DRAGON 1/35 M3 US. Halftrack Build

[@stevie65able]

Hi Shane. So glad you kept this video fairly short. After all you wouldn't want it to Drag On....

[@longlance67]

haha saw what you did there lol

[@stevie65able]

@@longlance67 😂

[@michaeldean1289]

I just had to watch again, which I generally do for most of your build videos. Bloody great bit of work mate and appreciate your time in the build and sharing it.

[@larryscarafile7309]

Dragon kits are the reason I drink, I also has a lot of the same problems with this kit. I.m glad your results were bettor then mine, Nice job.

[@longlance67]

They can be real nightmares to build. This kit took me almost two months on and off to build as I got annoyed with it. And had to put it to one side incase it went airborne lol

[@derekbaker3279]

Fantastic video Shane (as always!).👍👍 Around 6 to 8 months ago, I purchased this kit, plus the other Dragon US half-track kits, so I appreciate the heads-up regarding the warped pieces, and how you solved the problems that the warping created. I will cross my fingers that not all Dragon US half-track kits have those warped parts, however if the warping was caused by how the sprues were packed, then I won't get my wish. I am looking forward to your next episode in this series!

[@foreverplastickits138]

*Nice build, this Dragon kit is amazing and you made the good choice!*

[@longlance67]

We must have built different kits lol As I found this kit a proper pig. And I'm happy its behind me lol

[@steeliron8246]

It's going to be big, I'm looking forward to the finished diorama and your work until then. lots of fun😃😃

[@longlance67]

thanks mate! I am really looking forward to creating the diorama too

[@jessewatkins1338]

Thanks for this in depth tutorial!!! I’m excited for this kit. There’s not a lot of Allied Halftrack models out there. Beautiful job on the build btw!! 👍👍👍

[@longlance67]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

You are on fire lately, cranking out almost as many vehicles as the US industry did back in 43/44! I love those halftracks, in fact i got me the M16 meat chopper by AFV Club. It should arrive soon. Maybe i can put it in a future project about the Dillingen an der Donau battle, which took place in my region.

[@longlance67]

Hey Michi! How are you getting on mate? haha I've gotten the building bug to try get through my outstanding project backlog. Hoping to start that Dragon Wagon you encouraged me buy in Dublin in the new year too ;) That M16 looks like a great kit, really interested in seeing what you do with it !

[@HamilkarBarkasScaleModelling]

@@longlance67 That sounds all great to me, do as you please mate :) A few weeks ago i got me the Dragon M7 Priest and a few Alpine GI´s to go along with it, might be a good late 1944, early 1945 subject. Not sure why, but my interest in US stuff was sparked a bit this autumn. We shall see how it goes. Too many kits, too little time, you know this yourself probably :)

[@DioramasPoa]

I have this car to assemble. I'm going to save this video, thanks for sharing.

[@longlance67]

Glad it helped

[@michaeldean1289]

Another Great build video, well appreciated mate! I love those Dragon kits, apart from Sherman’s, are my fav subjects. Got a couple of these baby’s n M2’s still buried in my stash, as well as numerous Tamiya’s kits still waiting for FC’s rear track/suspension upgrades. I’ve got all the Resicast , Legend and Verlinden upgrade and stowage kits as well as Eduard PE etc I hope to get around to trying to finish them off one year 😂

[@longlance67]

thanks mate, I love the M2/3 and their other variants of family. But found I did not enjoy building it too much. But I will probarly be building a M16 and Mortar Carrier in the future, So hopefully I will those easier having this build under my belt

[@carlosromojaro3672]

Thanks! Very good video. I have bought same kit. Waiting next step...

[@longlance67]

thanks! I hope your build proves less of a headache than mine lol I hope to get painting this bad boy soon

[@russellgosselin3325]

Nice video, Shane. Thank you for making it. I started the kit a few years ago. I put it back in the box because I was running into many of the stuff you mentioned in the video. I feel more confident and less stressed about getting back to finishing it. Looking forward to how you tackle the painting process.

[@longlance67]

It was a pretty messy model to build so I don't blame you for not wanting to put yourself through that stress. I started my kit back September and took plenty of breaks with this kit out frustration, and took my time

[@michaeldean1289]

Hi Shane Yes a new revised Tamiya kit would be great

[@longlance67]

It would be a game changer if they did release a new tool

[@timtheeagle1]

Great work my friend! Always happy to see a new video!

