The Modelling News: Preview: MiniArt's 35th scale British Stuart MK.I Honey Early Prod. Interior Kit.

We have news of MiniArt's new M3 Stuart light tank "British Stuart MK.I Honey Early Prod. Interior Kit" sure looks sweet. We look at the new kit & some of the real machines from this boxing in our preview..

Preview: MiniArt's 35th scale British Stuart MK.I Honey Early Prod. Interior Kit.

British Stuart MK.I Honey Early Prod. Interior Kit

From MiniArt Models

1/35th scale

Kit No #35421

Decals for five options in the box

Photo-etch included

Product Link on the MiniArt Website

The M3 Stuart Light tank in British service:

The US Army began development of a light tank in the early 1930s. After a number of models which progressively increased armour and fire power, the M3 series was initiated in July 1940. Provided to British forces as part of the Lend-Lease Act, the M3 first saw combat with British forces in North Africa in November 1941. The British found the M3 to be under-gunned, but were so pleased with its mechanical performance & reliability that they nicknamed it “Honey.”

The photos of the real Stuarts in this article are the subjects of the five marking choices in the box. The 8th Hussars testing their new American M3 Stuart tanks in the Western Desert, 28 August 1941.

The British Army was the first to use the Light Tank M3 as the “General Stuart” in combat. From mid-November 1941 to the end of the year, about 170 Stuarts (in a total force of over 700 tanks) took part in Operation Crusader during the North Africa Campaign, with poor results. Although the high losses suffered by Stuart-equipped units during the operation had more to do with better tactics and training of the Afrika Korps than the apparent superiority of German armoured fighting vehicles used in the North African campaign, the operation revealed that the M3 had several technical faults. Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37mm M5 gun and poor internal layout. The two-man turret crew was a significant weakness, and some British units tried to fight with three-man turret crews.

Irish Cavalry Regiment (8 Hussars) have just taken delivery of some American tanks, and these Photographs show them putting the tanks through their paces.

The Stuart also had a limited range, which was a severe problem in the highly mobile desert warfare as units often outpaced their supplies and were stranded when they ran out of fuel. On the positive side, crews liked its relatively high speed and mechanical reliability. The high reliability distinguished the Stuart from cruiser tanks of the period, in particular the Crusader, which composed a large portion of the British tank force in Africa up until 1942.

The 8th Hussars testing their new American M3 Stuart tanks in the Western Desert, 28 August 1941. Note the US tank helmets worn by the crew. The officer signalling is probably a commander.

In Europe, Allied light tanks had to be given cavalry and infantry fire support roles since their main cannon armament could not compete with heavier enemy armoured fighting vehicles. However, the Stuart was still effective in combat in the Pacific Theatre, as Japanese tanks were both relatively rare and were lighter in armour than even Allied light tanks. Japanese infantrymen were not well equipped with anti-tank weapons, and as such had to use close assault tactics. In this environment, the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks.

A Stuart tank on patrol near Mount Imeimat, in the Western desert, 26 August 1942.

Although poorly suited to tank warfare in Europe, the Stuart tank proved effective in the Pacific. In New Guinea and the Solomons, the Stuart served in an infantry support role. Although the 37mm gun was not ideal, the small Stuart was much more practical for jungle warfare than the much larger and heavier Sherman that replaced it in late 1943.

Kings Royal Irish Hussars. 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars Training with their new Stuart tanks, 28 August 1941.

The kit from MiniArt

MiniArt's new-tooled 1/35th scale British Stuart MK.I Honey Early Prod. Interior Kit features - as it says on the tin, a complete tank, with five marking choices included in this model.

These CADs show the features and details of the kit, both inside and out. The yellow denotes the phot-etch parts of the kit, they grey, the plastic.