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Modeller Build Logs
Formations M5A1 Conversion |
| By Martin Dogger | | Started: | Jun 11, 2007 | | Updated: | Jul 14, 2007 |
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With the recent 'plastic war' going on, the range of subjects available as plastic kits is getting very diverse. This is a good move, as plastic kits are relatively cheap and easy to get. If you wanted obscure vehicles, you would need to get resin kits. For some mainsteam vehicles, this was also the case. I won't open a can of worms on what kits should be issued. But until recently, Allied modellers have been asking for more kits. Over the last three years, a lot of good stuff has come out and more is bound to come.
This is a good sign, as there are several Allied vehicle that are ill served. The US M5A1 light tank was the main type of light tank used in the ETO, but there hasn't been a recent, up-to-date kit released.
This Build Log will feature the Formations M5A1 conversion for AFV Club's Stuart V kit. I'll take some sidesteps along the way, giving some background information plus reasons on the choices I make. |
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| Suspension | Jul 14, 2007 |
The suspension provided in the AFV Club is very good. It assembles easy, has good detail and sharp moulding. And it's light years ahead of the Tamiya and Academy suspension.
Yes, it's far better than Academy's suspension. This might seem strange, as Academy's kit is from 2001. But there are several problems with their suspension, most notably the arms being canted down too steep.
AFV Club has got it spot on. Here's a shot of the sprue, two are in the box. The roadwheels will go in the spares box, as Formations provides new, dished road wheels in their conversion kit. As a side note, AFV Club also has dished road wheels in their suspension set. The sprues are available as a separate set, so anyone wanting to update older kits has a good sets of wheels and bits to start with. |
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