[@longlance67]

thanks mate!

[@thomasdailey9280]

That rivet tool is slick. I assume it is a tube with a sharpened opening .

[@longlance67]

quite so :)

[@ModelkitStuff]

looking forward to the diorama coming together

[@longlance67]

Thanks mate! I am currently preparing to commence the filming of Cobra King for this dio project

[@claytonmcclain182]

Absolutely fantastic Shane. The dragon halftrack is amazing but the hiccups are a pain sometimes. Luckily mine this time was my paint job. And the resins as you well know. ;) I might do a video on how I saved it and that stupid cab and fighting compartment.

[@longlance67]

It is proper pig of a kit no lie. But glad you saved your M3 too as look really nice once built

[@michaeldean1289]

They are definitely a far cry from Tamiya’s old kits! I had no problems with their M2 halftracks and you get so many spare parts left over as a bonus! If I get my FC model suspension upgrades I will finish of my Tamiya kits otherwise they will probably just get binned….just too much work to get them up to speed!

[@longlance67]

It would be nice if Tamiya does a new tool M2/M3 halftrack as it would be so much better a build experience than Dragon's kit

[@felippejonsson6078]

@@longlance67 Was thinking the same. I want to build an allied halftrack and im new to the hobby. Maybe im late to the game 😁 but just cant find any. Working on a Tamiya 1/35 Churchill (first model) it comes together so easy. So i hope tamiya release a halftrack.

[@Ryker06]

I just completed building this kit. The troop compartment side panels were slightly warped out of the box, but not to the extent you found yours. However, the 50 cal gun ring mount for the A2 version was severely warped and could not be used. I ended up using the A1 50 cal ring. So now I have a merge of A1 and A2 parts.....overall, a lot of headaches and disappointment with the kit. But, not a lot of options out there for US half tracks so Dragon is one of the few options. BTW, from your video, looks like the support for the 50 cal ring isn't sitting under the ring and is causing the whole mount to tilt towards driver's side. Should be somewhat flush. Looking forward to seeing how you paint/weather this pig. Cheers.

[@longlance67]

Very similar experience to me too. I had to make an almost hybrid between and the A2/A3 as parts were useable on each variant. It was a not a very pleasant experience but hopefully the painting and weathering will redeem this pig in the end

[@Ryker06]

@@longlance67 BTW Shane, have you found any figures for the troop compartment? I have seen a few German halftrack figures and for the more modern IDF, but no US WWII half track figures. Thanks.

[@MedievalWargamer]

Looks amazing great work!

[@longlance67]

Thank you! I've been watching a lot of videos of late. Been really enjoying your army breakdowns of the kingdoms of the 100 years war! Also beautiful painted minis too!

[@MedievalWargamer]

@@longlance67 Thank you my friend!! Looking forward in watching more videos from your channel You content and work is something i am not familiar with and that makes it very interesting to me! Obviously subscribed.

[@dioramadevil]

Great veichle... I have a Tamiya kit in my stash. Nice video... Realy...

[@longlance67]

The Tamiya Halftrack is a very rare kit indeed! And still holds pretty even today

[@DieTabbi]

nice work. seems the Blast set is not anymore on their page?

[@allanatwick1606]

Awesome, I have one in my stash so this will be really helpful nice one Shane Quick edit : now after watching this, I'm glad I didn't start mine a few weeks back, if it's a challenge for you then I'm fecked mate haha. At least I know what I'm up against and what to watch out for. Look forward to the next installment 👍👍

[@longlance67]

Its not an unbuildable kit to be fair, and I'm not most talented builder when it comes to construction. I would way just take your time and test fit a lot. Especially the fit between the cab and fighting compartment. And the MG mount up top. They require a little sanding and fitting but will work eventually. That said I am not in hurry to build another for a while lol

[@allanatwick1606]

@@longlance67 cheers mate, I'll definitely bear that in mind, I also have a few other dragon kits and there are at least 2 that have errors in the instructions ( Hornisse and the hummel) so I know they will be a challenge too, though they are the later kits so not as bad as the earlier ones apparently

[@GDstory2023]

Thank you for the good information😊🤗

[@longlance67]

Glad to have been of help! :)

[@the_lost_navigator]

When an Irishman speaks of whiskey, Dragons or 'His' Island - you know he's serious ;) Subbed with Respect, from the Great White North eh

[@longlance67]

There is no more a serious subject lol

[@johnathanbridgeman6573]

Can you tell me the type or brand of clamps you used? I want to grab some for bench. Thanks! Awesome video!

