US Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 w/3 Figs

The plastic is molded in an olive drab color, and even though this is an older kit, there was minimal flash to clean up from the parts. As with other Tamiya kits that I have built, the model all but falls together right out of the box. My only fit issue was with the drive shaft arts A26 and 27, as their fit to the lower hull required some filler to close up the gaps. Aside from this, everything went together with just a little seam line clean-up, and no additional filler was utilized. The hits of this particular kit in my opinion are the fact that I have not seen an M8 produced by any other company, so it is a one-off, and the detail in the molding includes weld seams for some of the pieces. Grab handles are all individually molded parts, and being plastic, are more three dimensional than their photo-etched counterparts. Ease of assembly is another big hit with me, and I highly recommend taking on an easier kit from time to time, just to keep the hobby “fun” as it is meant to be. My misses for this kit are minimal as I only had one fit issue during construction (the previously mentioned drive shaft parts mating with the lower hull). Some may consider the openings in the bottom of the lower hull and “on” and “off” markings an issue, but I left them alone for this build for the nostalgia. The holes could easily be filled in with some sheet styrene and putty, and the letters could be scraped off and sanded. I did have one decal break on me (on the rear deck), but as this goes over several raised items in the area, I may have self-induced the damage when pushing on the decal with a Q-tip to remove the excess water and Micro Set. The other potential miss would be the overall dimensions of the built up vehicle, depending on which source is correct on the measurements of the real thing.

This project is simply one that does not fail to keep the builder engaged. While it looks really simple to build (it can be) there is just so much you can do with it to make it your own. While building this one, I relied on other Hobby Linc faithful's to learn and tailor my build. On this one you are not just building the outside but, the interior as well. So, you kind of get two models for the price of one. Personal, I will be doing this model again because it was just good fun!

This is an older Tamiya kit. But I had no fit trouble at all. Good detail on all parts. Decals went on ok. Pros: Kit starts with an easy to follow 8-page instruction booklet. Good detail in the open turret. Rubber tracks and 3 figures. A separate instruction booklet for 2 of the figures. I always use Tamiya colors, so no trouble matching up colors. I was looking at some of the black and white photos of the carriage in WWII. When I noticed none of them had their side skirts on. So, if you wanted to show more of the wheels and tracks try this. Cons: None. The two figures inside the turret are little difficult to fit inside. Just dry fit them inside before gluing them in place.