Hasegawa MT5 / 31105 M3 Grant Mk.I Medium Tank — 1/72 Scale Plastic kit

Manufacturer: Hasegawa

Kit: MT5

MPN: 31105

Barcode: 4967834312050

Subject: M3 Grant Mk.I medium tank

Scale: 1/72

Series: Hasegawa Mini Box

Original tooling/family: 1973

MT5 catalogue issue: 1991

Material: Injection-moulded plastic

Parts: approximately 45 according to current retail documentation

Contents: plastic tank, decals and assembly instructions

Status: discontinued/out of regular production

Hasegawa's historical kit-number records are particularly useful here: the original M3 Grant was MB-005, became MB5/31005, and subsequently MT5/31105. The original kit is recorded as first available in 1973, while the MT-series issue dates from 1991.

There is a small discrepancy in published parts counts: one current retailer lists 45 pieces, while an older build review describes the kit as having 59 pieces. This can result from counting metal axles, alternate/replacement components or different packaging generations, so I would catalogue it simply as approximately 45–59 parts depending on counting method/release.
Hasegawa manufacturer history

Hasegawa Seisakusho Co., Ltd., generally known internationally as Hasegawa, is one of Japan's long-established scale-model manufacturers.

The company became particularly well known for aircraft kits, but its catalogue has also included military vehicles, ships, cars, spacecraft and other subjects.

Its early military-vehicle range is especially interesting to collectors because many of the 1/72 Mini Box kits date back to the 1970s. Rather than being newly designed kits for the 1990s, many MT-series subjects are later catalogue/package versions of much older tooling.

That is exactly the case with MT5.

The Hasegawa catalogue history lists:

MB-005 — original M3 Grant;

MB5 / 31005 — later numbering;

MT5 / 31105 — Mini Box release;

31205 / MT5 — later catalogue numbering.

This makes the kit particularly interesting as a piece of modelling history: the plastic represents 1970s Hasegawa tooling, while the MT5 packaging belongs to a later generation of the product line.
Kit contents

The MT5 kit is a relatively compact 1/72 military-vehicle kit.

Current product documentation lists:

plastic M3 Grant tank parts;

assembly instructions;

decal sheet;

approximately 45 plastic parts according to one current retailer.

The kit is a relatively uncomplicated build compared with modern 1/72 armour kits.

The basic components include:

lower hull;

upper hull;

suspension and running gear;

tracks;

engine-deck components;

British-style Grant turret;

turret fittings;

75 mm hull gun;

37 mm turret gun;

machine guns;

stowage components;

wheels/track assemblies;

decals.

The model is supplied unassembled and intended to be painted by the modeller.
Kit accuracy

It is worth noting that this is vintage tooling, rather than a modern highly detailed Grant.

The modelling reference site On The Way specifically notes that the turret is incorrect/undersized and that the transmission cover is poorly shaped, while describing the hull as reasonably good and well detailed for its age.

A later build of the kit also points out that the Grant shares many components with Hasegawa's M3 Lee kit, with the British-style turret being the major distinction. The modeller made corrections to the stowage, side skirts, side rails and 75 mm gun area.

Consequently, this is best regarded as a collectible vintage Hasegawa kit rather than a state-of-the-art representation of the M3 Grant.
The real vehicle — M3 Grant Mk.I

The M3 Medium Tank was an American medium tank developed during the critical period immediately preceding American entry into the Second World War.

It was designed because the US Army needed a medium tank with substantially greater firepower than the preceding M2 medium tank.

The problem was that American industry did not yet have a suitable turret capable of accommodating a large 75 mm gun.

The solution was a compromise: the 75 mm gun was installed in a limited-traverse mount in the right side of the hull, while a smaller 37 mm gun was placed in a rotating turret.

This produced the unusual two-level appearance that is so characteristic of the M3.

The M3 was therefore always regarded as an interim design. Its principal purpose was to put a useful 75 mm gun into American and British armoured units quickly while development continued on the more advanced M4 Sherman.
Lee and Grant

The same basic M3 tank received different names in British service.

The American configuration became known as the Lee, while the British version with its redesigned turret became the Grant.

The British-designed turret was larger and incorporated a rear bustle to accommodate the radio. The machine-gun cupola found on the American turret was removed, reducing the overall height and giving the Grant its distinctive appearance.

The Grant Mk.I represented the British version based on the initial M3 chassis.

That is the version represented by Hasegawa MT5.
Why Britain wanted the Grant

Britain urgently needed medium tanks following the disastrous loss of much of its armoured equipment during the Battle of France in 1940.

The British Tank Mission therefore negotiated with American manufacturers for production of a modified M3.