[@longlance67]

They just super cheap clamps bought from a discount shop nothing really special at them :)

[@brucethemodelnoob]

Lemon-flavoured TET? LOL… Nice save on the warped parts. Thinking back to your AFV Club 251 it seems like you’re a little cursed when it comes to halftracks. 😂

[@longlance67]

haha can't beat that citrus smell lol ya I've noticed that trend too, I love halftracks but they seem to love me lol

[@kenbtheman]

Nice build video. I have this kit as well as the M16 gun motor carriage version. Now I know what up against. The thing that I don't like is the tracks. They're way lacking in detail.

[@longlance67]

thanks mate, these are challenging builds. So I would recommend a lot of test fitting. As quite a bit of hand fitting is needed to get crew and fighting compartments to join. The tracks once in place are not the worse. Though I am sure there must be aftermarket available for them somewhere

[@francopasta3704]

Tarps, stowage, and mud are your friend…😊

[@michaeldean1289]

Yer I want to do both the M16 and mortar carriers, they are just part of the grand plan, if I don’t die 1st lol

[@longlance67]

I am eyeing their mortar carriers too, they seem like interesting vehicles to model. But I don't think I can face another of their halftracks for some time lol

[@leyregimenezlopez7358]

Estoi montando un M3 de dragón i de momento mui bien después de montar tamiya takom etc un saludo. Desde Bcn Barcelona ciudad condal

[@longlance67]

Greetings from Galway Ireland. Glad to hear your build was a more pleasant than mine :) I had a hard time trying to building mine, however now that I am well into detail painting my kit. It looks like all the trouble will be worth it!

[@johntreloar8203]

Can't say I'm a fan of Dragon models, they are way over engineered and most have fit and poor detail issues, but having said that ,well done Shane.

[@RasEli03]

I dont know what models you have built by them, because all of the dragon models I have built have been detailed and nicely fitting

[@longlance67]

They are very nicely detailed and crisp moldings but your right, they fight the modeler with fit issues or vague instructions that lead to problems

[@longlance67]

I've built numerous Dragon kits over the years, and yes some of them are gems. Like their Flak 36, Tigers and Panthers. However they have just as many kits that have bad fit, poor instructions or require the modeler to have modify random parts out of laziness on their part. They have great detail in their plastic for sure, but their engineering is all over the place

[@johntreloar8203]

@@RasEli03 Kit #6925 very poor details, I've been building kits for 50 yrs and have seen them all...

[@willthorson4543]

I think you are confusing black label with their regular kits. The vast majority of their kits build really nicely with great detail. Instructions can be a mess along with different versions. But over all, their kits are great.

[@willthorson4543]

I biukt this out 3different time and never had issues.isit fiddly? Yes. Annoyingly so. But it goes together pretty quickly. I've done tis, the me twice and the M16. O also did the howitzer version with the shield. That one sucked. The shield was warped so it was a battle to get it to fit correctly. I hoping day Tamiya series their classic kits of this one.

[@longlance67]

It would be great if Tamiya would do some new tool kits of their halftracks and a M8 HMC would be awesome too

[@chris41952]

"See what the location tabs will allow you to do." *builds a Tacom kit* ☹️

[@longlance67]

Funny the only Takom kit I've built (M3 Lee) was a pretty pleasant experience

[@chris41952]

@@longlance67 I'm building a Tacom Chinese Brave Tiger and its a nightmare.

[@timurtamerlan2399]

You made a little mistake, your Halftrack has no radio so the radio mast should not be there.

[@longlance67]

it is something I've only noticed, and will be sure to remove it before I get painting my track

[@fieldmarshal48]

It's a M3A1 not a M3A2.

[@longlance67]

It is a bit of a frankstein of a model. With trying to make this work as parts won't fit or the instructions pulled a dragon on me

[@fromvalery5527]

Фокус на коврике, а не на модели большую часть фильма %(

[@edsavage5526]

I had the dragon m16 gun motor carriage kit, the fit between cab and rear body was the same as this with the gap.

[@longlance67]

I this must be issues throughout all their halftrack family. I wonder how the newer AFV Club M16 builds up in comparison

[@michaeldean1289]

I just had to watch again, which I generally do for most of your build videos. Bloody great bit of work mate and appreciate your time in the build and sharing it.