Patton's M1A1 (1941)

[Neilio]

Over the weekend I started a build of General Patton's M1A1 light tank by Perry's Paper, available at ecardmodels.com.

This model depicts Patton's tank as painted for the June 1941 "Tennessee Maneuvers". The Tennessee Maneuvers were the first of a series of wargames conducted by the US Army in preparation for entering the European Theater. Additional wargames followed in Louisiana and North Carolina. In June of 1941, Patton was a newly-minted Major General and had been awarded command of the 2nd Armored Division. The division performed admirably throughout the exercises as Patton used this opportunity to prove his theories of large scale armored combat based on 19th Century cavalry doctrine. In a foreshadowing of the race across France yet to come, Patton's division completed 48 hours worth of objectives in only 9 hours. His command M1A1 light tank was painted, badged and flagged in such a way that no one would mistake it for anything other than Patton's tank.

This model comes in both 1/72 and 1/48 scale and arrives as a 7 page pdf. The first 2.5 pages have a brief historical introduction, assembly diagrams, and a few color photos of the completed model. There are no written instructions, but I don't think they are needed as the exploded-view diagrams are excellent. Sub-assemblies are color coded in the diagrams, and the part numbers on parts sheets have the corresponding color. The 1/72 version has 1.5 pages of parts and the 1/48 version has 3 pages of parts.

I'm building the 1/48 version, which seems massive to me. Lately I've been working in mini-scale (1/100) and micro-scale (1/300). At some point, I'll likely scale the 1/72 down to 1/100 and give that a go.

I printed 2 copies of the model, one on 110 lb and one on 67 lb. I did this for 2 reasons. (1) The 110 should be plenty stiff for the tank hull and turret without bracing, but the 67 will be better for curvy bits like fenders & treads. (2) Tanks are bumpy, with lots raised edges around hatches and such, so I can cut out details from the 67 and use them to create a little more depth to the model. I'm likely to print page 5 again, on lightweight stock, when it's time to roll gun barrels.

In my first building session, I assembled the turret structure; I'll add the guns at the end of the build so they stay out of the way. So far, so good. It's a complex little structure, but everything fits very nicely. Lots of folds to be scored on the turret sides, and it matched exactly to the turret top and bottom (more of a testament to the design than my skill). Overall I'm pleased with the outcome. It seems like the model is designed for the turret to be glued in place, but I think converting it to rotating turret won't be too difficult.

I likely won't get back to this until next weekend, but I'm looking forward to tackling the tank hull next!

[Richschindler]

Nice bit of history, and the build is looking pretty good so far.

[MichaelS]

Very interesting read. Thanks.

[Don Boose]

Excellent work!

It's very good to see one of Alberto's models being constructed.

Don

[Neilio]

In my first post I forgot to mention that while I'm using the 1/48 parts sheets, I scaled them down a bit to 1/50 (so I could fit to US letter size stock). With that cleared up, onward!

I found some decent photos on the interwebs of the M1A1, and that helped me decide what details to bring out a bit. It looks like the various hatches are set flush to the surface, with hinges bolted on top. So I cut out a lot of tiny hinges and applied to the surfaces before assembling the hull. I found a good top down view, which indicated the upper vent grate was recessed, so I recessed it on the model.

I built up the turret ring a bit, and then cut a hole in the middle. I made a cylinder to fit inside the hole, and then attached it to the bottom of the turret-- now I have a turret that rotates. Hull assembly went well-- better than I anticipated, actually, with so many pieces. Everything continues to fit quite nicely, and I'm pretty pleased with how this model is turning out so far. Fenders will be next.

Bonus picture: While looking for reference photos, I found a cover of Life Magazine that features Old Blood & Guts himself atop this very tank! The July issue date places this photo after Patton's triumphant performance in the Tennessee Maneuvers, and before the NC and LA Maneuvers (which would take place in the fall).

[southwestforests]

I like that it has the properly reversed from USAAC practice roundel colors as used on armor of the period. IIRC it was originally termed combat car then later changed to light tank.

[Neilio]

Originally Posted by southwestforests

IIRC it was originally termed combat car then later changed to light tank.

Yes, that is correct. The National Defense Act of 1920 designated that "tanks" were infantry support vehicles and thus the infantry had the responsibility (and funding) for development. As cavalry units moved towards mechanization, the term "combat car" was used to gain funding and to avoid running afoul of the law. So the difference between "light tank" and "combat car" was basically political. By 1940 or so, the distinction between infantry tank units and cavalry combat car units disappeared, and so the "combat car" term was discontinued as well.

[rockpaperscissor]

Your model is coming along very nicely. I've been on a 1/50 scale armor kick for several years now, but I've yet to build any of the excellent Modelperry kits. My only suggestion for your future builds would be to use a color closer to that of the model itself (in this case brown) for edge and tab coloring to make the joints less obvious. Black tends to accent them. I will be following along with interest.

[Don Boose]

Thanks for all the information on the vehicle and your modifications and building techniques.

Don

[Neilio]

Thanks for the kind words Don. Yes, the colored edges are coming out darker than I would like. I'm actually using a olive-brown watercolor marker for the edges, but it's not a great match. These iPhone photos are kind of contrast-y and the lighting isn't very good, so the joints and edges appear darker than in real life. When I'm done I'll post some pix with better lighting.