# The Haunted Tank



## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

I just got Italeri's M3A1 Stuatr with the intention of doing it up as Sgt. Jeb Stuart Smith's Haunted Tank. It was a bit pricey at $45.00 CDN, but what an improvement over the old Tamiya offering. They even give you the option of using either old-style "rubber-band" tracks or styrene individual link tracks. They give you caps to fit over the openings for the sponson machine guns, but to depict a tank with the sponson guns you need to raid the parts box for a pair of M1919's The turret cupola isn't as depicted in the comics, but since the crew went through a number of M3's that doesn't pose much of a problem. I need to get a 1/32 scale mounted Confederate general to go with the tank...


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Just took a better look at the sprues - it actually does give you the extra .30 MGs, shown as unused parts in the instructions. There are a number of parts that aren't used - probably for other variants. One thiung I like is that it gives you parts for doing a gas-powered vehicle, rather than the diesel version Tamiya portrayed, and optional long-range gas tanks. Decals are given for a Northern Africa US Army tank, a Pacific Theatre US Marine tank, a training unit in Kentucky and a Brazilian Army tank...

The instructions show part 12b as unused, but depict it being used in step 13! Also included are sand-shields, which are not greyed out in the instruction, but are noy shown as being used. Someone in Italy seems to have gotten their wires crossed.

One neat thing is that they've double-bagged everything. Most sprues are individually bagged (sometimes two or three sprues bagged together), and then the whole kit'n'kaboodle is in an overall bag. Then the box is sealed with a couple of discs of tape, and then shrink-wrapped!:freak:

I guess you get what you pay for. :thumbsup:


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Hmm, I didn't know Italeri produced an m3A1! I have the Academy, where as I've not build it, it seems to be a real nice kit. It too gives you rubber band tracks or individuals.

I'm not familiar with the comic you refer to, do you have a picture of the tank you could post? Sounds interesting.

Carl-


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

I think the Italeri is just the Academy reboxed. The Haunted Tank was just a stock M3A1. 

Here's a sample cover from the comic: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/hauntedtank.jpg The comic was originally illustrated by Russ Heath, with covers by Joe Kubrik.


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Thanks Owen! Yeah, now I see it I think I have seen this before. So long ago I've forgot it.

Didn't know Italeri ever boxed Academy kits. Just as well, they have so many others....

Carl-


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The Italeri kit is a rebox of the bad Academy kit. Out of the box the kit is not an M3A1 either. It is a late M3. The M3A1 had a curved rear hull overhang and the kit one is squared off. The interior is also incorrect as you need to remove the turret basket and add hull mounted ammmo racks and a padded transmision cover hump (that the crew stood on). 

The Academy kit makes into a nice model and is attractive looking, but proportionally the hull is way way off. It is actually worse than the old, motorized, Tamiya kit. It actually seems that Academy copied the Tamiya kit to some extent as it has exactly the same issues just magnified. And, they created more issues themselves.

Another nit pick is the Academy long range fuel tanks look like steel drums but the real ones were rubberized bladders and should have a rather puffy, inflated, look.


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Someone made the 'rubber bladder look' type in resin with PE straps. I've got a set, real nice too, don't remember who produced it though.

I've never built an Academy kit, so not familiar with all the issues. Too bad, IIRC the detail is nice. Been collecting dust for years. I'll get around to building it one day. (if _'one day' _ever actually arrives) I've always like the Stewarts and Honeys.

Getting too old and long in the tooth to do all the scratch building to bring a kit up to 'Gold Standards' any more. If it looks close, hell, I just do the best paint I can and cover the really glaring probs with stowage! Just look at it with one eye closed while standing on your head and it will look just fine....

Carl-


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Good thing I'm not trying to do a super-accurate model, then - just trying to do the comic book version. I did the Tamiya one as a Honey a decade ago, using the Verinden early rivetted turret.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I know Verlinden has the fuel tanks in their Stuart/Honey conversion and detail set. They are not great but they are better than Academy's.