The British required a larger turret because the American arrangement was cramped and provided inadequate space for the radio.

The resulting British turret was designed by L. E. Carr and incorporated the radio into a rear bustle.

The Grant consequently gave British armoured units something they badly needed: a reasonably well-protected tank carrying a 75 mm gun capable of engaging German tanks and firing useful high-explosive ammunition.
Production

The M3 programme was produced by several American manufacturers.

The first production contracts included:

Chrysler / Detroit Tank Arsenal;

American Locomotive Company;

Pressed Steel Car Company;

Pullman-Standard;

Baldwin Locomotive Works;

other associated production facilities.

British Grant production was particularly associated with Baldwin Locomotive Works, Pressed Steel Car Company and Pullman-Standard.

Overall, approximately 6,258 M3-series tanks were produced.

Of these, roughly 1,685 were Grants supplied directly to Britain, according to historical production summaries.

The M3 was manufactured during 1941–1942, after which the Sherman increasingly replaced it on American production lines.
Specifications

A representative Grant Mk.I had approximately:

Crew: 6

Combat weight: about 30–31 tons

Length: approximately 5.64 m

Width: approximately 2.72 m

Height: approximately 3.0 m

Engine: Wright Continental R-975 radial

Power: approximately 340–400 hp, depending on rating/version

Maximum road speed: approximately 34–39 km/h

Range: roughly 190 km, depending on conditions and fuel configuration

Main armament: 75 mm gun

Secondary armament: 37 mm gun plus .30-calibre machine guns.

The relatively large crew was necessary because the tank's weapons were distributed between different positions.
Armament

The main weapon was the 75 mm M2/M3 gun mounted in the right-hand hull sponson.

It had limited traverse compared with a fully turreted weapon.

The secondary 37 mm M5 or M6 gun was installed in the rotating turret.

Several .30-calibre Browning machine guns provided additional anti-infantry and defensive fire.

This combination gave the M3 considerably more firepower than many contemporary medium tanks.

The disadvantage was the awkward layout.

The 75 mm gun could not traverse freely through a full 360 degrees, meaning the entire tank often had to be repositioned to engage targets outside its limited firing arc.
Protection

The M3's armour was useful for its period.

Representative armour thicknesses were approximately:

Hull front: 51 mm

Hull sides: 38 mm

Turret: up to approximately 51 mm

Hull rear: approximately 38 mm.

The armour was sufficient to resist many contemporary anti-tank weapons at suitable ranges, but the vehicle's high silhouette made it an obvious target.
North Africa

The Grant's most famous service was with the British Eighth Army in North Africa.

The first Grant tanks entered combat during the Gazala battles in May 1942.

This was an important moment because British armoured units finally had a tank capable of mounting a useful 75 mm weapon in significant numbers.

The Grant was not perfect, but it gave British tank crews a substantial improvement in firepower.

Historical accounts record that the Grant was in action during:

Gazala, 1942

Alam Halfa, 1942

El Alamein, 1942

the subsequent campaign in Tunisia.

The Tank Museum describes the Grant as a tank that entered North Africa in May 1942 and was designed as a stopgap until a tank capable of mounting a 75 mm gun in its turret became available.
Against Rommel

The appearance of the Grant presented German forces with a more serious opponent than many of the British tanks encountered earlier in the North African campaign.

The 75 mm gun gave British crews the ability to engage German armour and also fire effective high-explosive ammunition against anti-tank guns and infantry positions.

The M3's armour and mechanical reliability were also useful in the harsh desert environment.

However, its height, limited-traverse 75 mm gun and relatively cumbersome layout remained disadvantages.
Alam Halfa and El Alamein

Grants continued in British armoured formations during the battles of Alam Halfa and El Alamein.

By this stage, however, the M4 Sherman was entering service.

The Sherman provided a much more logical layout, with its principal gun mounted in a fully rotating turret.

Consequently, the M3's role steadily diminished in the main British armoured formations.
Burma and the Far East

The M3 did not disappear immediately.

Surviving vehicles were particularly useful in the Far East, where the vehicle's firepower and mechanical characteristics remained valuable.

British and Commonwealth forces used Lee and Grant tanks in the Burma campaign, where they encountered Japanese armour and fortified positions.

The relatively large 75 mm gun was useful against Japanese defensive positions as well as enemy vehicles.

The M3 therefore continued to serve after it had become obsolete in the European and North African tank-versus-tank environment.
Australia

Australia also received substantial numbers of M3 tanks.

Collections WA records that approximately 757 M3 Mediums were received by Australia in 1942, where they equipped the 1st Australian Armoured Division.

