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M3A1 "White" Scout Car


Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by: USA (and many other countries including Israel)
Produced: 1940-1944
Manufactured by: White Motor Car Company
Crew: 6-8
Armament: Numerous Armament Configurations Including .30 cal. MG & .50 cal. HMG
Engine: 6 Cylinder 110 hp Gasoline
Miscellaneous Info: The "White" Scout car was the successor to the M2A1/M3 Scout car.  One of the most prolific scout cars produced during WWII (20,000+) it was used by most allied armies during the entire war; and beyond by many other nations.

Efforts were made to improve the vehicle throughout the car's production run, most notably to mount diesel engines, provide top cover (M3A1E2) and upgrade the armament (to a 37mm Anti-Tank Gun-M3A1E3).  The most successful modification was the fitting of diesel engines and although the performance was promising, only about 100 were produced. At different times of the scout car's production run, diesel engined vehicles were designated as M3A1E1, M3A2 and M3A1E5 as well as retaining the M3A1 monicker.
Data Sheet Available:   None Available

Photos

Reference Source/Provider
CAD Drawings of M3A1 Scout Car Bruce Crosby - Swindon, Wiltshire UK
  M3A1 White Scout Car (at Bovington) Ken Adolphe - Bristol, UK
M3A1 Scout Car Photos Courtesy of Diebold via Dennis Meares - Oklahoma
  M3A1 Scout Car Photo (at Samur) Jacques Dujardin - France
M3A1 White Scout Car Photos  - Photos from George S. Patton Museum -Ft. Knox, KY USA Patrick Keenan - Editor
M3A1 White Scout Car Photos [Photos from US 1st Infantry Division (Cantigny) -Wheaton, Illinois] Patrick Keenan
M3A1 White Scout Car Photos Photos from the WWII Victory Museum -Auburn, Indiana Patrick Keenan
M3A1 White Scout Car Photos (taken at the Tank Museum - Bovington) Dennis Trowbridge - Bristol, UK
M3A1 White Scout Car Photo (2005 War and Peace Show - Beltring, UK) Dennis Trowbridge
M3A1 White Scout Car Photo (Early) US Army via Mark Holloway - Beatty, Nevada USA
M3A1 White Scout Car Photos U.S. Library of Congress
  M3A1 White Scout Car Factory Photo U.S. Library of Congress
Australian M3A1 Scout Car Photos (Taken at the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum - Cairns) Mckenna35 - Fort Collins, Colorado USA
Australian M3A1 Armoured Observation Post Photos (Taken at RAAC Museum -Puckapunyal) Brad James - Australia
  British M3A1 White Scout Car Photo Imperial War Museum
  British M3A1 White Scout Car Ambulance Photo U.S. Library of Congress
Free French M3A1 White Scout Car Photos Ron Bollen - Belgium
General George Patton's Modified M3A1 Scout Car Photo David Haugh - Content Editor
IDF M3A1 White Scout Car (Latrun) Rob Goldman - Kfar Saba, Israel
IDF M3A1 White Scout Car (Contemporary & From Latrun) Uri Weiner - Israel (Editor of the IDF Armor Blog Website)
  Taiwanese M3A1 White Scout Car Photo Dave Haugh - Content Editor

References Available

Online

Reference Source/Provider
  "Armored Cars and the Marine Corps" (Fall 1991 Issue of Fortitudine - The Bulletin of the Marine Corps Historical Program) Col. Brooke Nihart USMC (Ret.)
"British Armored Cars in the Middle East, Late 1942" By Peter Brown Armored Car - The Wheeled Fighting Vehicle Journal (Issue #33)
"Free Greek Armored Vehicles in the Mid-East Circa 1943"  By T. Metsovitis Armored Car - The Wheeled Fighting Vehicle Journal (Issue #24)
M3A1 Scout Car Information & Photos Modelling the US Army in WWII Website

Printed/Multi-Media

Reference Author
American Armored Fighting Vehicles - World War Two AFV Plans George Bradford
A Photo History of Armoured Cars In Two World Wars George Forty
Armored Car- A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles R.J. Hunnicutt
Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars Duncan Crow & Robert Icks
  "Delicate Scout" (Covers a Build of the 1/35 Tamiya M3A1 Scout Car kit) (May 2019 Issue of Airfix Model World Magazine) Toni Canfora
Israeli Improvised Armoured Vehicles & Jeeps: 1947-1949 (Military Briefs No.6- Mouse House Enterprises)

