"Now I have to have one of these..." Topic

…matted and framed and hanging in my office. I started drooling when I started looking at all the different blueprints available. The prices are very reasonable.

link

Of course the M3 Lee/Grant is one of my favorite tanks of WW II. Not because it was the best tank, but because it was such a unique looking monster that provided the Allies much needed punch in armor at a critical time.

That is so cool. Of course you've seen THE M3Lee movie, Sahara? The original with Humphry Bogart and the remake with Jim Belushi (which was actually pretty good!).

I own the DVD of the original Sahara with Humphry Bogart. I was not aware of a remake. I will have to check that out and see if it is on Netflix.

I plan to run a "Sahara" game sometime in 28 mm. Should be fun.

More than any other armored vehicles, the Lee/Grant always reminded me of an elephant lumbering into battle with a bog ol' howdah on its back.

Despite their many flaws, they certainly were distinctive looking beasts, and a great choice for wall art.

Out of interest was it printed on quality stock/paper?

Lee tanks are just cool. Love the original 'Sahara'. Can't beat Humphrey Bogart.

The 1995 remake of Sahara was filmed in Australia. A few Aussie actors rounding out the cast too but Lulubelle was definitely the star. I enjoyed it !

Yes, a great tank to model.

Peering inside the one in the IWM, I'd really hate to be in there with six other people though.

I have also always had a soft spot for the Lee/Grant – a huge lumbering monster, but it has a certain appeal

Plus, one of the very first 1/35 kits I built as a teenager was the old Monogram Grant – not the best model kit ever produced, but a lot of fun to build!

McWrong,

The website states, "This is a real blueprint made directly from vellum masters. Delivered to you on a full size master sheet measuring 42"x 30".
The blueprint will arrive uncut, edge not slit, or trimmed, and are marked for proper 36"x24" finishing. This is a detailed general arrangement plan (standard blueprint cover-sheet)"

I am not sure what all that means but wit would appear to me that this is an actual blue print. Which means that it would probably have to be mounted on some kind of board before framing.

The Belushi Sahara is available to view on You TUbe!

I'm interested that it is an actual blueprint with white lines on a blue background. That sort of process went out of use about 50 years ago. Even the more modern blue lines on a white background was discontinued in most places about ten years ago. I wonder where they are getting these made?

And yes, the Lee/Grant was an amazing tank. Supposedly a British infantryman seeing one for the first time exclaimed: "It looks like a bloody cathedral driving down the road!" :)

I have been fascinated by the M3 Lee for so (SOOOO) many years! Seeing the movie Sahara on some weekend afternoon "oldies" movie show way back in the early 1970s clearly started my interest. But I have read, researched, and modeled M3s ever since.

A fun pic. The business end of a US Medium, M3. In this case it is the Lee at the MVTF (Military Vehicle Technology Foundation) museum in Northern California.

Again just for fun, a company of US Army Medium, M3 tanks (by GHQ) in my micro-armor collection.

And a close-up of the company XO's tank, on a quarter (for scale).

Must have been terribly confusing in the US Army during the Tunisian campaign to have someone refer to an "M3" in communications. Could be referring to a light tank, a medium tank, a tank destroyer built on a halftrack, or just the halftrack that the tank destroyer was built on. Or a can opener. Or even an SMG.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)