At last! here is another build. AFV Club's M5A1 with additional resin sets from Blast for the sand bag armour and stowage.

Built out of the box and only the resin parts added on. I'll let the photographs do the talking.

Primer added.

The turret. I had a few problems with this, as I was going to have the hatches closed but it appeared to me that the fit was bad and the hatches would overlap the top plate of the turret. I had a search for some pictures of the real thing and i couldn't see a picture of an overlapping hatch. Hmmm, crew figures and open hatches it is.

Stowage from Blast. Brilliant set and a joy to paint.

Olive Drab primer coat from vallejo. Impressed with the coverage and tightness of paint layer.

First highlights on.

More colour added.

A low light sprayed on to give some more depth to the colour.

Sand bag painting. I used lots of different colours to add some impact to the model. Tamiya, Lifecolour and vallejo brands were used either from the bottle or mixed together.

My first use of a stencil.

Excellent result.

The base structure from Plasicard.

Tracks on and washes started, getting there. Washes and filters are a mixture of MIG and home made. I kept wear and tear to a minimum as i wanted the vehicle to look as if it was not long in service. Dust and dusty washes were added to replicate the dust.

The base with my regular texture paint added to the border.

Here i have added an embossed cobblestone sheet that i pick dup at a model railway show. Quick and easy to use as it has a self adhesive backing too.

The finished model with crew figures from Miniart. Albion alloy's wire for the aerial.

Not my best figures but i'm happy enough.

The stowage sets really add life to the tank.

You can see the different colours of the sandbags.