MiniArt 35th Scale British Stuart MK.I Early Prod. (w/Interior).

The US Army began development of a light tank in the early 1930s. The M3 series, which was launched in July 1940 after a succession of tanks with increasing armour and firing power, began to be produced. The M3 was provided to British Forces as part of Lend-Lease Act and first seen in combat in North Africa by British forces in November 1941. The British considered the M3 under-armed, but they were impressed with its reliability and mechanical performance. They nicknamed the vehicle “Honey.”

The five options for markings are based on photos from the article. The 8th Hussars test their American M3 Stuart tank in the Western Desert on 28 August 1941. Around 170 Stuarts, out of a force of more than 700 tanks, took part in Operation Crusader, during the North Africa Campaign. The results were poor. The high loss of Stuarts during this operation was more due to the superior tactics and training provided by the Afrika Korps, than it was the apparent superiority in German armored fighting vehicles that were used for the North African Campaign. However, this operation also revealed the M3’s technical flaws. The 37mm M5 cannon and the poor layout of the interior were mentioned in British complaints. Two-man crews were a weakness and many British units tried fighting with three-man crews. These photographs show the Irish Cavalry Regiment 8 Hussars putting American tanks to the test. Crews appreciated its high mechanical reliability and relatively fast speed. The Stuart’s high level of reliability set it apart from other cruiser tanks, notably the Crusader which constituted a significant portion of British tanks in Africa until 1942. The crew is wearing US tank helmets. In Europe, Allied Light Tanks were assigned to cavalry or infantry support fire roles because their cannon armament couldn’t compete with enemy armored fighting vehicles. The Stuart, however, was effective on the Pacific Theatre because Japanese tanks, while rare, were also lighter than light Allied tanks. In this environment, the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks. 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. The Stuart tank served as an infantry supporting vehicle in New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The King’s 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. The interior kit includes a full tank with 5 different marking options. This kit includes a complete interior, including the engine, transmission, crew stations, weapons and ammo. Engine and transmission are included, with crew stations and weapons and ammo included.

Sprue layouts:

To add to the CAD images we have the sprue layouts of the kit with full interior.=, including engine, transmission and weapons/ammo.

There is a small sprue of photo-etch included, mostly for brackets and things that aren’t strong or thin enough in plastic.