Accuracy of Information

Comparing the photos of the restored/rebuilt museum vehicles to the information/references I have in my personal collection about the M3A1 scout car, I find it to be very accurate.  The sources I used to check the accuracy of the CD are:

·        “Armored Car- A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles” by Richard J. Hunnicutt

·        M3A1 Scout Car Vehicle Index at Warwheels.net

·        “U.S. Armoured Cars - AFV Weapons Profile #40” by Robert J. Icks

·        “U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles” by Fred W. Crismon

Remember though, that these vehicles are probably not in original condition and there may be some small differences from WWII era scout cars.  With that being said, I did not identify any wrong or misleading information contained in the captions nor did I find any problems with the museum vehicles covered.  Plus, there is absolutely no reason for me to believe the information is inaccurate in any way and I don’t think I missed any significant errors either.

Photograph/Image Quality and Selection

The 304 color photos that are contained on the reference CD are of excellent quality, especially considering the fact that the scout cars are located inside one of two museums.   The color and clarity of the photos is top notch. There are no blurry, unclear or just plain “bad” photographs provided. 

As for the selection of the photos included with this M3A1, we get an awesome range of images.  As per the listing above, every aspect of the scout car is covered; in minute detail.  Even the machine guns get 26 photos of coverage!  We do get some overall photographs, but the real bonus is in those detail photos.  This CD will definitely help anyone building their M3A1 kits on the shelf.  I know it will help me with my 1/35 Peerless-Max/Italeri/Zvezda/Revell of Germany offering.

I could not include an image of a photo with the caption as it actually looks from the CD.  So, here is a hyperlink to the TTP website with an example of an image with the caption included.

Use as Reference

Being that this photo reference CD on the “White” Scout car is fairly comprehensive in coverage, specifically where details are concerned, this product is a great resource for us modelers or even vehicle enthusiasts.  Considering the extremely low price it is a steal.  Not only is every aspect of this vehicle covered but a caption is included as well.  The caption is pretty basic, but it clearly identifies what we are looking at in each photo.  This is a wonderful touch that many photo references do not include.

The only “negative” issue that this CD (and all other TTP products) has is that there are no “in action” photos of WWII era M3A1 scout cars. This is the only nit I have to pick with this CD and I am definitely reaching for things to find wrong by mentioning this point.  However, being that those “in action” photos are outside the scope of TTP’s coverage, it is definitely understandable.  I would have liked to see some of this stuff though as that is my personal preference.

Conclusion

Toadman’s Tank Pictures M3A1 Photographic Reference CD is definitely something for armored car modelers and enthusiasts.  If you need fine detail photos of the “White” Scout car, this is undoubtedly for you.  You get a staggering number of high quality photos which will be a great help in super-detailing your M3A1 model kit or even if you just want to know more about those scout cars.  Throw in the fact that the retail price is a super bargain, buying this CD is a no-brainer.  As if the low price isn’t enough, if you’re an AMPS member, you also get a 20% discount on all TTP products! The only “downside” to this CD is that you don’t get in action photos of WWII era scout cars.  However, that is outside the scope of TTP products anyway.

Recommendation: A “Must Have” for armored/scout car aficionados/modelers or those interested in the M3A1 Scout Car.

Thanks to Chris Hughes of Toadman’s Tank Pictures for the opportunity to review this CD.