M3 Stuart Early Production - Interior Kit

Review

This offering from MiniArt arrives in a cardboard tray with a separate card lid showing the artwork. Inside the sprues are contained in a single plastic bag, with the instruction booklet loose in the box. The moulding of this offering from MiniArt meets my expectations as I see no obvious issues that need to be tackled. Access for removal of parts is goods, but as is usual care needs to be taken when removing the finer moulded parts to avoid damage. You will need to look for ejector pin marks, but I do not believe that they will be a major issue with this release.

Looking at the interior of the hull, the drivers seat is an accurate representation but I have seen an alternate type where there is a metal backed seat with a separate canvas cushion at the rear. The drive and transmission tunnel through the crew compartment matches reference well, judging against on-line reference photographs but I am not an expert, so may have missed something. The firewall looks a good match for reference including a fire extinguisher mounted on it. The instrument cluster that sits on the transmission to the side of the driver does not match my reference completely, but I am willing to accept that the on-line reference could be of a re-furbished vehicle in a museum and most of the detail does match. The large box at the rear of the driver is accurate. I thought this would have been an ammunition storage box but I would have expected access to the contents to be easier than the images portray. On-line reference images show shell storage on the right hand rear side of the vehicle, but that is not replicated in the model. But I am wondering if this depends on which variant of the vehicle is being replicated. The result of all this is that the interior appears to be correctly laid out, but there are differences which I am willing to accept that there may be differences depending on the variant.

The radial engine replicated in the model, is a very good representation of the power plant of the real vehicle. The mounting plate is especially well detailed in this release, and looking around the engine and the bay in which it sits nothing jumps out at me as being incorrect. It does need to be remembered that a number of pipes and cables will need to be replicated by the modeller of looking for a perfect finish. The interior of this vehicle front and rear is especially cramped and not somewhere that I would want to spend a day fighting, but as regards the model I cannot find anything to really fault.

Moving on to the turret, the turret interior is surprisingly bare. I cannot even see a radio, which I would imagine would make command of the vehicle troublesome. In later variants of the Stuart, the turret was extended at the rear and a radio was inserted into that location, and I suspect that future releases will replicate that. The main gun on the other hand has a lot of very nicely done interior detail. The gun breach replicates interior detail very well, but again makes for a very cramped operating area and makes me wonder why the Stuart was such a popular vehicle.

The exterior of the model replicates the blocky nature very well, but most impressive is all the raised detail around the edge of each panel that secures it to the frame. And so when painted and weathered these details will really pop, and drag the viewers eyes around the model. The suspension and drive system while not workable is accurately detailed and something that may surprise some is that the tracks are link and length and so this offers the modeller that prefers rubber band tracks an easier option that individual track links will not be overly tested, and those that like individual tracks get a level of detail that will meet their expectations, even though not the ideal track solution. External tools are well detailed on the model, but I do know that some modellers may be dismayed as the clamp detail is supplied as photo etch. MiniArt has provided 7 finishing options for this release, as these are:

192nd Tank Battalion, Philippines, Luzon, 1941

General Patten’s Tank, Dessert Manoeuvres, California, Summer 1942

Armoured Forces School, Fort Knox, Summer 1942

4th Armoured Division, 84th Reconnaissance Troop, Tennessee Manoeuvres, Autumn 1942

192nd Tank Brigade, Red Army, Volkhov Offensive, Aryol Region, Summer 1942

Unidentified Unit, Red Army, Eastern Front, 1942

Conclusion

This offering from MiniArt is another very pleasing release in the M3 Stuart line. I would say that with General Patten’s tank included in the finishing options I would have liked to have seen a figure included to make it more desirable. The interior details are pleasing, and while I cannot prove the accuracy of all of them I believe that you will be generally pleased. Access to view the interior is good and so worth the modellers time and effort. However, the cramped nature of the vehicle would make life difficult for me to complete.