Walkaround vol.15 M3 Scout Car

Subject: M3 Scout Car

Location: South Military Commend Museum, Brazil, 2013

Comments:Design of the vehicle began at the White Motor Company, based in Cleveland, in 1937. It had .25 in (6.4 mm) face-hardened armor, full-time four-wheel drive (with no way to disengage it), four-speed manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission (with one reverse gear) and two-speed transfer case, leaf spring suspension, manual steering, and (unusual for the period) vacuum-assisted (power) brakes.The wheelbase was 131 in (3.3 m), tread 65.25 in (1.657 m). The wheels were 8.5 in (220 mm) wide, 20 in (510 mm) diameter, and used standard 12-ply military non-directional tires. Fuel capacity was 30 US gal (110 l). The original order was for 64 units, all of which were given to the 7th Cavalry Brigade. Eventually the Army decided to adopt an improved version, designated M3A1. The new version had a longer and wider hull. In front of the bumper an unditching roller was mounted. The M3A1 could carry up to seven infantry and provide fire support with three machine guns - one .50 caliber (12.7 mm) and two .30 caliber (7.62 mm) - mounted on a skate rail around the hull. Production of the M3A1 started in 1940 and lasted until 1944, with 20,918 vehicles built. The design influenced the later U.S. halftrack designs such as the M3 halftrack and the post-World War II Soviet BTR-40. The early M2 halftrack copied the armor layout as well as the skate rail machine gun mounts.(ref: Wikipedia)

Military figures vol.8: U-Boot Kapitan in World War II

Subject:	U-Boot Kapitan
Scale:	1/16
Manufacturer:	Verlinden
Price	US$ 20,00 + shipping
Description	Resin casted figure
Comments	This is another great figure representing another combatant of World War II. Verlinden's U-Boot commander has great details and is an easy model to build. It was painted with Tamiya acrylics on the airbrush and Vallejo acrylics with the brush. The base is a resin piece i got here in Brazil.

Walkaround vol.14: M3 Half Track

Subject: M3 Half Track

Location: South Military Command Museum, Porto Alegre, Brasil, 2012.

Comments: Between the world wars, the US Army sought to improve the tactical mobility of its forces. With the goal of finding a high-mobility infantry vehicle, the Ordnance Department had evaluated the half-track design by testing French Citroën-Kégresse vehicles. The White Motor Company produced a prototype halftrack using their own chassis and the body of the M3 Scout Car. The design, using as many commercial components as possible to improve reliability and rate of production, was standardized in 1940 and built by the Autocar Company,Diamond T Motor Company, and the White Company.Offered with a choice of White 160AX or IHC RED DIAMOND 450 engines, the M3 was driven through a manual constant-mesh (non-synchromesh) transmission with four forward and one reverse gear, as well as a two-speed transfer case. Front suspension was leaf spring, tracks by vertical volute spring. Braking was vacuum-assisted hydraulic, steering manual, without power assist. The electrical system was 12-volt. The M3 was the larger and longer counterpart to the M2 Half Track Car. The M2 was originally intended to function as an artillery tractor. The M3 had a single access door in the rear and seating for a 12-man rifle squad. Five seats were arranged on each side in the rear of the vehicle and three seats inside the cab. Racks under the seats were used for ammunition and rations; additional racks behind the seat backs held the squad's rifles and other stowage. A small rack for mines was added on the outside of the hull just above the tracks. In combat, most units found it necessary to stow additional food, rucksacks and other crew stowage on the outside of the vehicle. Luggage racks were often added in the field, and very late vehicles had rear-mounted racks for this crew stowage. Early vehicles had a pintle mount just behind the front seats mounting a .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun. The later M3A1 adopted a raised, armored 'pulpit mount' for the .50-caliber, and .30-caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns could be used from mounts along the sides of the passenger compartment. Many M3s were later modified to the M3A1 standard. The body was armored all around, with an adjustable armored shutter for the engine's radiator and a bulletproof windscreen. The halftracks were initially extremely unpopular and dubbed "Purple Heart Boxes" (a grim reference to the US Army's decoration for combat wounds) by American troops. Chief complaints centered around the complete lack of overhead protection from airbursting artillery shells and that the armor was inadequate against machine gun fire. (ref: Wikipedia)

Walkaround vol.13: M8 Greyhound

Subject: M8 Greyhound

Location: South Military Commead Museum, Porto Alegre, Brasil, 2012

Comments: The M8 Light Armored Car was a 6x6 armored car produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It was used by the United States and British troops in Europe and the Far East until the end of the war. The vehicle was widely exported and as of 2006 still remains in service with some third world countries. In British service, the M8 was known as the Greyhound. The British Army found it too lightly armored, particularly the hull floor where anti-tank mines could easily penetrate (crews' solution was lining the floor of the crew compartment with sandbags). Nevertheless, it was produced in large numbers. The M8 Greyhound's excellent mobility made it a great supportive element in the advancing American and British armored columns. (ref: Wikipedia)

Military Figure vol.7: U.S. Fighter Pilot in World War II

Subject:	U.S. Fighter Pilot in World War II
Scale:	1/16
Manufacturer:	Verlinden
Price	US$ 20,00 + shipping
Description	Resin casted figure
Comments	This is another great figure representing another combatant of World War II. Verlinden's Fighter Pilot has great details and is an easy model to build. It was painted with Tamiya acrylics on the airbrush and Vallejo acrylics with the brush.