Zvezda 1/35 scale M3 scout car

Kit: No. 3581
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Zvezda, available from Squadron Mail Order, 972-242-8663, www.squadron.com
Price: $23.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 190 parts, decals
Pros: Reissue of Peerless kit
Cons: Minor detail and fit problems

Developed in the 1930s, the M3 White scout car was the main armored car of the U.S. Army at the start of World War II. Many allies, especially Britain and the Soviet Union, also used the vehicle, mainly through the policy of Lend-Lease. The all-wheel drive chassis had an armor-plated body and open top. A skate rail ran around the open top, to which .30- and .50-caliber machine guns could be mounted. Besides the driver and commander there were seats for six other men in the rear. The vehicles were often seen equipped with several radios. A fold-down armor plate could further protect the bulletproof glass windshield. Thousands were built during the war, and quite a few can still be found running today in vehicle collections.

Zvezda has just released its second issue of the M3 Scout Car, this time with a canvas top. It was originally released in the 1970s by Peerless (sometimes Peerless Max). At the time, it was the state-of-the-art in 1/35 scale armor models. After Peerless, the molds found their way to Italeri, where the kit was released under Testor and Italeri labels. Several years ago Zvezda acquired the molds. Somewhere along the way some changes were made to the kit. The way the wheels attach to the chassis has been simplified, and the figures are missing. The canvas top is different from the original.

Molded in olive plastic, this release shows little flash. However, several areas reveal where the molds have corroded leaving little lumps on the parts. Many of the smaller detail parts are crude by today's standards, but overall the surface detail is good. Ejector pin marks are visible, but they are easy to repair. Some sink marks are also present. The instructions are basic but well illustrated and easy to follow. The decal sheet includes markings for three vehicles.

Assembly started with the chassis. Despite the lack of modern engineering, it went together well, and all four tires touch the ground. Take your time aligning the body panels, and you will need very little filler. I found the worst fit to be the doors, especially the right one. I left off the tools, seats, and some of the other detail parts to make painting them easier.

The decals were applied over a coat of Future floor polish. Although the decals are thin, I had problems getting them off the decal paper. They slid on the wet paper easily but as soon as they hit the edge they stopped. When prodded with a finger they wanted to curl under the paper. Once in place, however, they responded to both Micro Sol and Solvaset. The star on the hood required several applications of Solvaset.

The clear windshield was missing from my kit, so I took one from an earlier Zvezda kit. Finally the small details were added to the model.

I spent only about 13 hours building my scout car. The kit measures exactly to the dimensions found in Hoagg and Weeks' Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. The kit still holds up well, despite its age, and can really be made to shine if you replace some of the cruder parts. If you want to see what was state-of-the-art 30 years ago, try a Zvezda scout car.