Book Review by Patrick Keenan - Editor
John Myszka
M3A1 Scout Car Walk Around (#5720)
See Patrick Keenan's Review here at WarWheels.Net.
David Doyle (Squadron/Signal Publications)
M3A1 Scout Car Photo Detail CD (#23) CD-ROM
See Patrick Keenan's Review here at WarWheels.Net.
Chris Hughes (Toadman's Tank Pictures)
Scout Car M3A1 (1942) Portrayal Press
"Scout Car" (July 2023 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine) Hunter Chaney
Scouting for Boys" (May 2017 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine) John Norris
U.S. Armoured Cars - AFV Weapons Profile #40 Robert J. Icks
U.S. Half-Tracks: The Development and Deployment of the US Army's Half-Track Vehicles - Volume One (Ampersand Group, Inc.) - (Book contains 81 pages of coverage on the M3A1 Scout Car) David Doyle
U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles Fred W. Crismon
"Vehicles of the Reconnaissance Corps" (March 2022 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine) David Garden

"White Scout Car" (January 2009 Issue of Military Machines International Magazine)

James Lyle
"White Scout Car: M3A1" (November 2012 Issue of Military Machines International Magazine) Ludovic Fortin

Hobby Modeling

Kits and Accessories

Model Kit Manufacturer Scale Other Information
M3A1 White Scout Car Kit Gaso.Line 1/50  
M3A1 White Scout Car - Early Production Kit (82451) Hobby Boss 1/35 Injection Molded Plastic; New Tooled Kit.
Soviet M3A1 White Scout Car - Late Production Kit with M30 122mm Howitzer (84537) Hobby Boss 1/35 Injection Molded Plastic; New Tooled Kit.
M3A1 White Scout Car - Late Production Kit (82452) Hobby Boss 1/35 Injection Molded Plastic; New Tooled Kit.
M3A1 White Scout Car Kit Peerless-Max 1/35 Out of Production;  More a collector's Item, but this is the source mold for subsequent kit offerings
M3A1 White Scout Car Kit Italeri 1/35 Out of Production (for Now);  Same molding as the Peerless Kit
M3A1 White Scout Car Model Kit (35363) Tamiya 1/35 Injection Molded Plastic; New Tooled Kit.
M3A1 White Scout Car (with Canvas Cover) Kit Zvezda 1/35 Same molding as Italeri/Peerless Max Kit
       
Aftermarket Set Manufacturer Scale Other Information
White Scout Car Instruments and Placards Decal Set (AR35354) Archer Fine Transfers 1/35 Decals, for Hobby Boss Model Kits
Chinese Tank (AFV) - Part 2 (35003) Decals Best Fong 1/35 Has Markings for Nationalist Chinese Vehicles: Sdkfz 221, Sdkfz 222/223, BA-3, BA-20 and M3A1 Scout Car)
New Zealand Armour in Europe and Africa Decals (35058) Bison Decals 1/35 Decals with M3A1 Scout Car Marking Option.
New Zealand Armour In Italy Decals (35060) Bison Decals 1/35 Decals with M3A1 Scout Car Marking Option.
M3A1 Scout Car Sagged Wheel Set (DW30041) DEF Model 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 White Scout Car Detail Set (36181) Eduard 1/35 Stainless Steel Photo Etch; For Hobby Boss Model Kits
M3A1 White Scout Car Detail Set (36411) Eduard 1/35 Stainless Steel Photo Etch; For Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 Scout Car Highway Pattern Tires (35552) FC Model-Trend 1/35 Resin.
M3A1 Scout Car Decals “Forces Francaises Libres-France Italie 1943-1945” (35009) Histopic 1/35 Decals.
M3A1 White Scout Car Wheel Set (35070) Hussar Productions 1/35 Resin.
M3A1 Scout Car Early Wheel Set (6 hole rim) (HSR 35106) Hussar Productions 1/35 Resin; For HobbyBoss Model Kit
M3A1 Scout Car Early Wheel Set (8 hole rim) (HSR 35107) Hussar Productions 1/35 Resin; For HobbyBoss Model Kit
M3A1 Scout Car Paquetages (French Stowage) (KMT35062K) KMT 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 Scout Car Directional Pattern Wheels (35553) Mac One Models 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 Scout Car - British/Canadian Army Stowage & Personal Gear Set (35610) MR Models 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit
M3A1 Scout Car Road Wheels with chains (RE35-136) Panzer Art 1/35 Resin.
British/Commonwealth/Polish Stowage Set for the M3A1 Scout Car (35363) Panzer Art 1/35 Resin. For the Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 Scout Car Detail Set (P35-143) Passion Models 1/35 Photo Etched Brass; For the Tamiya Kit.
M3A1 Scout Car Positionable Steering (352424) Resicast 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit
M3A1 Scout Car Commonwealth Stowage Set (352425) Resicast 1/35 Resin; For the Tamiya Kit

