Historical Background
The M8 light armoured car, from which the M20 was derived, began life as Ford Motor Company's entry, designated T22, for the Ordnance Department's initiative in July 1941 to develop a fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 Gun Motor Carriage. The requirement called for a six-wheeled vehicle armed with a turret-mounted 37mm gun, a better anti-personnel armament of a .50-cal and .30-cal machineguns, better off-road capabilities and glacis armour able to withstand hits from .50-cal rounds. Other prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (T21) and Chrysler (T23). Despite its deficiencies, Ford's T22 design was selected in April 1942. The Army however requested changes to the design. These include revision of the front hull hatches, addition of wheel covers and removal of the hull-mounted .30-cal machinegun. The revised vehicle was redesignated T22E2. By this time however, the Army recognised the deficiency of the 37mm gun against the latest German panzers. In order not to disrupt production, the vehicle was repurposed as a reconnaissance vehicle designated M8 Light Armoured Car, which bridged the gap between M3/M5 family of light tanks and the M3 scout car. Contract issues and the fact that no armoured car has been produced for the US Army in large numbers resulted in production delays until March 1943.
The M8 family has an all-welded hull although some external plates were riveted. The most distinctive feature of the vehicle was its lorry-like arrangement of wheels (one axle forward, steerable and two more paired towards the rear). The glacis was sloped with an actual thickness of 19mm. The floor however was only 3mm thick, making the vehicle vulnerable to mines. The vehicle was powered by a Hercules JXD 6-cylinder petrol engine rated at 110hp, allowing an average speed of 30mph off-road and 56nph on roads with a range of 400 miles. The Hercules JXD was quieter than other comparable engines and this feature, together with certain mechanical part tailored for low noise operations, allowed the vehicle to close with the enemy without virtually being detected until the last possible moment. As befits its role, a powerful radio set (SCR 506 at first) was mounted, with some vehicles carrying two. The fully-rotatable turret mounted a M6 37mm gun with a Browning M1919 .30-cal MG mounted co-axially with the main gun. An M2 .50-cal machine gun was sometimes mounted on a ring or a pintle mount - the M2 was not a standard feature of early production vehicles and many were added in the field. The 37mm gun was provided with 80 rounds, although only 16 may be carried if the second radio was fitted (field modifications on the two-radio M8s may raise the 37mm ammunition load to 40) while the M1919 has 1,500 rounds and the M2 500 rounds. Grenades and mines were also provided, along with M1 carbines for personal defence.
Only one M8 variant entered production during the war - the M20 Armoured Utility Car (also known as the M20 Scout Car). The M20 has the turret of the M8 removed and replaced with a low, open-topped armoured superstructure and armed with a ring-mounted M2 heavy machinegun. To compensate for the lack of anti-armour weapon, the crew was provided with a bazooka. Originally intended as command vehicles, the M20 was provided with extra radios. Apart from the command function, the M20 was also used in reconnaissance duties alongside the M8. The extra room available also made it suitable for personnel and cargo-carrying duties. The reduced weight made it faster and nimbler than the original M8. The M20 was originally designated M10 but to avoid confusion with the M10 Gun Motor Carriage, the designation was changed to M20. A total of 8523 M8 were built, solely by Ford. To that number, a further 3680 M20 were also built.
The M8/M20 first saw action in Italy in 1943. While generally more capable than the M3A1 scout car it replaced (being faster and adequately armed and armoured), it exhibited poor off-road capability, restricted on roads, reducing its usefulness in reconnaissance. The thin floor made it vulnerable to mines and add-on armour kit was designed to give more protection (alternatively the crews place sandbags on the floor). Another problem is that commanders used the M8 in fire-support role, for which it wasn't really suited because of thin armour. Furthermore, while the 37mm gun was adequate against German recon vehicles, the M8/M20 itself is vulnerable to the 20mm gun arming most German recon vehicles. Apart from the European and Mediterranean theatres, the M8 was also used in the Pacific, where they partly revert back to their original role of tank destroyers. .The M8 was nicknamed 'Greyhound' by the British in keeping with other US-made armoured cars ordered by them such as Staghound (T17E1) and the T18 Boarhound.
