Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog

It's not as good as the AFV Club offering but it's way cheaper! The fact that it was designed to run on a little electric 'engine' is the main pain in the a.. with this kit as the hull has holes that will need to be filled in and at least one extra bump (needed to accommodate the 'engine') that should be removed to get a more exact replica of the underside of the hull.

Details wise, it's not bad at all, but if you want you can always use the Eduard PE set and aftermarket tracks that are now available. The $6 price tag sounds quite good. Here it retails at £9.99, wich is about $15.

Get the Squadron Signal book if you can. Good reference there!

It's a great little kit!
Here's some pix of one I did about 4 years ago:





I used the Ordnance Models PE set and resin mantlet set, which also came with the auxilliary motor that sits on the righthand muffler. All quite nice, and very easy to install.

I also recently replaced the Tamiya trax with the AFV Club aftermarket trax (band type). They're a little looser than I'd like, but they look MUCH better than the Tamiya trax, which have no detail at all on the inside.

The only thing I regret not doing is replacing the jerry cans on the turret with more accurate ones and replacing the grab handles on the sides of the turret with brass rod.

The M2 machine gun is from Skybow.

I don't know if the Marines used Walker Bulldogs.
I built my as a JGSDF M-41.

As far as tricks go, I replaced the handles on the sponson storage bins with wire (not very accurate!), and I created a groove between the rear fender and muffler cover, which on the kit is just a solid area. Added a few plastic scrap mounting straps, too.
Two spike-like items in front of the drivers hatch (no idea what they are, but they're in all the ref pix I've seen), lifting eyes on the glacis, hatch handles replaced with brass rod, and new antennae round out the mods that I made to the Tamiya kit.

A great kit for 6 bucks.
And even with the Ordnance Models sets, still cheaper than the AFV Club and Skybow kits! (Which I have, and are both excellent kits!)

djmodels1999 & J-Hulk,

Thanks for the replies. Thanks for the pictures, J-Hulk. I hope mine comes out looking that good. Based on your responses, I guess I got myself a good little starter kit for my first armor build. It'll be awhile before I start on it, as I have to finish an Academy 1/32 F/A-18C, a Tamiya 1/32 F-15E, AND a Hasegawa 1/48 F-16C before I start on anything else. I'm trying to NOT get in the habit of having a multitude of projects going at once, like so many other modelers that I know. I once got caught up in that mindset, and I thought that I'd NEVER get any of them finished!! Anyway, it'll give me time to look for the aftermarket items that you both mentioned.
J-Hulk, what kind of painting sequence did you use on your Bulldog? It seems to me that most armor guys build everything, then paint. When I build an aircraft, I paint as I go, leaving the painting of the exterior of the almost-completed plane last, then attaching all the already-painted small pieces (antennae, aerials, pitot tubes, etc.) afterwards. Is this a technique that doesn't work with tanks? Any advice with your particular building techniques will be greatly appreciated!! And that goes for anyine else who would like to weigh in with some advice. Thanks a lot!!!

Gary

Anytime you can get a complete kit for $6, it's a great deal, if it's something you're interested in!

Painting sequence is really a matter of personal preference. A lot of the guys out here like to build as much as possible first, then paint. I usually pre-paint as much as I can before assembly. With armor, that seems to be not the best. I wind up painting a lot of things I don't need to, and needless to say, scraping a lot of paint off glue joints. Maybe I do it that way because my "fundamentals" were in car and aircraft painting where you do have to prepaint a lot of the interiors, etc. But let me tell you, I think it would be real hard to get paint on the hull behind the road wheels of a tank after they've been put on. Antennas are still best left for last. Once you get into fiddling with photo etch parts, your sequence may change.

Best of luck with it. Welcome to the darkside!

Bill

Wipw,

Thanks for the info. I would have to agree with you about painting with the road wheels on: it would seem to be better to paint the hull first, then attach the wheels. BUT, that's just my opinion after examining the kit for awhile. Luckily for me, there aren't a lot of parts in the kit, so I should be able to finish it quickly and easily (I hope!!).

Hi Gary, and fellas!
Glad I could be of some service.

As far as sequence goes, I put the whole thing together first, then do all the painting later. This includes link trax, if they are not the workable kind. Well, I do pre-shade all the hard to get to places first with flat black, behind and in between the road wheels, the hull behind the suspension, under the fenders, skirts, etc. Then what you can't reach when you paint later should be a dark shadow anyway, so there you are!

If the trax are workable or belt, or otherwise easy to install and remove, I'll paint them separately and put them on last.

On this M-41, it was all Tamiya enamels. I just realized I must have built this Bulldog more than 5 years ago, because I didn't have an airbrush at that time. This one's all cans and brushes.
Heck, on a single color vehicle like this, I wouldn't think twice about using a spray can now, as long as the color I want is available. I'd then use the airbrush to shade and grade the base.
But this Bulldog was built long before I had an AB, so I spray-canned the base coat of Tamiya OD over the pre-shaded (with a can!) lower hull and suspension. Then I decaled, washed, weathered with Tamiya enamels, and then sealed with Gunze's aqeous flat clear.

And that's this M-41's story!

Garydmason,

You're in good hands - no doubt - pictures and everything

You may want to look for current detailing, that kit has been around a long time -some stuff may be out of production ( I did this Tamiya kit at least 20+ years ago)
I would definetly do the tracks like J-Hulk said - one sided tracks are Cheezy


As far as the wheels - check out this past post - there's alot of different approachs to pick
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7950&SearchTerms=painting,wheels



Good Luck


Nice job on the Walker, J-Hulk ! (you famous modeler you)

It Looks like you've got all the info you really need to get started on an armor piece garydmason so I'll just say good luck on it and enjoy! I've just started building armor myself and I have to say it's lots of fun making them really dirty and worn out!

