Academy 1:35 - M3 Stuart "Honey" British version (Replaces ACA01399)

ACA13270

Sold Out £22.00 GBP

Academy 1:35 - M3 Stuart "Honey" British version (Replaces ACA01399) - Plastic Model Kit #13270

The M3 Stuart was an American light tank that had been delivered to British forces by the US Government during WWII, before the Americans officially entered the war. Subsequently it was deployed by the Allies until the capitulation of Germany.

"Stuart" was a nickname given in reference to James Stuart, an American Confederate States Army general of the Civil War. When a British tankman saw the tank for the first time, he remarked "She's a honey". That name stuck and in British service the M3 was often referred to as "Honey".

Compared to the previous Light Tank M2, the Stuart had an improved suspension, better gun recoil mechanism and thicker armour, unusual for a light tank. The vehicle was armed with a 37mm M5 gun (which was later replaced with a longer M6 version) and a several Browning machine guns. The tank production lasted from 1941 to 1943.

In 1941 the British army had 700 Stuart tanks in service, 170 of which were deployed in Operation Crusader in North Africa. Though Stuarts surpassed most of the Axis tanks in many respects, the operation was unsuccessful due to the poor tactics of British troops.

In the following years the British usually avoided using Stuarts in tank-to tank fights, deploying them mostly in reconnaissance operations. In some cases the turret was removed for the sake of lighter weight and better mobility (such versions were known as "Stuart Recce"), some other units were transformed to either armoured personnel carriers ("Stuart Kangaroo") or command vehicles ("Stuart Command"). The M3 served with the British army till the end of the war, though in smaller numbers than those used by the Americans.

Collections: All, Allied Forces (WWII), British, Desert and Arid Dioramas, North Africa (WWII), Vehicles, WWII

Category: Academy Tanks

Type: Tanks

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Operation Frankton RMBPD Set - WWII Cockle Canoe + Royal Marines from £45.00 GBP

Operation Frankton RMBPD Set - WWII Cockle Canoe + Royal Marines

£45.00 GBP

1:35 - Major Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler - Resin kit

Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Marines. In 1942, a 28-year-old Hasler planned and led Operation Frankton. The operation was a commando raid on Axis shipping in the French port of Bordeaux occupied by the Germans. The mission was to attach mines to the hulls of German cargo ships. Three of the five canoes were lost on the way to the port. The surviving crewmen including Hasler reached the port successfully, placed the mines and managed to drown four cargo ships. They then walked 100 miles to a French village where they met with members of the Resistance and started their journey back to England through Spain and Gibraltar. For this operation Hasler was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George VI.

One kayak was damaged while being deployed from the submarine, and it and its crew therefore could not take part in the mission. Only two of the 10 men who launched from the submarine survived the raid: Hasler, and his number two in the kayak, Bill Sparks. Of the other eight, six were executed by the Germans and two died from hypothermia.

This product is available in two scales, 1:35 and 1:24 and was painstakingly designed from scratch as a digital model.

The kit includes: 2 x miniatures (Blondie Hasler and Bill Sparks) in their folding Cockle Canoe named 'Catfish' made by Campaign Models (UK).

Now available, while stocks last.

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