The Kit
In 1998, Tamiya released a new-tool kit of the M8 Greyhound and it was fairly obvious that the M20 would soon follow. This they did in 1999. The parts were spread among six olive drab-coloured sprues, a length of string plus the usual, Tamiya-standard poly-caps and the decal and instruction sheets. The parts are virtually the same with the M8 kit with the exception of the turret parts, which was substituted for the coaming and other M20-specific parts. Since the two kits share many parts together, a modeller can use the unneeded 37mm rounds and/or mines to spruce up the same company's M8, should one have that kit in their stash (or planning to buy one). As usual there are no external stores but I believe this is probably moot as many modelers prefer to buy aftermarket items or make their own. Apparently, Tamiya provided the 'regular' SCR 506 radio of the M8 instead of a more powerful SCR 508 commonly fitted to these vehicles, but honestly I can't differentiate between the radio sets. Tamiya however do provide a bazooka and a single M1 carbine (yet there are three slots for personal weapons in the vehicle!). Decals provide markings for three vehicles:
- 'Tex', 1 Plt, C Coy, 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Armored Division, France, August 1944
- 1 Plt., B Coy, 807th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Germany 1945
- 'Passy', CO's vehicle, 2nd Dragoon Regiment, 5th Armored Division, Free French Army, France, August 1944
Construction
As with many other military vehicle kits, construction starts at the underside of the vehicle. A separate floor was glued to the hull. This was followed by attaching the suspension and the drive train. Despite being underneath the vehicle and would be mainly invisible, the exhaust was left off, to be painted separately. Before attaching the rear panel, holes were drilled into it to accommodate the lights later on. Next, the interior of the vehicle. The bulkhead and the sidewalls were added, together with the crew seats. The radio and the fire extinguisher were painted separately and then cemented to their respective places. The whole of the interior was painted XG-62 Olive Drab as per the instructions. Other smaller stuff like water canteens were stuck into their places, before attaching the upper superstructure. A jerrican was also included but strangely, with regards to good details elsewhere in the kit, the jerrican has no detailed cover.
Moving on to the upper hull, the steering column / wheel and dashboard were assembled. While waiting for the cement to dry, the upper hull was cleaned up and holes were drilled as instructed. The M20 superstructure was moulded with separate walls, to ensure proper angles of the side plates. Also cemented on the superstructure are some boxes and the upper bracket for personal weapons. The included M1 Bazooka and its ammo tubes were however left off while the map table was cemented in the opened position.The upper hull was then cemented to the lower half first and this was followed by the superstructure and the engine panels. Other panels and various smaller parts were also cemented. The hatches for the driver and the co-driver was cemented in the closed position. The ring mount for the machinegun was assembled but was left off at this time to allow easier access to the interior. Tamiya provided an option whether to use the mine racks or storage boxes on the sides of the vehicle - I chose the mine rack. Again, it was left empty at this time. The mudguards were left off in order to fit the wheels later on.
Painting and Decaling
As usual with American WW2 vehicles, the M20 was painted overall Olive Drab. I used Tamiya's XF-62 for this purpose. I originally wanted to paint the suspension parts Flat Black as seen on everyday lorries but having browsing photos on the internet, they were also painted Olive Drab. As for the markings, while I love colourful ones, the French option was too bright for me so I opted for the 807th TD Battalion with its 'Crunching Kitty' insignia. The decals, as usual. received the Mr. Mark Softer treatment. This was followed by the usual black/brown wash. And ooppsss I almost forgot, the exhaust pipe and muffler were painted Burnt Iron
Finishing
Starting with the interior, I looked for some items in my spares box. I found two M1 carbines from the old Tamiya US Infantry Weapons Set. Although they look cruder than the only one M1 carbine provided in the kit,they make a good addition (plus, the crudest area, would be out of view). But when I tried to set them in the remaining two slots in the interior, they can't fit (should've done some test fitting when assembling the interior!). In the end I only used one, and placed it on the bench next to the radio. Also found is a M1 helmet and also a map (sort of) from my Tamiya Churchill kit. I used colour pencil to spruce up the map (and making it look horrendous instead). various bags, rolls, jerricans and ammo boxes were then affixed to the model, courtesy of the spares box and the Academy and Tamiya vehicle accessories sets.
