Mirage 1/72 M3 Lee/Grant Kits |  | Overview Last month we had a great build of one of the new Mirage M3 kits. Since that was built by one of the people behind Mirage, we had that build article before we had seen what actually came in the box. This month we received three of these new kits from Squadron, so I'll outline what each kit comes with and show the parts on the tree, while referring you back to the build article to see how it all comes together.  
The Kits The three kits that showed up here are 72801 M3 General Lee, 72804 General Grant Mk. I "El Alamein," and 72806 M3 General Lee "Kursk." All three kits share most of the parts, with only the turret sprue differing from the three kits. All of the kits are nicely molded and follow a logical construction. There will need to be some cleanup on the parts, as there is a bit of flash here and there, but nothing major. To see how easy it is to build one of these tanks, read last month's article.   
The Decals  Here is where the most noticeable difference between the kits shows up. Each kit comes with a high quality decal sheet that has several options on it. In the case of kit 72801 and 72804, the decal sheets come with extra tactical markings. The options on the first kit, 72801, the M3 General Lee, include an M3 of the F Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division at Souk el Khemis, November 24, 1942. This tank has all yellow markings for a subdued appearance. Second up is an M3 with a short barrel 75mm gun of the 2nd Armored Division, marked up for training purposes at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1942. This tank has a white star on a red circle with a blue center dot.
The next tank presented is an M3 of the 1st Armored Division used for training in Northern Ireland in the summer of 1942. This tank also has yellow markings like the first option. Number four on the list is an M3 of the 1st Armored division as seen in the Kasserine area on February 20, 1943. This tank has white stars and a brush-painted mud camouflage over its olive drab camouflage. Second to last is an M3 from the 193rd Armored Battalion, Butaritari Island, Makin, on November 24, 1943. This tank was one of the last used by American forces in combat. The final option is an M3 of the 1st Armored Division at Bizerte, Tunisia in May 1943.  The decal sheet for 72804, General Grant Mk. I "El Alamein," has four options. The first option is the boxtop scheme, a colorful three-color camouflaged Grank Mk. I of A Squadron, 2nd Dragon Guard (Queens Bay) of 1st Armoured Division after the first battle of El Alamein in August 1942. The next two tanks are camouflaged in sand, with the first being a tank under Major Henry Cabot Lodge that took part in the final stage of the Battle of Ghazala. The other one is an unidentified Grant seen in 1942. Finally, the last option is a Grant Mk. I of the Scots Greys seen in September 1942 in the desert. This tank is camouflaged in a two-tone desert scheme.
 The final kit, 72806, has nothing but Soviet options in it, providing some very interesting markings for the M3. The 193rd Independent Tank Regiment is well represented on this sheet, with the first three schemes being from this unit. These are B-1/17, B-1/12, and B-1/16, all at the Central Front, Kursk battle, in July of 1943. The fourth option dates from a bit earlier in the war, this tank being from the 241st Tank Brigade on the Don Front in September 1942. This tank has several white slogans painted on the hull. The last two options are both captured examples, the first being tank # 147, captured by the Germans at Mzensk in the summer of 1943. The last is an unidentified tank captured by the Germans and features a temporary white winter camouflage.
Conclusion These M3 kits are great additions to the 1/72 armor modeler's collection, and I'm sure we will be seeing lots of these built up in the near future. My thanks to Squadron Mail Order for the review samples. |
|
