Armorteks next model

[John Grima]

Hello Pete, I'm not sure what you disagree about, yes you are correct the weight would only be found on early lees that had the shorter 75mm gun. Once the longer barrel was developed the counter weight was no longer used / needed. The point of the counter weight was to ballance out the gun for elevation. As the gun is hand cranked and the weight of the breech end made it difficult to raise / lower the gun manually. This was why the weight was developed and why it was no longer needed when the longer barrels came out.

These short barrel Lees were indeed used by the US army not just state side at fort Knox, but were also used in battle in both N. Africa and in Burma. Which as you can see in the images I posted of real US army M3 lees in action

like this famous image here of an american M3 Lee in N. africa

[Adrian Harris]

The shorter M2 75mm gun needed a counterweight for the stabilisation.

The longer M3 75mm gun didn't require the counterweight. It was ridiculously long, sticking out over the front mudguard, but I suppose gave better muzzle velocity.

Looks like Mark has gone for the M2, so there should be a flair at the tip, behind which sat the collar.

Adrian.

[Pete Nash]

Hi John Grima and Adrian Harris

Thanks for the correction and amplifications

Don't know about you guys but I'm NOT looking forward to all those rivets, at least there's not as many as there is on a Mk.IV. I'm already considering replacing them with button or dome head set screws.

I wonder if Sand Skirts will be included?
and;
Is Dave Dibbs already planning the update and detailing kit?

Pete Nash

PS. The answer to all questions is 42

[Steve Norris]

John
Interesting picture of a cast hull M3, never new they existed.
Thanks for posting
Regards
Steve

[John Grima]

Steve, Like the sherman there are lots of variants of the M3 from cast, to welded hulled versions. There were also versions that didn't have side doors, onyl had the visors, deleted visors, air blower mounted on roofs / turrets, exhaust configurations... There was even the M3A4 which was based on the M4A4 long hull w/ the multibank.





I wonder if Armortek will release the CDL with working searchlight as an option?



Pete, as for detail hop ups I tooled up a whole catalog when I was working on my model several years ago, http://eastcoastarmory.com/m3_lee.htm
Also believe it or not but the hulls are not all comprised of rivets. On the tank in specific locations you will see two sizes of rivets, hex bolts, and slot screws. Which all have a reason for being

like here on lower front plate,


Or more specifically on the rear corner plate. As this had to be removable to remove / mount the 75mm gun. So you will find Dome slot screws on the edges, Hex bolts on the bottom angle strip, and rivets to permanently mount the strip to the removable armored plate




The sample pics of the model do look great, however the only spot that I can see some room for improvement is the copula on the Lee. The one in the sample looks too squat and to my eye the real copula looks to be about double the length in height.



Perhaps this was an early rendering of the model and the production units will have this adjusted?

[Pete Nash]

Thanks John Grima, you certainly have some exciting possibilities for upgrades. at the moment two problems:
!. I'll wait and see what Kian Mark and Chris produce with their co-workers
2. USA, not that i have anything against you guys on the wrong side of the pond but we get import duty added according to the declared value of goods sent, then on top of that our robber barons at the Royal mail add on their 'handling fee'.

Now a CDL, that would be something.

Pete

[Bernd Löffelbein]

Great kit, I like the british version with the bigger turret and all the rivetes as detail on the tank.

But sorry, I'am looking forward still waiting for the Renault FT-17.

[Pete Nash]

Bernard

Warslug do a FT-17 but if anything goes wrong you can't get inside to fix it.
They are very good but also Very Very very expensive, about 2.5 times Armortek prices.

I doubt if Armortek will do one as is too small to get their gear into......unless they go to 1/4 scale?

[Bernd Löffelbein]

Thanks Pete,

great kits, great prices, will better stay on Armotrek.

