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1/35 Tamiya M8 Greyhound Armored Car

Model Photos

Model Kits and Photos by Frank Blanton - Richmond, Virginia USA

Diorama - "Mines: Recon on Foot"

This diorama depicts an M8 Armored Car of the Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, 29th Infantry Division; Circa 1944.  The model kit is the Tamiya 1/35th scale M8 Armored Car and the figures are a mix of Tamiya, Alpine and Warriors products.  Also used in this project was the Resicast poseable front steering conversion.  The set fit very well and mated up perfectly to the kit wheels.

Other detail additions include, wiring of the drivers compartment and the addition of extra ammunition rounds in the turret's ammo stowage rack. In addition, the molded on plastic spring on the kit's antenna masts were cut off and new springs fashioned from wire and then "tied down". Guitar string was used the aerials and a rubber-type thread used for the tie downs. A .30 cal B.A.R. in a pintle mount was also added just for kicks really. In fact I found a Technical Manual with illustrations of such a mount. The umbrella is more of a signature piece of the diorama and something added for visual interest.

The jumping commander figure is a Warriors item that came from a two-figure set of a wounded tanker. I did change the arms using parts from the spares box and I modified the left hand a bit. Archer Fine Transfers were used for the 29th Division's Blue and Grey patches and the emblem on the front of the vehicle. Finally to make the diorama base I used Styrofoam, Aves Studiors "Clay Shay" and Silflor grasses for the ground cover. I then added Verlinden barbed wire and round tooth picks to construct a fence, Armand Bayardi tree stumps and DML teller mines placed just under the grass. In fact, if you look at the front corner of the base you will notice the underground mine and small trip lines/rods along the fence line.