"ANZAC # 2: Australian & New Zealand AFVs in Mid-East and Africa" (35-C1148)

Star-Decals

1/35

Decals; Includes Markings for the M3A1 Scout Car.

"British Armoured Cars" (35-C1151)

Star-Decals

1/35

Decals; Includes Markings for the Staghound Mark 1 Armored Car and Humber and M3A1 Scout Cars.

"British Scout & Recce Units in NWE 1944-45" (35-891)

Star-Decals

1/35

Decals; Includes Markings for the M3A1 Scout Car, Staghound Mark 1 Armored Car & Dingo Mark 2 Scout Cars.

"Congo Crisis #1" Decal Sheet (35-984)

Star-Decals

1/35 Decals; Includes Marking for Swedish UN M8 Armored Cars & M3A1 Scout Cars).
“Indochine #1: The Foreign Legion - 1er REC" (72-A1028)

Star-Decals

1/72 Decals with markings for the M3A1 White Scout Car, M8 Greyhound and Humber Scout Car.
“Indochine #2: 1er Regiment de Chasseurs"  (72-A1029)

Star-Decals

1/72 Decals with markings for the M3A1 White Scout Car.

“South East Asia - 1950s. Tanks & AFVs. France, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia & Thailand” (35-C1250)

Star-Decals

1/35

Decals; Includes Markings for C-15TA Armored Truck, M3A1 Scout Car, M8 Greyhound and Panhard AMD 178B Armored Car.

“Peacekeepers in the Middle East # 2: UNEF in Suez, Sinai and Gaza”  (35-C1292)

Star-Decals

1/35

Decals; Includes Markings for Yugoslavian & Swedish M3A1 Scout Car, M8 Greyhound and M37 Dodge 3/4 ton truck.

“Peacekeepers in the Middle East: UNEF in Suez, Sinai and Gaza”  (72-A1062)

Star-Decals

1/72

Decals; Includes Markings for Yugoslavian & Swedish M3A1 Scout Car, M8 Greyhound and M37 Dodge 3/4 ton truck.

"SA Tanks and AFVs in Italy" (72-A1091) Star-Decals 1/72 Includes markings for South African Humber & M3A1 Scout Car.
"Tanks & AFVs in Cuba # 1" (35-C1337) Star-Decals 1/35 Includes markings for the Staghound Mark 1, M8 Greyhound and M3A1 Scout Car.
"Tanks & AFVs in Cuba # 1" (72-A1103) Star-Decals 1/72 Includes markings for the Staghound Mark 1, M8 Greyhound and M3A1 Scout Car.
"Armoured Cars in Polish Service -Vol.1: Egypt 1942 - Italy 1945" (35D36) Toro Model 1/35 Decal Set; Includes Markings for the AEC Dorchester ACV, C15TA Armored Truck, Otter LRC, M3A1 Scout Car & Marmon Herrington Mark 2 Armored Car.
WWII US M3A1 White Scout Car Early Production (Basic) Detail Set (PE35113) Voyager Model 1/35 Photo-Etched Brass; For the Hobby Boss Early Production Kit (82451)?

Model Photos

Reference Source/Provider
Gen. Patton's M3A1 White Scout Car (Sicily 1943) Model Photos Steve Zaloga - Maryland, USA
M3A1 White Scout Car Model Photos Chuck Aleshire - Shorewood, Illinois
M3A1 White Scout Car Model Photo- German Captured Patrick Keenan - Editor
British M3A1 White Scout Car Diorama Photos (1/35 Zvezda) John Staehle - Deming, New Mexico USA
New Zealand M3A1 White Scout Car Model Photos Mike Winters - Santa Rosa, California, USA
New Zealand M3A1 White Scout Car (1/35 Hobby Boss) Model Photos Dave Williams  - UK