[Mike Conley]

Before this DISTINGUSHED Armortek Court, I am here to plead the case for the NEXT 1/6 vehicle to be produced by Armortek. It is an Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) that we all know and has been utilized by a BUNCH of nations: The UK, USA, AU, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam, from 1960 to today.

I strongly nominate the M113 Armored Personal Carrier! By using aluminum construction (which it WAS made of!) and using scale armor thicknesses the Armortek M113 would be a LIGHT rc vehicle. The M113 sprockets final drive gears could be made smaller diameter for this lighter vehicle thus increasing it's speed. And there's lots of room inside for batteries/electronics.

The Armortek M113 could be painted/detailed from the 1960s up thru it's service today. And there are MANY later era 1/6 accessories available to add on a M113: .50 cal, M60 machine guns, flak vests, helmets, C ration boxes, etc. And the hull side painted phrases/art could be endless ('FLOWER POWER', 'Mud Bug', etc.).

I would be one of the first buyers of the M113, paint it for Vietnam service, get a few of those new seamless 1/6 figures, fit'em out in flak vests, helmets, M16s, manning .50 and M60s behind the gunshields, 'BUSTING JUNGLE' thru my wife's flower bed (in the Fall before she pulled up her deceased flowers...)!

I think a M113 that is widely recognized and has been used by SO MANY countries from the 1960 up thru today, would be sought after by 1/6 rc enthusasts AND veterans that rode them for real into combat!!

[Brian Ostlind]

Not a bad suggestion but... M1 Abrams would be my first choice for modern American AFV.

[Mike Conley]

Well Brian, except for one WWI tank, all Armortek AFVs/vehicles/Kompact Kits that have been produced in the last 16 years have been of the WWII era. Nothing new from 1945-up, yet there have been interesting major AFV improvements in fighting vehicles since then up to today.

The name 'ARMORtek' does NOT say 'WWII And Earlier Armor Only Tek'.

Armortek is the 'Mercedes', 'Rolls Royce', or 'Cadillac' of the 1/6th AFV WORLD by which all others are judged and I am a HUGE FAN!! NOTHING BETTER than Armortek!!!

But there's a LONG LIST of impressive post-1945 AFVs/utility vehicles that have been produced and used by many countries since then. I just don't want the growing 1/6th rc AFV market to start getting stagnant and customers lose interest...

If modern vehicles were produced (like the M113 or Abrams or Leopard or Bradley or...) that would peak the interest of a potential 'younger' market who aren't interested in AFVs from 75 years ago. If they saw a more recent AFV they'd think: 'I was a crewman on that ________ in the (jungle/desert/Fulda Gap/into Bagdad/etc...) and I want to get one and paint it like mine was!'

[Robert Reid]

I love the idea of a 113 APC...

A BRDM or a BTR80 would be cool, too!

The challenge for the team at Armortek is... so much cool armor... so little time!

I'm not that much into tracks. But I love the idea of an APC.

Cheers,

RPR

[Brian Ostlind]

All good choices. Armortek is the epitome of EXOTIC. They don’t do basic. They do the most extreme design choices ever made. Do we really think they should do a mass produced utility vehicle vs their current offering of extravagant, obscure and extremely low production vehicles? It’s an interesting debate!

[Pete Nash]

If 'we' are going down the 'extravagant, obscure, low production' route; how about a 'Maus' or a 'Ratte'
At 7 x 3 x 3 metres the latter could be a road vehicle and would scare the coppers, with two guns with a bore of nearly 2 inches they'd be Sh****ng bricks
And the Tracks! Six of them! it would be a nightmare. So its impractical. I wonder what the Driver and Vehicle Licensing authorities would class it as
I've got the 1/72 plastic kit of one, the road wheels and suspension would be a challenge to assemble in 1/6
But The Maus, only two built, one with a turret, that would be 1.7 x .5 x .5 meters so just about achievable.
Imagine the variations in schemes and accessories we could come up with.

Anyone fancy a trip to Russia to measure it?

P.S. What's the point of living if we can't dream.........