Build review: Legend Productions 1/35th scale M8 Greyhound Stowage set

OK we made him do it – Clayton was busy as a bee making all the other kits he has in his production line, but we thought that he should take a look at the M8 Greyhound Stowage set from Legend productions. You see he was making the “little to simplified” Italeri kit of the Greyhound in 35^th and it needed a spruce up – was Legend’s add-on resin just what the doctor ordered or a heart failure? Let’s take a look…

M8 Greyhound Stowage set
Legend Productions
1/35^th scale
 LF1275
M8 Greyhound Stowage set
55 Resin parts in grey resin
Available from Legend’s Distributors worldwide

It was an absolute pleasure upon opening this little box from Legend. It was loaded to the brim with this beautiful little resin stowage set, purpose made to accompany the 1/35 M8 Greyhound. This Kit from Italeri was basic and the vehicle looks pretty cool weighed down with all the soldier's protection and possessions that there was no room for inside the cramped scout car..

I have had the Italeri M8 in the stash for some time now, so when the opportunity to get my hands on this set arose I used it as motivation to crack the kit and quickly build it up.

As this is a review of the Legend set I won’t go into the build or detail of the Italeri kit. It is however a pretty basic kit when compared to some of the modern kits coming out these days, so I took some relief in the fact that the detail in the stowage set would be the hero of the build.

The Kit from Legend…

The set comes with 55 items of varying shapes and sizes. There is everything there from bedrolls and tarps, hand grenades and a walkie-talkie. Even included is a bottle of wine.

The biggest piece in the kit is a beautifully detailed casting of some sandbag armour and straps to fit on the front of the vehicle. It instantly grabs your eye and demands a closer inspection.

The thing that is immediately apparent with this set is the level of detail. The sculpting is simply amazing. The sandbag armour is littered with bullet holes. The ties on the tarps and rolls are fine and in scale. There is a half open ammunition box in the stowage on the rear of the vehicle and the molding of the wire on the tiny spool is very convincing. Every fold and knot are simply exquisite.

In terms of quality I am blown away. It is absolutely superb.

The casting blocks all trimmed away easily with a pair of sprue cutters. I cleaned any excess up with a scalpel. Some resins can be brittle and inclined to snap however the resin Legend has used seems to be just right. Soft enough to cut and clean yet strong enough to be able to comfortably work with.

I had initially decided to drill small holes in some of the larger items of the stowage set and inserted toothpicks to handle them during the painting process.  I started to paint the pieces in this fashion but made the call shortly after to abandon this method because they were starting to feel disconnected. I made the decision that I would place the pieces on the finished model and hand paint them in context on the vehicle.

The internal painting of the Italeri kit with painted up stowage inside.

 And the outside...

Before sealing the model I placed some of the stowage set in the internal parts of the vehicle that would be seen through the hatches.

Construction on the model was then completed and I set about nesting the equipment around the vehicle. Lead foil I had on the workbench was cut into thin strips and integrated into the parts to serve as straps. Just adding straps to the build adds so much more credibility to the model. Just ensure they look like they are supporting weight and falling properly. Otherwise you will get the complete opposite effect. This image shows the initial process of adding the lead foil to the stowage.

All we now need to do is tuck them around and manipulate them into place -the scenic elements strapped on unpainted

The stowage set is now all in place. There were about 5 key elements that had to be placed in fixed positions, but the rest of the bits and pieces were able to be randomly added around the vehicle to help represent a fully equipped, battle ready Greyhound.

How you go on to paint and finish the set is up to you. Obviously I still need to paint from here.. 

It continually astounds me how far this hobby has come in a relatively short amount of time. Kits like these just keep raising the bar. Legend have made it so easy for every armour modeler to be able to present this vehicle so it looks like it has been freshly plucked from the battlefields of France.

Here is the set all painted and weathered up – It looks great doesn’t it?

I have nothing but praise for this set. It is of the highest quality I have seen in an aftermarket set such as there. If this is any indication of some of the other offerings Legend have then congratulations must be angled their way. This stowage set is just beautiful. It is detailed, natural and very convincing.  A lot of the parts could also be used for other vehicles, so in terms of value you really can’t go wrong.

Clayton Ockerby

You can get this and Legend’s other add-ons and corrections from Legend’s Distributors worldwide

See more of Clayton’s models on his website www.theworkbench.com.au