TheM5A1 Light Tank would not appear in my list of 'must build' kits were it not for a colour illustration in an old book called 'Tanks and Other Armoured Vehicles 1942-45' by B. T. White. It was published in 1975 by Blandford as part of a large series of small hardback books called the 'Blandford Colour Series'; there were dozens of titles covering a diverse range of subjects such as aircraft, birds, insects, fossils, railways, military uniforms and pond life! The illustration shows a colourful paint scheme of dark green with red-brown patches overlaid with buff stripes.
An Internet search quickly identified the photograph from which the Blandford illustration was made, an often-reproduced monochrome image showing a rear right three-quarter view of the tank, named ‘Hothead’, on churned sandy ground surrounded by shattered tree stumps and dugin U.S. Marines. The photo was taken on the island of Namur, part of Kwajalein Atoll in the Western Pacific; the American operation to capture the atoll from the Japanese, ‘Operation Flintlock’, commenced on 31st January 1944 with landings on Kwajalein Island in the south followed by landings on the conjoined islands of Roi and Namur at the northernmost point of the atoll the following day.
The landings on Roi-Namur were made by elements of the 4th Marine Division; on Roi the 23rd Marines were supported by three M5A1 Light Tanks of A Company and ten M4A2 Medium Tanks of C Company, 4th Marine Tank Battalion. The capture of Namur was assigned to the 24th Marines supported by B Company, 4th Marine Tank Battalion with ten M5A1 Light Tanks including 'Hothead'. The photograph shows that ‘Hothead’ was an early production M5A1 Light Tank fitted with a deep wading trunk and with grousers fitted to the tracks in addition to a full set mounted on the turret racks. The deep wading gear consisted of rubberised canvas seals fitted over the engine deck grilles and other apertures; a large trunk covered the rear engine access doors and open engine deck overhang, enclosing the engine exhausts and carburettor intakes. This allowed the tank to wade in up to six feet (1.8m) of water, but the engine could only be run for about eight minutes with the full kit fitted, enough time to disembark from a landing craft or cross a small river. The trunk consisted of two parts, the base section was firmly fixed in place and sealed while the upper extension stack could be quickly detached to allow the full 360-degree rotation of the turret; ‘Hothead’ is pictured with just the lower trunk fitted. On Roi-Namur the tanks were launched from LCM-3 landing craft and were prepared for deep wading, although this proved to be unnecessary as the landing craft were able to get sufficiently close inshore to launch directly onto the beach.
On the Internet I found several sources that included images of M5A1 Light Tanks on Roi and Namur Islands: colour newsreel footage that was mostly shot from just offshore, probably from a landing craft, monochrome newsreel film shot on land and some monochrome still photographs. In one colour clip, ‘Flame’, an M5A1 from A Company is seen disembarking directly onto the beach on Roi from an LCM-3 landing craft. It is fitted with a wading trunk base but no stack. In a second clip an unidentified M5A1 is briefly shown moving along the beach, and in a third, apparently an ‘after-action’ scene panning along the shoreline, another unidentified M5A1 is seen partly buried in the sand where presumably it stalled and became inundated by the tide.
In all of these colour films the tanks appear to be overall green with white stripes. I am fairly convinced that the stripes are white, they are definitely lighter than the very pale ‘white’ coral sand. The stripe patterns vary considerably between vehicles and were almost certainly applied (with varying degrees of artistic talent) by the crews. Presumably the purpose was to break up the outline of the tank, as the islands were rather barren and so concealment was not a practical objective. The green could be Olive Drab or just possibly Marine Corps Forest Green. My guess is the former, Marine Corps tanks were delivered from Army contracts and so were factorypainted in Olive Drab; it does look to be a dark, drab shade, although vintage colour emulsions are notoriously unreliable regarding colour fidelity; but there is no sign of any brown patches. I am not sure where the idea of brown patches originated, but it appears in several illustrations including aftermarket decal sheets, perhaps there is some evidence that I have missed. In the monochrome image the flank of ‘Hothead’ does look patchy, but I have found no evidence that this included any brown. The monochrome newsreel footage very fortunately gives a brief glimpse of ‘Hothead’ from the left rear quarter revealing the stripe pattern on that side; so only the front remains unseen. Apart from the one photograph, none of the stills that I could find show ‘Hothead’, but they do show several other M5A1s lined up on the shoreline with both fitted and discarded wading stacks being evident.
The AFV Club T-16 Track for M3/M5 (AF35019) is of the simple variety with track pins moulded on the blocks and push-on end connectors.
Although described as ‘workable’, they come apart rather easily and are best glued with liquid cement once fitted.
Meng Nuts & Bolts Set A (SPS-005). I seem to have found a use for this set with most of the kits that I have made since I bought it, the M5A1 is no exception. The set includes bolt heads and ends with retaining nuts in three sizes, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.4mm diameter, ‘scabbed’ onto plastic strips, they have to be cut from the strip with a sharp blade.