SImpler is better, 30 year old kit finished with review and pictures.

Modeling Subjects Armor
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Well i needed a break, and i took one for about 6 months as i worked on my train layout. However i started to get the urge to build models again. However none of the new super kits caught my fancy. One look at all those perfect pieces made me hanker for something a little simpler. So i searched around my hobby pile and loe and behold was a classic sitting right there. It was a Monogram 1/32 Lee tank. Now i am a big fan of the Lee tank (no accounting for taste) so i decided to build it box stock with only filling, and drilling out of the gun barrels as improvements.

As expected it gave me a few problems. For one thing the tracks over time had gotten to long and need to be shortened by two links. The big problem was then gettign some kind of glue to glue them together. It was a slow setting super glue that finally did it, but only after a couple of tries on one set.

I was very inpressed with the level of detail present in the kit. Sure some of it was over scale but the tools were quite nice, and the opening hatches were also a surprise.

In the end i went for a new from the factory look, just a light bit of rust on the mufflers and scuffign on the external areas. I wanted that semi new look of a tank that spent its days helping train new tankers or a machine that hasnt seen 3 years of combat action.

It made me want to find out what other 1/32 machines were out there also. I was quite surprised. Here is what i have found, add your own also.

Monogram: Sherman with hedge cutters, Sherman with calopie, Lee, Grant, Panzer 4, flack panzer quad, osterwind, jagpanzer, strumpanzer, stug 4, Patton tank, M-20 armored car, armored car with turret, german aromored car 8 wheeled, duece and a half, jeep with 37 mm gun, half track US, Half track mounthing quad 50’s.

Airfix : Crusader III, Lee, Grant, Dodge mounting a 37mm, white armored car.

Bandai. Puma, Panther, ???

Well here are the pictures. I made some mistakes but i am proud to put this in my display case.

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Man, have you been gone for awhile. Glad to see you back. Thanks for sharing an old memory. My friend had this kit some eons ago and we had a blast with it. Of course, yours is wayyyyyyy better than his was. I loved the old Monogram kits, broke in on armor with their Panzer IV. Built it in a day sans paint, putty and trimming. LOL Remember how cheap they were? Couldn’t have been more than $4 at best. Now they fetch a premium on ebay. Thanks again for sharing a memory (sniff sniff).

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Nice looking M3. Any mistakes you made aren’t obvious in the photos.[tup][tup] Although many of us may have opted for a dirtier look, every tank in the world was clean at least once in it life. I’m certain it will make a nice addition to your display case.

I can identify with your feeling about simpler times. Recently I was bogged down in fairly major sratchbuilding/modification project, so I decided to take a break. On a lark, I picked up an old Tamiya Daimler Armored Scout car which cost me less than ten bucks. First issued in the early '70s, one can natually find any number of faults with the kit from missing equipment to a mostly non-existent undercarriage. In spite of the kit’s shortcomings, it was fun to build, and a good test bed for trying some new weathering techniques. Much like your M3, I think my Daimler will make an interesting addition to the display case.

Andy

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great job

i too am a fan of the lee

i think if the 75mm was replaced with a higher volocity one

and the 37mm replaced with a 45-50mm

it could have been a more important tank

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There’s a lot to be said for the joys of going back to classics and simplicity.

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Well from what i hear, the Lee was a Huge shock to the germans when they first met it in africia. Most importanly was of course the duel purpose 75mm. Up till then british forces lacked a truly effective duel purpose gun. All in all this kit is still a fun build, with only a minimun of filing and sanding to do. Look out for more old kit releases in the future by me. I have 10 oldies but goodie waiting in the basement includign a Bandai Hummel in 1/32. Next up is the Monogram armored car german. It is currently waiting for some paint.

Bill

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o.k. – so i am not a big fan of the lee-- but i really enjoyed your post and remembering monogram models–and even if i don’t care that much for the particular subject of a build, i do know what is a great representation and a real solid build[:D]-- thanks for sharing-- i really like this model!-- -i think you captured the look you were going for very nicely-- thanks again man— treadwell[tup]

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I’ve got one of those Mongram Lee’s sitting in the box, in the basement…yet to be built. And yes I got it over 30 years ago. I got into German tanks and just didn’t get around to building the Lee…and I thought it was kinda ugly.

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I remember looong ago building the momogram tanks and having a great time. Lets not forget that Shep Paine did a series of diaramas using the monogram kits. I think it would be fun to have a Monogram 1/32nd scale group build.