Rheged]

I like this, both the idea and the model of it!

[PR19_Kit]

Very ingenious, and nicely modelled as well.

My late Uncle was a Major in charge of a bunch of M3s in Burma doing the 2nd Unpleasantness and he reckoned they were the business out there.

[Dizzyfugu]

Very nice concept, looking very good! 

[zenrat]

Promising.

I still want to build an orange M3 with 01 on the sides.

[PR19_Kit]

I still want to build an orange M3 with 01 on the sides.

And a Confederate Flag on the turret top of course? 

What about the flying buttresses alongside the back window? Oh, it doesn't HAVE a back window, sorry. 

[scooter]

Crude "will they fit" test

Reminds me of 4 weeks I spent at Ft Dix, back in 92, as part of my Security Police training, squeezing into cattle cars.

[Weaver]

Nice idea!

Those doors are remarkably generous: if this was a Russian job, they'd have got the original side doors plus two roof hatches about the size of a LP sleeve: See the BTR-50/60/70 for examples. The Russians thought the Czechs were awfully indulgent when they put side doors about 3ft square in the sides of their version of the BTR-50.

[Weaver]

I like this idea, indeed you wonder why no one thought of it at the time. Was it slightly too advanced in thinking ? I can see them operating in Burma as well as Southern Italy.

They did it with M7 Priest hulls to an extent, although only when they'd got enough SPGs to go around:

[NARSES2]

They did it with M7 Priest hulls to an extent, although only when they'd got enough SPGs to go around:

I knew about these (were they Kangaroo's, or was that just the turret-less Sherman ? ), it's just this is a little more of a professionl job and some though has gone into it.

[NARSES2]

My late Uncle was a Major in charge of a bunch of M3s in Burma doing the 2nd Unpleasantness and he reckoned they were the business out there.

Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) Kit ? They were the ones that you always see in photos of the theatre although some Indian cavalry regiments had them as well.

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff. That looks like a fun build.

[PR19_Kit]

My late Uncle was a Major in charge of a bunch of M3s in Burma doing the 2nd Unpleasantness and he reckoned they were the business out there.

Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) Kit ? They were the ones that you always see in photos of the theatre although some Indian cavalry regiments had them as well.

Indeed so Chris, Uncle Ian was in the 3rd Carabiners, and took part in the Imphal, Nunshigum Ridge and Kohima battles before going further into Burma.

[NARSES2]

Tough old battles Kit.

Slim's campaign in Burma is a fascinating read.