The Academy kit builds up pretty well. One odd and annoying issue is the track guide teeth hit the return roller support arms requiring a little trimming.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Since the Haunted Tank is consistently depicted with the style of turret used on the Tamiya model, I've borrowed that turret from a friend and have put it under rubber. I'll cast a copy in polyurethane resin and detail it with the interior from the Academy kit, giving me the best of both worlds. I'll be using the US tanker figures from the Tamiya M4 Sherman, and am still trying to find a Civil War mounted general to do the ghost of General Stuart. I might shell out the bucks to get a King and Country figure in 1/30 scale for him. The size difference won't matter since the ghost was often depicted as larger than like anyway.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Note the Tamiya turret is grossly underscale. It should be the same size as the Academy kit but it is maybe 2/3 the size it should be.

Actually in GI Combat the Haunted Tank was not consistently depicted. You do see more of the hex "Honey" style turrets than the rounded type though. 

This one has the hex turret



So does this one



But in half of the issues the HT is a Sherman



Or some odd tank vaguely like an M47 Patton



In the current version the HT is an Abrams, too.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

The crew went throuigh a lot of tanks - several M3s, the "Jigsaw tank" they built from several destroyed tanks in a junkyard, and finally a few M4s. The later model M3 turret was the most iconic, though. As for the M4, apparently there was some conflict between the ghosts of Generals Stuart and Shermen when they first got the M4. The modern day Haunted Tank (the Cyber-Command Assault Vehicle) is commanded by the granddaughter of Jeb Stuart, Lieutenant Jennifer Stuart and is "haunted" by Jeb's ghostly presence.

Thanks for the info about the undersized Tamiya turret - I'll compare my castings with the Academy turret. It should be possible to back-date the Academy turret with a new top and commander's position, using the Tamiya as a pattern.

25 years ago, I used the Verlinden conversion to do a British Honey with the slab-sided turret, so I want to make this one a bit different from that.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Latest update to my plans. Turns out the Tamiya turret was NOT one of the things I'd put under rubber, so I'm saved the expense of doing that! The conversion is dead simple, so I'll just go ahead and use the Tamiya turret as a reference. As for Gen. Stuart, I just priced the mounted figure at my local toy soldier shop and it's too expensive for my tastes - &90.90 CDN. Prices on eBay are even higher, starting at $120.00 US! On the other tentacle, I've downloded some images of the figure, and it too will be a relatively painless conversion using an old Aifix moundet figure and some Aves - the figure I'm using even has similar cavalry boots and I have a lot of cavalry sabres in both styrene and pewter.


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

As regards the comic book renditions, the covers (by Joe Kubert) are not really representative of the interior art by Russ Heath. Heath is a better technical artist. Kubert is good, but has a much looser style. Heath's drawings of vehicles and equipment are second to none.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Here ya go a metal, mounted, JEB for $35

http://www.imrierisleyminiatures.com/the-american-civil-war/leaders-on-mount/

scroll down...


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Thanks. $35 is definitely more in my price range, but since it's so easy a conversion and I have the parts I think I'll see if I can do my one Gen. Stuart.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I always wanted Moebius to reissue their Confederate Raider in glow plastic...


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## jxwright (Dec 15, 2008)

*Moebius Confederate Raider*

Check this out: http://culttvman.com/main/brad-hairs-confederate-raider/


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

Woulda been neat if he'd sculpted Stuart's distinctive beard and moustache, and his feathered hat...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

You could do that easily in the scale of the generic Moebius/Aurora "Confederate Raider"


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## Thomas73 (Dec 16, 2014)

I love my 1/16th German Leopard II tank which i was given by my uncle on Xmas


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

With my Christmas money (Mom sent it early) I picked up the Academy M3 Honey kit, which is the same kit with the early octagonal turret, usually shown in the comic version of the Haunted Tank. I'm going to use it - my 1/32 scale ghost of J.E.B Stuart is mostly built, but the project is still on the back burner. I'm going to take the Italeri/Academy kit with the round turret and do it up as a turrtel-ess M3 Recce Tank in Canadian markings. The spare set of sand shields ( the HT didn't use them) I'm going to retrofit onto my old Tamiya Honey with the Verlinden octagonal turret.


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