Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3808 M8 Light Armored Car First Brazilian Expeditionary Force, Italy 1944

True 1/72 scale.

Professionally painted.

Great attention to detail.

All markings are Tampoed (pad applied).

Extremely heavy metal with a minimum of plastic.

Highly collectable.

The American M8 was equipped with a 37mm gun and 6X6 wheel drive and was the main recon vehicle used by the US military during WWII. The only positive thing the crews had to say about the vehicle was it was reliable and fast on roads. It performed poorly off road, was very lightly armored with only sheet metal for a floor. It had an open top with no periscopes and exposed the crew to weather and enemy fire. Over 8,500 were manufactured in 1942 - 1943.

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force (BEF) began arriving in Italy in late July 1944 and on into February 1945. During the eight months of the Italian Campaign the Brazilians were the only South American country represented in WW II. They fought in many of the bloodiest and hard fought battles of the campaign and distinguished themselves several times. During their stay they managed to capture 20,573 Axis prisoners while sustaining a loss of 948 of their own. The first missions assigned the earliest BEF members was reconnaissance operations that lasted until the end of August 1944. To accomplish their task the 1st Division received 13 M-8 Greyhounds.

Specifications for the Ford M8 light armored car Crew - 4 Performance Engine - Hercules JXD 6-cylinder gasoline 110 hp (82Kw) Speed - 56mph (90km/h) Range - 349.8 miles (563km) Turn radius - 28ft (8.5m) Maximum grade - 60% Suspension - 6X6 wheel with leaf springs Dimensions Length - 16.4ft (5m) Width - 8.33ft (2.54m) Height - 7.38ft (2.25m)

Armor - maximum 0.75in (19mm)

Armament Primary - 37mm M6 gun Secondary - 1 X 0.30 caliber M1919A4 machine gun 1 X 0.50 caliber M2 machine gun