Some surviving Australian vehicles were subsequently used for land-clearance work after the war.
Other Allied users

M3-series tanks were supplied to several Allied countries.

The Soviet Union also received M3 medium tanks through Lend-Lease.

The vehicle consequently saw service across a remarkably broad geographical area:

North Africa;

Britain;

Australia;

Burma;

India;

Soviet Union;

other Allied theatres.

Approximately 2,887 M3 variants were supplied to British forces, while the overall production total reached 6,258.
Replacement by the Sherman

The M3 was always intended to be temporary.

The next-generation M4 Sherman solved the principal weakness of the M3 by placing its main gun in a rotating turret.

The US Army's historical documentation describes the M3 as a stopgap vehicle pending development of a new tank with a turret-mounted 75 mm gun.

As Sherman production increased, M3 tanks were progressively withdrawn from the most demanding armoured roles.

Nevertheless, the M3 had fulfilled an important purpose: it provided thousands of Allied tank crews with a useful medium tank at a critical point in the war.
Survivors

A small number of original M3 Grants survive.

The Tank Museum has featured running M3 Grant vehicles in its events. One Grant described by the museum was recovered and restored and is regarded as the world's oldest running American medium tank.

Another M3 Grant acquired by the Bannister Historic Armour Collection was undergoing restoration for running operation and was featured at TANKFEST.

These surviving running vehicles are particularly valuable because very few Grants remain operational.
Full-size historical selling price

Unlike a civilian aircraft, wartime tanks generally were not sold through a normal retail market. Prices were determined through government procurement contracts, production arrangements and military supply agreements.

I would therefore not assign a made-up "selling price" to the Grant.

The available historical evidence is much stronger for production quantities and contracts than for a universally applicable unit selling price.

For your catalogue, the appropriate entry is:

Historical full-size selling/procurement price: No reliable universal unit price established from the sources reviewed.

This is preferable to presenting a production-cost figure as though it were the actual price paid by the British government.
Current full-size value

There are surviving M3 Grants, including examples capable of running under their own power, but they are extremely rare historic military vehicles.

There is no transparent, regular market comparable to used cars or modern aircraft.

Values vary enormously according to:

originality;

completeness;

running condition;

restoration quality;

provenance;

combat history;

rarity of the particular variant.

Accordingly:

Current full-size market price: No dependable standard market price; surviving Grants are specialist collector/museum assets. Manufacturer: Hasegawa

Kit: MT5

MPN: 31105

Barcode: 4967834312050

Subject: M3 Grant Mk.I medium tank

Scale: 1/72

Series: Hasegawa Mini Box

Original tooling/family: 1973

MT5 catalogue issue: 1991

Material: Injection-moulded plastic

Parts: approximately 45 according to current retail documentation

Contents: plastic tank, decals and assembly instructions

Status: discontinued/out of regular production

Hasegawa's historical kit-number records are particularly useful here: the original M3 Grant was MB-005, became MB5/31005, and subsequently MT5/31105. The original kit is recorded as first available in 1973, while the MT-series issue dates from 1991.

There is a small discrepancy in published parts counts: one current retailer lists 45 pieces, while an older build review describes the kit as having 59 pieces. This can result from counting metal axles, alternate/replacement components or different packaging generations, so I would catalogue it simply as approximately 45–59 parts depending on counting method/release.
Hasegawa manufacturer history

Hasegawa Seisakusho Co., Ltd., generally known internationally as Hasegawa, is one of Japan's long-established scale-model manufacturers.

The company became particularly well known for aircraft kits, but its catalogue has also included military vehicles, ships, cars, spacecraft and other subjects.

Its early military-vehicle range is especially interesting to collectors because many of the 1/72 Mini Box kits date back to the 1970s. Rather than being newly designed kits for the 1990s, many MT-series subjects are later catalogue/package versions of much older tooling.

That is exactly the case with MT5.

The Hasegawa catalogue history lists:

MB-005 — original M3 Grant;

MB5 / 31005 — later numbering;

MT5 / 31105 — Mini Box release;

31205 / MT5 — later catalogue numbering.

This makes the kit particularly interesting as a piece of modelling history: the plastic represents 1970s Hasegawa tooling, while the MT5 packaging belongs to a later generation of the product line.
Kit contents

The MT5 kit is a relatively compact 1/72 military-vehicle kit.

Current product documentation lists:

plastic M3 Grant tank parts;

assembly instructions;

decal sheet;

approximately 45 plastic parts according to one current retailer.

The kit is a relatively uncomplicated build compared with modern 1/72 armour kits.

