Tamiya 1/48 scale U.S. Light Tank M5A1 Stuart plastic model kit review

Developed from the M3 Stuart, the M5A1 featured dual Cadillac V8s with automatic transmissions instead of its predecessor’s radial engine. Approximately 6,800 were built, and they served from Operation Torch through the end of World War II.

Supplied in a box with beautiful cover art, the four olive drab plastic sprues in Tamiya’s 1/48 scale U.S. Light Tank M5A1 Stuart plastic tank kit feature perfectly molded parts with no sink marks and only a hint of ejector-pin marks that will be all but indiscernible on the finished model. Slide molding provides hollow gun muzzles.

Other features include easy-to-assemble link-and-length tracks with appropriate sag. Tabs on the return rollers start the track assembly, um, on-track, and the instructions indicate a numbered sequence to build them. Polycaps in the drive sprockets help align the last track sections. Stick with the instructions and wait to add the hull top after installing the tracks.

Before gluing the hull in place, paint the inside flat black to hide the barren interior through the open-top hatch. I finished most of the painting and decaling in Step 18 to avoid breaking off the machine gun during handline. The kit provides two schemes from the 33rd Armored Regiment in France, during July 1944 and the well-printed decal settled over details with help from Solvaset decals solution.

I followed the painting instructions and used a combination of Tamiya acrylic and lacquer paints. Weathering was done with a combination of Tamiya panel wash, pigments, and acrylic paint pencils.

With trepidation, I tackled the beautifully sculpted figure included—it was my first figure—painting it exactly as the instructions showed and using the indicated colors. I brushed on AK Interactive Wash for German Dark Yellow, let it dry, and cleaned off the high spots with a cotton swab lightly dampened with mineral spirits to emphasize details.

This is Tamiya’s 106th kit in its 1/48 scale armor range and it’s another winner. The Tamiya 1/48 scale U.S. Light Tank M5A1 Stuart plastic model kit is great value for the money and would be a great kit for a beginner, but experienced builders will also enjoy the build and weathering process, and the included figure is wonderful. Sure, you could button up the hull, but give the figure a shot before you do.