"Newly delivered Shapeways 1/100 US tanks, pre-WW2" Topic

I've always been interested in the U.S. Army immediately prior to WW2. I have a book of tanks that was my father's that gives details on the pre-war tanks that never saw combat. When Flames of War 1st Edition was out (I played the free web version originally), there was a supplement that included stats for those very same tanks.

Recently, something made me scratch that itch and I saw where some enterprising soul has them on Shapeways in sizes from 1/100 up through 1/48.

I ordered one each M1 and M2A2 light tanks, and M2 and M2A1 medium tanks. They arrived Tuesday.

link

Here is a sample:

That looks pretty not.

Not WWII, but I'd love to see the MBT-70, and the M114 scout vehicle for the US Armored Cav. in the Cold War, produced in 1/100th scale.

How much are the 15mm tanks?
How sturdy and non fragile are the guns?
I would like to get some for Guadalcanal.

Are those rear deck turret guns? Cool!

I believe "pricy" (just over a tenner for the light, nearer £20.00 GBP for that lovely looking medium) and "fragile" are the current responses….

The Shapeways Frosted Ultra Detail has a good resolution to it, but is basically a resin model, so fragile gun barrels are going to be an issue unfortunately. They do look pretty good though, and for stuff you simply can't get elsewhere….

As I mention in the blog I broke off one of the 37mm barrels.

None of the tanks pictured ever saw combat. The Marines on Guadalcanal had some M2A4 light tanks, and the same designer has made a model but for some reason has not yet scaled it to 1/100. He can be contacted via Shapeways to ask for it to be scaled, though.

They are not cheap:

PV14B M1 Combat Car $ 14.00
PV36B M2 Medium Tank $ 23.00
PV37B M2A1 Medium Tank $ 23.50
PV42B M2A2 Light Tank $ 18.00

Winston,

The M2 series mediums had four barbettes at each corner of the superstructure. The intent was a mobile pillbox.

Of course, they only had two gunners…

I like the M1, have wanted some for VBCW so it's nice to see someone who's purchased them. How do you think they would take drilling if I removed the fragile guns and crafted my own? Thank you for sharing.

I've picked up a lot of Shapeways for X-Wing. Yes the material is easy to drill.

Another option would be to ask the designer to offer the model in the Strong & Flexible material. This will loose some detail (Ultra Detail really is a lot crisper) and have more rough surface texture from the printing. But it will be a lot cheaper and the the tiny barrels will be strong and flexible and far less prone to breaking.

For X-Wing ships, I greatly prefer Strong & Flexible for any designs with spindly bits and am generally happy with the cost/quality balance. I reserve splurging on the Ultra Detail for signature ships that are also free from spindly bits.