The basic components include:

lower hull;

upper hull;

suspension and running gear;

tracks;

engine-deck components;

British-style Grant turret;

turret fittings;

75 mm hull gun;

37 mm turret gun;

machine guns;

stowage components;

wheels/track assemblies;

decals.

The model is supplied unassembled and intended to be painted by the modeller.
Kit accuracy

It is worth noting that this is vintage tooling, rather than a modern highly detailed Grant.

The modelling reference site On The Way specifically notes that the turret is incorrect/undersized and that the transmission cover is poorly shaped, while describing the hull as reasonably good and well detailed for its age.

A later build of the kit also points out that the Grant shares many components with Hasegawa's M3 Lee kit, with the British-style turret being the major distinction. The modeller made corrections to the stowage, side skirts, side rails and 75 mm gun area.

Consequently, this is best regarded as a collectible vintage Hasegawa kit rather than a state-of-the-art representation of the M3 Grant.
The real vehicle — M3 Grant Mk.I

The M3 Medium Tank was an American medium tank developed during the critical period immediately preceding American entry into the Second World War.

It was designed because the US Army needed a medium tank with substantially greater firepower than the preceding M2 medium tank.

The problem was that American industry did not yet have a suitable turret capable of accommodating a large 75 mm gun.

The solution was a compromise: the 75 mm gun was installed in a limited-traverse mount in the right side of the hull, while a smaller 37 mm gun was placed in a rotating turret.

This produced the unusual two-level appearance that is so characteristic of the M3.

The M3 was therefore always regarded as an interim design. Its principal purpose was to put a useful 75 mm gun into American and British armoured units quickly while development continued on the more advanced M4 Sherman.
Lee and Grant

The same basic M3 tank received different names in British service.

The American configuration became known as the Lee, while the British version with its redesigned turret became the Grant.

The British-designed turret was larger and incorporated a rear bustle to accommodate the radio. The machine-gun cupola found on the American turret was removed, reducing the overall height and giving the Grant its distinctive appearance.

The Grant Mk.I represented the British version based on the initial M3 chassis.

That is the version represented by Hasegawa MT5.
Why Britain wanted the Grant

Britain urgently needed medium tanks following the disastrous loss of much of its armoured equipment during the Battle of France in 1940.

The British Tank Mission therefore negotiated with American manufacturers for production of a modified M3.

The British required a larger turret because the American arrangement was cramped and provided inadequate space for the radio.

The resulting British turret was designed by L. E. Carr and incorporated the radio into a rear bustle.

The Grant consequently gave British armoured units something they badly needed: a reasonably well-protected tank carrying a 75 mm gun capable of engaging German tanks and firing useful high-explosive ammunition.
Production

The M3 programme was produced by several American manufacturers.

The first production contracts included:

Chrysler / Detroit Tank Arsenal;

American Locomotive Company;

Pressed Steel Car Company;

Pullman-Standard;

Baldwin Locomotive Works;

other associated production facilities.

British Grant production was particularly associated with Baldwin Locomotive Works, Pressed Steel Car Company and Pullman-Standard.

Overall, approximately 6,258 M3-series tanks were produced.

Of these, roughly 1,685 were Grants supplied directly to Britain, according to historical production summaries.

The M3 was manufactured during 1941–1942, after which the Sherman increasingly replaced it on American production lines.
Specifications

A representative Grant Mk.I had approximately:

Crew: 6

Combat weight: about 30–31 tons

Length: approximately 5.64 m

Width: approximately 2.72 m

Height: approximately 3.0 m

Engine: Wright Continental R-975 radial

Power: approximately 340–400 hp, depending on rating/version

Maximum road speed: approximately 34–39 km/h

Range: roughly 190 km, depending on conditions and fuel configuration

Main armament: 75 mm gun

Secondary armament: 37 mm gun plus .30-calibre machine guns.

The relatively large crew was necessary because the tank's weapons were distributed between different positions.
Armament

The main weapon was the 75 mm M2/M3 gun mounted in the right-hand hull sponson.

It had limited traverse compared with a fully turreted weapon.

The secondary 37 mm M5 or M6 gun was installed in the rotating turret.

Several .30-calibre Browning machine guns provided additional anti-infantry and defensive fire.

This combination gave the M3 considerably more firepower than many contemporary medium tanks.

The disadvantage was the awkward layout.

The 75 mm gun could not traverse freely through a full 360 degrees, meaning the entire tank often had to be repositioned to engage targets outside its limited firing arc.
Protection

The M3's armour was useful for its period.

Representative armour thicknesses were approximately:

Hull front: 51 mm

Hull sides: 38 mm

Turret: up to approximately 51 mm

Hull rear: approximately 38 mm.

