I went to the LHS today to pick up paint.
just paint!
But like almost every other time I go there to get "just paint", I picked up a model. In this instance, Tamiya's aging M8 howitzer motor carriage.
Before I go any further I want to explain the history I have with this kit. Back in 1986 (I was about eight at the time) my dad took me to Stanton Hobby Shop in Chicago, Illinois to pick out an armor model. I had watched my uncle building tanks and was ready to try one of my own (my dad and I had built a couple of airplanes together beforehand). We perused the shelves at Stanton and I had narrowed down my choice to either the M8 which I thought was very cute, or Monogram's 1/32 Grant tank. Shep Paines pretty diorama photos on the Monogram box won me over and I chose the Grant. I remember telling myself then that the M8 would be my next build, but when I finished the Grant the M8 was no longer available at the shop.
Things pretty much stayed that way until the late 1990s until I saw the kit again, but at that point I wasn't building models so I passed it up again. Again the kit was nowhere to be seen, and I had forgotten all about the model. Then when I saw the M8 today I knew I had to buy it. So 21 years later the "cute" tank with its stubby gun is finally in my hands.
This kit is about 30 years old I believe, and while not the worst thing Tamiya ever released, it does have its issues. In fact there is a long litany of problems in Tamiya's Stuart series. I'm no rivet counter so I'll cover some of the major errors as I go allong, but more importantly I think I'll enjoy the hell out of this little model.
Things to fix
1) The awful tracks (bottom) will be replaced with the much better (but not without their own set of issues) set I have left over from the Academy Stewart (top).
2) the upper hull needs to be textured, given some weld lines and bolts.
3) the fenders need to be cut back and rounded on the corners
4) replace .50cal with Academy version
5) The light guards look like they're wrought iron. As I don't have any scrap brass of the proper width I'll just thin out the plastic ones. The photo below shows the finished product. Not as good as PE, but much better than when it began.
(Oh yeah! Classic Tamiya motorized lower hull. Your not a real modeler unless you've worked with one of these
)
stay tuned for more
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