[Juneau1]

The Hobby Master Collector site now has pictures of the Chaffee up:
Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3601 M-24 Chaffee Light Tank "Ally Oop III" Germany January 1945

Looks pretty good, but I do wish they would do a touch of weathering. This will be nice though, as Dragon, FOV, Atlaya, and Easy Model have not done theis tank.
Eric

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by Juneau1

The Hobby Master Collector site now has pictures of the Chaffee up:
Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3601 M-24 Chaffee Light Tank "Ally Oop III" Germany January 1945

Looks pretty good, but I do wish they would do a touch of weathering. This will be nice though, as Dragon, FOV, Atlaya, and Easy Model have not done theis tank.
Eric

Nice looking model, but does look a bit factory fresh.

[PickMattock]

Yikes…A let down. Based purely on the pre-pro images this vehicle doesn’t live up to what I expect from a Hobby Master product.

Where are the headlamp guards? (Oddly enough, pictures of ‘Alley Oop III’ show the vehicle actually has the guards but no lights!) I certainly hope the production version has them. Easy Model vehicles usually skip those and in turn I skip them. Speaking of EM shenanigans, what’s up with the solid semi-circular discs filling in for lifting rings? And the turret is missing even those! (Both on the sides and mantlet.) The “realistic track” is also anachronistic. WWII M24s had the T72E1 pattern steel track. The track on this vehicle is a double-pin track that doesn't even quite look like the post-war T85E1... Here's what I mean:

[ChairmanMilo]

You could always bring this to the attention to William - he may be able to get these problems fixed. Maybe not before the first release is shipped, but the rest of their M24 releases could be made accurate with some friendly feedback.

[Paladin18]

Wow! I'm simply amazed at the amount of scrutiny that is put on diecast armour though this is probably a good thing from the collectors' perspective. For me, I am just glad that HM is expanding its range to 1:72 AFVs that other manufacturers, especially Dragon, have not ventured into. Good job!

[Cavtanker]

Hopefull we get more good things like this in the near future!

[PickMattock]

I’m also happy Hobby Master is tooling new vehicles, especially Allied machines that are otherwise unavailable in this scale. To date I’ve been thrilled with the products they’ve delivered, and found them very receptive to comments, concerns and criticisms, which is why I have such high hopes for the M24. Unfortunately, to me, the vehicle in those photographs looks like a Forces of Valor release. Which would be fine if it were in that price range, but when charged more than for a Dragon Armor tank I’ve come to expect a certain quality of product from HM. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hold a company to the standards it has set for itself. I’m not asking about anything that hasn’t already been covered in the M10 or M26 models. In my opinion, the accuracy the M24 doesn’t live up to the rest of the line in it’s current state, and for me the historical accuracy of the model trumps all else. While trivial to some, it’s main reason I collect diecast. (And I can’t be the only one…) I’d rather pay more for a truer representation, than save a few bucks and feel that I’ll settled on an ‘alright’ model because it’s the only game in town, no matter how interesting the subject.

That being said, I don’t want to be seen as just a drag on the forum. If I didn’t care strongly about this hobby, and HM armor in particular, I wouldn’t say anything at all. I only spotlight a model’s shortcomings in hope of getting the best possible releases in the future. (Keep in mind, I come from a 1/6^th scale collecting background where, believe it or not, a much more intense level of scrutiny accompanies releases.) When the M24 was anounced I gushed and typed giddily, but this particular thread is about the new pics... I'm certainly not just giving Hobby Master a hard time. I give other companies the same treatment, and give HM their fair share of hugs and high fives. All in the spirit of discussing diecast...It's why I'm here.

[STARMAN 352ND]

I don't collect these much ....But i do like this one....a little weathering and it be perfect.
Again i'm not into Tanks....I'm a aviation nut....
JP

[chascbv]

Originally Posted by PickMattock

I’m also happy Hobby Master is tooling new vehicles, especially Allied machines that are otherwise unavailable in this scale. To date I’ve been thrilled with the products they’ve delivered, and found them very receptive to comments, concerns and criticisms, which is why I have such high hopes for the M24. Unfortunately, to me, the vehicle in those photographs looks like a Forces of Valor release. Which would be fine if it were in that price range, but when charged more than for a Dragon Armor tank I’ve come to expect a certain quality of product from HM. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hold a company to the standards it has set for itself. I’m not asking about anything that hasn’t already been covered in the M10 or M26 models. In my opinion, the accuracy the M24 doesn’t live up to the rest of the line in it’s current state, and for me the historical accuracy of the model trumps all else. While trivial to some, it’s main reason I collect diecast. (And I can’t be the only one…) I’d rather pay more for a truer representation, than save a few bucks and feel that I’ll settled on an ‘alright’ model because it’s the only game in town, no matter how interesting the subject.

That being said, I don’t want to be seen as just a drag on the forum. If I didn’t care strongly about this hobby, and HM armor in particular, I wouldn’t say anything at all. I only spotlight a model’s shortcomings in hope of getting the best possible releases in the future. (Keep in mind, I come from a 1/6^th scale collecting background where, believe it or not, a much more intense level of scrutiny accompanies releases.) When the M24 was anounced I gushed and typed giddily, but this particular thread is about the new pics... I'm certainly not just giving Hobby Master a hard time. I give other companies the same treatment, and give HM their fair share of hugs and high fives. All in the spirit of discussing diecast...It's why I'm here.

I fully endorse all your comments, PickMattock. A beautiful, reasonable, accurate review!!!

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by chascbv

I fully endorse all your comments, PickMattock. A beautiful, reasonable, accurate review!!!

He did bring up an excellent point.