The armour was sufficient to resist many contemporary anti-tank weapons at suitable ranges, but the vehicle's high silhouette made it an obvious target.
North Africa

The Grant's most famous service was with the British Eighth Army in North Africa.

The first Grant tanks entered combat during the Gazala battles in May 1942.

This was an important moment because British armoured units finally had a tank capable of mounting a useful 75 mm weapon in significant numbers.

The Grant was not perfect, but it gave British tank crews a substantial improvement in firepower.

Historical accounts record that the Grant was in action during:

Gazala, 1942

Alam Halfa, 1942

El Alamein, 1942

the subsequent campaign in Tunisia.

The Tank Museum describes the Grant as a tank that entered North Africa in May 1942 and was designed as a stopgap until a tank capable of mounting a 75 mm gun in its turret became available.
Against Rommel

The appearance of the Grant presented German forces with a more serious opponent than many of the British tanks encountered earlier in the North African campaign.

The 75 mm gun gave British crews the ability to engage German armour and also fire effective high-explosive ammunition against anti-tank guns and infantry positions.

The M3's armour and mechanical reliability were also useful in the harsh desert environment.

However, its height, limited-traverse 75 mm gun and relatively cumbersome layout remained disadvantages.
Alam Halfa and El Alamein

Grants continued in British armoured formations during the battles of Alam Halfa and El Alamein.

By this stage, however, the M4 Sherman was entering service.

The Sherman provided a much more logical layout, with its principal gun mounted in a fully rotating turret.

Consequently, the M3's role steadily diminished in the main British armoured formations.
Burma and the Far East

The M3 did not disappear immediately.

Surviving vehicles were particularly useful in the Far East, where the vehicle's firepower and mechanical characteristics remained valuable.

British and Commonwealth forces used Lee and Grant tanks in the Burma campaign, where they encountered Japanese armour and fortified positions.

The relatively large 75 mm gun was useful against Japanese defensive positions as well as enemy vehicles.

The M3 therefore continued to serve after it had become obsolete in the European and North African tank-versus-tank environment.
Australia

Australia also received substantial numbers of M3 tanks.

Collections WA records that approximately 757 M3 Mediums were received by Australia in 1942, where they equipped the 1st Australian Armoured Division.

Some surviving Australian vehicles were subsequently used for land-clearance work after the war.
Other Allied users

M3-series tanks were supplied to several Allied countries.

The Soviet Union also received M3 medium tanks through Lend-Lease.

The vehicle consequently saw service across a remarkably broad geographical area:

North Africa;

Britain;

Australia;

Burma;

India;

Soviet Union;

other Allied theatres.

Approximately 2,887 M3 variants were supplied to British forces, while the overall production total reached 6,258.
Replacement by the Sherman

The M3 was always intended to be temporary.

The next-generation M4 Sherman solved the principal weakness of the M3 by placing its main gun in a rotating turret.

The US Army's historical documentation describes the M3 as a stopgap vehicle pending development of a new tank with a turret-mounted 75 mm gun.

As Sherman production increased, M3 tanks were progressively withdrawn from the most demanding armoured roles.

Nevertheless, the M3 had fulfilled an important purpose: it provided thousands of Allied tank crews with a useful medium tank at a critical point in the war.
Survivors

A small number of original M3 Grants survive.

The Tank Museum has featured running M3 Grant vehicles in its events. One Grant described by the museum was recovered and restored and is regarded as the world's oldest running American medium tank.

Another M3 Grant acquired by the Bannister Historic Armour Collection was undergoing restoration for running operation and was featured at TANKFEST.

These surviving running vehicles are particularly valuable because very few Grants remain operational.
Full-size historical selling price

Unlike a civilian aircraft, wartime tanks generally were not sold through a normal retail market. Prices were determined through government procurement contracts, production arrangements and military supply agreements.

I would therefore not assign a made-up "selling price" to the Grant.

The available historical evidence is much stronger for production quantities and contracts than for a universally applicable unit selling price.

For your catalogue, the appropriate entry is:

Historical full-size selling/procurement price: No reliable universal unit price established from the sources reviewed.

This is preferable to presenting a production-cost figure as though it were the actual price paid by the British government.
Current full-size value

There are surviving M3 Grants, including examples capable of running under their own power, but they are extremely rare historic military vehicles.

There is no transparent, regular market comparable to used cars or modern aircraft.

Values vary enormously according to:

originality;

completeness;

running condition;

restoration quality;

provenance;

combat history;

rarity of the particular variant.

Accordingly:

Current full-size market price: No dependable standard market price; surviving Grants are specialist collector/museum assets.