Artitec 387.118 Highlights:
Model: Artitec's 387.118 1/87 scale WWII M5A1 Stuart Rhino tank is fully assembled and painted US Army/Navy (AN) 319 Olive Drab, has additional stowage on its hull, has an external .30 cal. machine gun mounted on top of the turret, and is equipped with a hedgerow cutter mounted on the front for service in Normandy in 1944. All the new Artitec finished models are highly detailed works of art. They are all hand painted and finished using the highest quality resin, plastic and metal parts. Add a few to your collection today before they are sold out. Models are made in small production runs so don't delay in ordering
Prototype: The M5 Light Tank, or Stuart, was a development of the M3 Light Tank which went into production in March 1941. The Stuart had its roots in the M2 Light Tank, a small pre-war infantry support tank similar to the light and fast “combat car” tanks used pre-war by the United States Cavalry. The M5 differed from the M3 in that it used a pair of Cadillac V-8 auto engines with an automatic transmission rather than the M3’s Continental R-670 7-cylinder radial aircraft engine. The two V-8s gave the tank a top speed of 36 mph. It was protected by 51 mm of armor on the turret front, 38 mm on the turret sides, 38 mm on the hull front, and 25 mm on the hull sides. The main gun was a 37 mm Gun M6 and three .30 cal. Browning machine guns (one mounted in the hull, one in the turret, and one that could be mounted on top of the turret). Stuarts were first used by the British in North Africa in late 1941 where they were found to be the equal of the Panzer III and better than the Italian tanks in the desert. By mid-1942 however the Stuart was no match for up-gunned Panzer IVs and later German tanks and for the rest of the war in Europe the Allies used Stuarts primarily for infantry direct-fire support missions and reconnaissance duties. The Stuart proved better suited to the Pacific Theater where the Japanese had few and only lightly-armored tanks. Over 22,000 Stuarts were produced between 1941 and 1944 and they remained in service until the end of the war.
PLEASE NOTE: These models are all handmade and painted which makes every one unique. This means the paint patterns may vary a little and the detail parts like sandbags, turret tracks, antennas, etc. may also be arranged differently. This was also the case in real life. These models are very prototypical.
