M3 Stuart Background Information:
The M3 “Stuart” was the only American tank design to see combat from the opening days of the war right up through the end. The Stuart was intended to be a fast, lightly armored tank, armed with numerous machine guns and a turret-mounted 37mm gun powerful enough to defeat the armor of all but the heaviest Axis tanks at the outbreak of the war.
Early M3s Stuarts had riveted hulls and turret armor and many were supplied by Lend-Lease to Great Britain. Many were sent to troops fighting in North Africa, where they were nicknamed “Honeys” by their new British owners in homage to their reliability and speed. Operation Torch brought American troops and their M3A1 Stuarts with cast armor turrets and welded-hulls to North Africa in 1942. The US Marines used the Stuart in their Pacific campaigns including the legendary Guadalcanal and Tarawa campaigns.
The Stuart saw continued refinements throughout its production cycle and would eventually be standardized as the M5 Stuart to avoid confusion with the M3 Medium Tank. While in many ways the Stuart was substandard to its Axis counterparts, especially in the area of firepower, the lack of a suitable replacement meant it would serve with US and Allied armies until the end of the war.
Additional information about this Brickmania custom Lego® kit:
This is an updated version of one of Brickmania’s most popular building kit and now includes premium vinyl sticker sets to build three different M3 Stuart variations. This Brickmania model kit is made from genuine unused LEGO bricks, articulated Brickmania Track Links, a BrickArms M1919, a custom pad-printed tanker minifig and full-color, professionally printed building instructions.
The M3A1 Stuart Kit has the following features:
- Fully rotating turret with elevating main gun assembly
- Opening commander’s hatches on the turret
- Full articulated treads built with Brickania’s Track Links™
- Brickmania’s exclusive custom pad-printed US Tanker minifig
- Sturdy construction means lots of play possibilities
- Premium vinyl sticker sheet to build three different M3 Stuart models
- 1/35 scale to match other Brickmania models
- Includes 445 genuine new-condition LEGO bricks, Brickmania Track Links and BrickArms elements
- Comes with a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
- Intermediate Skill Level (4-6 years experience with LEGO is recommended)
All Brickmania model kits are made of new-condition LEGO bricks and this one includes compatible accessories by BrickArms. This model comes disassembled,includes complete full color printed building instructions, a signed certificate of authenticity and comes packaged in a sealed box.
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