A Greyhound off the leash

This amazing looking vehicle was used by the US and British/Commonwealth forces during WW2 in an all round combat/recce role. It came into service in 1943 and was used as the M8 armoured car with a 37mm gun, or in reduced capacity as the M20 scout car which served more as a command vehicle, armed with a 50 cal. The British called it the Greyhound, due to its relatively high road speed of around 55mph.

This link shows one running. Posted on YouTube by Tauro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSlNld1xsXg

Like the Stug and other Bolt Action armoured vehicles, the kit is made by Italeri in 1/56 scale. Quality is high and detail is sharp, and there is a decal sheet included.

I am doing the M8 build as I haven't yet got any US armour and I want to give my paratroopers some sort of back up. The Germans have a Stug after all!

Fantastic detail on the underside! It would even look good upside down, which on a wargames table, is very likely!

It's a marvel of engineering when you look at it, I have a 4WD which seems complicated enough, never mind 6WD. It's not surprising that it would easily get bogged down in mud. This is more or less done now so moving on to the upper body...

It's had its first coat of olive drab, and a little bit done on the interior. Wasn't sure of the colour so I opted for white inside. In the YouTube vid the interior seemed to be white, or at least a light colour.
Once the turret is fitted there is very little on view anyway. Speaking of the turret, the parts are off the sprue and in various stages of daubing with paint. Certainly the most fiddly part of the build, and a wee bit of scraping required to get the barrel to fit through the housing.

Nicely detailed turret interior, I like the ammo racks.

You have to stop when it's done, but no doubt I will change my mind and tinker with the paintwork. I have however applied a modest amount of 'mud' made with flour and brown paint, so maybe that's a sign. A couple of small stars to paint and then the small decals.

Close to completion now, the turret parts are painted and awaiting final assembly.

Looks like the turret was pretty tight for space if you were a big fella! Also being open to the sky must have made it vulnerable to attacks by determined panzergrenadiers, if they felt like taking it on!

Nothing else to do now apart from fitting the turret. It is one of my favourite WW2 vehicles and I think it will look great on the wargames table. I'm really enjoying these Italeri kits, can't wait for the next one!