M5A1 light tank. Better get some more green paint... It's build time.

It's time to put my M5 together...

The British service name "Stuart" came from the American Civil War Confederate general J. E. B. Stuart and was used for both the M3 and the derivative M5 Light Tank. Unofficially, they were also often called "Honeys" by the British, because of their smooth ride. In U.S. use, the tanks were officially known as "Light Tank M3" and "Light Tank M5".

Tamiya kits always fill the box.

Looking forward to this...

As always, I give it a coat of base colour.

Constructing the running gear...

Touching up the tires and a bit of early weathering.

Building the upper hull.

I'm going to put this one aside until the main painting is complete.

The turret is next.

Although the main criticism from units using the Stuarts was that it lacked firepower, the improved M5 series kept the same 37 mm gun. The M5 gradually replaced the M3 in production from 1942.

That's the top half...

To relieve wartime demand for the radial aero-engines used in the M3, a new version was developed using twin Cadillac V8 automobile engines and twin Hydra-Matic transmissions operating through a transfer case. This version of the tank was quieter, cooler and roomier; the automatic transmission also simplified crew training. The new model (initially called M4 but redesignated M5 to avoid confusion with the M4 Sherman featured a redesigned hull with a raised rear deck over the engine compartment, sloped glacis plate and driver's hatches moved to the top.

...and that's the bottom half where the engine goes,