You'll have to figure out how you like to go on the wheels and tracks on a tank kit so just try something and see if it works. If not, try it the other way on the next one. Holler if you have any questions, we'll be glad to help out!

Eric

Thanks for the kind words, Build!
Famous...yup, dat's me alright...NOT!!!

...yet, anyway! One day, though... ONE DAY!!!

Ah, one more detail up product I forgot to mention (and didn't use) is AFV Club's suspension set, which includes the road wheels, idlers, and drive sprockets. They released that set about a year before their complete Walker Bulldog kit. With that set and the other AM parts I've mentioned, you can STILL make a fine M-41 for less than you'd pay for the AFV Club or Skybow kit. Well, a little less, anyway! Gettin' close, though...

Hey, guys,

I forgot to ask this question about the Bulldog: what country actually used it? The decals in the kit are for the JSDF. Did the US of A ever use this thing?

Welcome to the darkside Gary. Good luck on your model.
mark956

QUOTE: Originally posted by garydmason Folks, I primarily build 1/48 aircraft (OK, they're ALL I build!!), but I recently bought a 1/35 Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog kit (dated 1975 on the box) from a fellow modeler here in Indianapolis for $6. I've kinda wanted to build something different, and I decided that an armor kit would be just the thing. So, my questions are these: 1. Is it a good kit? 2. Is $6 a good price for it? 3. What's available as far as aftermarket sets? 4. Did the USMC use it? 5. Are there any tricks that would help me build this kit? Thanks in advance for any replies to this!! Semper Fi!!

1. Yes, it is a decent kit, but it was recently surpassed by M41A3 Walker Bulldogs issued by Skybow and AFV Club in 2002. Both go for around $20-30.
2. Very good price for the kit, normally retails for around $10+
3. Long laundry list. If it is available for this kit, I've got it. If you really want to know, e-mail me off forum and I'll send you a list. My advice, if you buy two or three aftermarket items for this kit, then you'd be better off getting the new ones. It would be cheaper.
4. No, only US use was the Army. Plenty of foreign users though. The movie Full Metal Jacket has some Fillipino M41s in psuedo-USMC markings.
5. I posted a fairly comprehensive list of budget tweaks that can be done to the kit a couple of days ago. If you do a quick search, it should turn up.

Major,

Thanks a bunch for the reply. You're the first person to answer all of my questions in one shot. You're also the first person to know who actually used this thing besides the Japanese. I've asked many self-professed armor "experts" at many model shows, and no one could accurately answer that. I'm mainly an aircraft modeler, and this Bulldog will be my first foray into armor. Hopefully, it won't be my last....

So, where are you stationed at? I'm assuming that you're still on active duty, based on your post signature. Great website, by the way. One of the best I've ever seen, regardless of subject.

Thanks again for the info. As soon as I get my Bulldog built (which will not be anytime soon), I'll post some pictures of it. By the way, where does the "Walker" come from?

mark956,

Thanks for the encouragement. I need all I can get!!!

Thanks, I run what's left of the old Army Airfield at Ft. Devens, Mass but live at an AFB outside of Boston (at least until I PCS in July).

Didn't answer all the users of this tank. In addition to the USA, JGSDF, ARVN, there were other foreign users. Some of them off the top of my head is the Phillipines (that I mentioned), Austria, Denmark, Lebanon, Thailand, Taiwan, Brazil, Spain, Uraguay, and the Cuban exiles used them in the Bay of Pigs invasion. I know I've missed a few other countries. Probably South and Central American countries, Portugal?

Major,

Sounds like it would be easier to name who DIDN'T use them!!

Most of the people I've asked at model shows said that they didn't know who used them, except for Japan and the USA. I knew that from just looking at the box.

Where does the "Walker" part of the name come from? I'm guessing maybe the name of the guy that designed it? I can pretty much figure out the Bulldog part.

How long have you been in the Army? I was in the USMC from 1984 -1995, as a Deceptive Electronics Countermeasures Technician for the Harriers at Cherry Point, NC. Lotsa fun. It's AMAZING what a Harrier can do. I miss watching those things hover....

Gen Walker was a commander in Korea and died during the fighting. The tank's original name was Little Bulldog but they renamed it Walker Bulldog in his honor.

As far as me, I started in the National Guard while in college (83-87) and went straight into the Army the summer of 1987 and have been in ever since (16+).

Thanks for the info, Major. I always like to learn why things get named as they do. You never know - they might ask that question on Jeopardy one of these days, and I'll win a million because I knew the answer. At least, that's my dream. I hate working for money!!!

You ever build any aircraft models?

Oh, and another question about the Bulldog - Who built them? I know that Chrysler (I'm a BIG MOPAR freak, by the way!!) builds the M1A1, and they have been a big player in past tanks, like the M4 Sherman (I think they built the engines). Would they happen to have been the builder of the Bulldog?

Nope, Cadillac made the Bulldog and while Chrysler originally produced the design of the Abrams, General Dynamics is the current manufacturer of the Abrams. Chrysler made the 5-engined multibank M4A4 Sherman. The M4 and M4A1 had Continental radial engines, the M4A2 used a diesel (unsure of the maker) and the M4A3 used a Ford engine.

BTW Gen Abrams was one of Patton's tank battalion commanders (as a Lt. Col.) during WW2 and had 7 Shermans shot out from under him. He went on to command the military forces during Vietnam.

Sounds like General Walker was a guy you DIDN'T want to be around when he was in a tank!!

I tell ya, this is great info you have!! Have you ever given thought to writing a book about all of this? Maybe a mutli-volume encyclopaedia about all tanks? You could make some money on it............................