While handling the stowage, I accidentally knocked one of the tie-downs off. As it was a pretty small part, it was quickly devoured by the Carpet Monster. I have to drill a new hole and inserted a copper wire to replace the lost part. An application of Flat Clear followed. The model then received an overall 'dust' application using thinned Tamiya Xf-57 Buff; on the vertical sides, I streaked them downwards to create the so-called 'rain' effect. However the brush I used was a 2/0 brush, which was really too large for this application. After the wash has dried, I moved down to the undercarriage. The wheels were daubed with Mig Productions European Dust and Iraqi sand pigments in water. When dry, the excess was removed with a stiff brush. Afterwards, I used cotton buds damped with enamel thinner and wiped them around the sidewalls and contact surface of the tyres to further remove pigments from the said areas. I decided to add radio aerials using copper wires; however I neglect to check whether I still have them in stock. There were none and I have to leave the aerial bases as they were.
Conclusion
What else can I say? Another kit with good engineering from Tamiya. The parts fit almost perfectly (the 'almost' part was mainly due to my clumsiness). While the details are a bit softer than other companies' kits, the ease of build more than compensates for it. It's nice out of the box, rewarding beginners and average modelers with a good model. Modelers with more skills than me can add a whole lot of additional items to spruce up this kit even further.
Finally, as usual the more vulnerable parts can now be permanently fixed to the model. I started at the hull by affixing the headlight (too bad the glass part was not made from clear plastic), the saw and the spade and the tow cables. The latter was painted silver and washed with AK Interactive Track Wash. The spare tracks were then mounted and given the same treatment as the main tracks. Moving to the turret, the rear-mounted machinegun was first assembled and then glued to the turret. I originally intended to have the MG to be moveable but some stray extra thin cement managed to find their way into the 'ball' mounting, jamming it. The handrails were then cemented to the turret. However, in my eagerness to enhance the cast texture, the faint placement markings were obliterated and I have to use the decal placement diagram to fix the handrails in place! Also during the handling of the turret, the commander's seat was knocked off and was eagerly gobbled by the lurking carpet monster. I have to cut a piece of stock plastic to compensate (it was inside the turret and can be further hidden by the figure, so no need to fabricate the seat shape).
Now it is time for some weathering. I mixed Tamiya X-19 Smoke and X-27 Red Clear and apllied them over the external fuel tanks. At first glance, it looked quite gruesome, as if blood has been spilled! Tamiya Weathering Master Rust and Soot was then applied at the exhausts. Afterwards I applied an overall dust layer using heavily thinned Tamiya XF-57. A slightly thicker mixture was then selectively applied. The 'spilled fuel' mix was then reapplied, to simulate newer spills. Afterwards the lower hull and tracks were liberally covered with Mig Productions Rubble Dust pigment. After it has dried, the excess was removed using a stiff brush and selective removal (mainly on the tracks towards the front of the tank) using enamel thinner. The commander's figure was painted the usual way and placed inside 'his' hatch. And, while rummaging through my spares box, I found a PPSh-41 sub-machinegun (probably from an old Zvezda/Italeri ZiS-3 kit. The PPSh was without either the drum or box magazine, so I cut off the magazine from and old Tamiya M2 carbine and stuck it inside the magazine recess. Gaps were covered using superglue. And that concludes this build!
