Tamiya 32606 M5A1 Stuart 1/48 Scale Plastic Model Kit

Tamiya ventured into the modeling business in 1948, with a scale wooden ship model kit. Since then, Tamiya has been striving to offer merchandise that can truly be called 'First in Quality Around the World.' Now Tamiya is offering more than 300 different products, both in the fields of precision static models and high performance radio control vehicles. These products are not only sold in Japan but also exported in vast quantities to the United States, Europe, South East Asia, and to many other parts of the world. The standard of excellence achieved by Tamiya is regarded as among the very finest in the world of model hobbies. This finely detailed plastic model kit requires assembly and painting. Item is brand new and in its original factory packaging. Listing images are stock pictures provided by the manufacturer or the distributor. This assembly kit recreates the U.S. Light Tank M5A1 Stuart in compact 1/48 scale! The light tank M5A1 was developed as the successor of the M3 Stuart, which was America’s first major mass production light tank. Powered by twin V8 gasoline engines, it achieved speeds of up to 58km/h. While it kept the M3 turret, the M5 had a welded hull with updates to the sloped frontal armor and the rear engine deck. After that, M5A1 tanks appeared with an updated turret equipped with a 37mm gun, and they had bigger hatches, rails for track grousers and a 7.62mm machine gun mount. Around 6,800 M5A1s were produced, and after debuting in North Africa they were deployed on the new Italian and Western Fronts from 1943 and 1944 respectively, using their mobility effectively in reconnaissance and other roles.