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M-41 Walker Bulldog

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Monday, November 3, 2003 4:06 AM
Hi, Littlemoe!

Filling in the holes in the bottom of the hull is completely up to you. Unless you pose the tank on its side or upside-down, nobody will know!Big Smile [:D]

The Tamiya "gunshield" (mantlet cover) plastic bag suggestion is best avoided! It is commonly acknowledged in hobby literature here in Japan to be a very poor way to represent the mantlet cover. And I've seen pictures to prove it! I used the nice Ordnance Models resin piece on my M-41, but I've seen some really great covers made by hand with a variety of putties. AFV Club also sells a vinyl mantlet cover for 400 yen (about $3.60 US) if you can find it. I'm not sure if it would fit the Tamiya kit very well, though.

The tracks do have a "proper" way to be put on; with the "pointy" end of the semi-triangular pad pointing down (looking at the vehicle from the front). Be careful if you have the kit with the box art showing the tank from the rear! You may confuse the direction of the tracks if you mistake that to be the front of the tank (and it's easy to do!).

As far as painting the tracks goes, I left the AFV Club tracks the original black and drybrushed dark metallic gray on the metal parts (everything but the rubber pads), then washed and weathered 'em.
The Tamiya tracks are already a metallic gray color, so you may want to paint them acrylic flat black and then do the metallic gray drybrush thing. Or, you could just paint the pads black and use a wash to darken the silver parts.
One thing about the stock Tamiya tracks is that there is no detail at all on the insides, so what I did when I originally built this kit with the original tracks was to simply draw with a pencil and ruler lines across the insides of the tracks to represent the individual links. After a bit of weathering, the effect was quite convincing, and much better than the original smooth surface.

Good luck, Littlemoe! I hope this has been helpful.
Post some pix if you can!Big Smile [:D]
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 3, 2003 2:06 AM
ok, one more thing, whichway are the tracks supposed togo??? Does it Matter???? shold the tracks remain black???
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 3, 2003 1:58 AM
OK, now i need some advice/help....... just as a reminder, i'm building Tamiya's M41 BullDog......


In the instructions, it shows the option of making a Gun Sheild Cover out of poly bag and string.... has anyone done this???? this is my first armor kit, should i try this????? The directions are a bit confusing.... please help.....

by the way, the buikd is going good so far, but i'm basically doing an OOB, my only regret is not filling the holes on the bootom of thetank that would beused if it were motorized .... kinda too late now, 'cause i already put the wheels and sprockets, as well as some of the smaller peices on lower hull already.

I'm afraid if i start to sand and sand , i might break something.....

Anyhooo, sorry for rambling.....


Thanks
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Sunday, November 2, 2003 1:28 AM
On the M-41 you see in the previous pix, I washed the entire vehicle with a thin black wash.
~Brian
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 31, 2003 11:56 PM
can any one offer any advice as where and what color wash to use????
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 31, 2003 11:20 PM
washes and dry brushing really bring out the detail in armor models specially dark colored ones....
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by mark956 on Friday, October 31, 2003 11:20 PM
Great buy littlemoe. Can't wait for some pictures of it.
mark956
  • Member since
    January 2003
Posted by shermanfreak on Friday, October 31, 2003 11:16 PM
Most armour builders do a wash of some form or another, black included.
Happy Modelling and God Bless Robert
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 31, 2003 11:14 PM
would it be wrong to do a black wash to bring out thr recessed areas??

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, October 31, 2003 1:10 AM
Littlemoe,

That was a great buy, and since that was also my first armor kit I can tell you that it was easy, satisfactory, and all around good looking, it has the right amount of details to look nice but not enough to make you wonder what you're doing building armor... Keep on rocking
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 30, 2003 5:28 PM
well, in case anyone is interested, i started painting, and should startputtin togethjer by tomorrow.... picswill follow....

keep in mind this is my first armor.....
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 8:36 AM
Great advice from the Major!
If you look at my M-41, you can see that the crew has taken the driver's vision blocks out for a quick cleaning (at least that's what I tell everyone!Wink [;)]).

A quick note about Skybow: I talked to the president of AFV Club at the Shizuoka Hobby Show last May, and at that time they were working with Skybow to distribute products like the aforementioned mantlet cover, but they were not taking over Skybow's molds or absorbing Skybow in any way. In fact, Skybow appears to be alive and well as far as distribution goes here in Japan, with kits all over the place.
It's hard to get the true picture of the Hong Kong / Taiwan / China model manufacturer situation, but as far as AFV Club and Skybow goes, I think that's how it stands right now.

Back to what Major Rob said, I always thought US armor in the 50's and 60's looked to be a much darker color than the OD I see offered by the major manufacturers. Adding some black sounds like a good idea!

By the way, I ain't famous!
Yet...Mischief [:-,]Big Smile [:D]
~Brian
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 6:49 AM
Yes, if doing a US tank, the majority of the tank is OD green. Around the time the Bulldog was in use by the US, many units mixed gloss black in with the OD to make a dark semi gloss OD green color.

The Tamiya kit has empty vision blocks (periscopes). These are usually dark in color and can be filled in with Elmer's white glue or glue a piece of clear plastic from a blister pack you may have around the house. Paint a dark blue color.

Other items on the tank like tools could be OD or sometimes they are left with wooden handles. Tow cables are normally steel/black in color. Rubber road wheel rims are black as well. The .50 cal machine gun would be gun metal color.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 1:54 AM
OK guys and gals,

I'm startin this tank, my first major question is, is the color indications in the instructions correct???

Is most of this tank olive drab????

seems to me i should paint everything olivedrab then go back and touch up the other colors... I this right???
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 10:36 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Dwight Ta-ala

QUOTE: The Skybow kit (IMHO) is the better of the three. It ran around $30-35 but since Skybow went out-of-business, it is hard to find and getting expensive. The AFV Club is just as nice and includes an aluminum barrel. Great Models (www.greatmodels.com) has them on sale for $22.


Rob,

Thanks for that info on the M-41. I never thought that the Skybow version is quite rare nowadays. Our local hobby shop still has some Skybow M-41 priced at about 15 US Dollars. I was wondering why it has not been sold out. If I have the money, I might as well pick one up.


Yes, the worry is that since AFV Club makes their own M41A3 and they are the ones that bought Skybow's molds, that Skybow's M41A3 may never see light of day again. AFV Club did issue the Skybow vinyl mantlet cover on a blister pack for around $5. Too bad about Skybow, they made some superb US softskin vehicles. They just had the bad luck to release a new, expensive kit at the same time another manufacturer releases the exact same kit.

Edit: Someone is selling a Skybow Bulldog on HyperScale's "Tank Talk" forum (http://www.hyperscale.com/). No relation to the seller though. Title is "Models for Sale (US)".
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Upstate NY
Posted by Build22 on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 5:58 PM

J-Hulk,

Sorry, I forgot your Walker - but I wouldn't have voluntered it without your permission.

Listen to him LittleMoe - he's a famous modeler you know


Jim [IMG]
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 5:52 PM
QUOTE: The Skybow kit (IMHO) is the better of the three. It ran around $30-35 but since Skybow went out-of-business, it is hard to find and getting expensive. The AFV Club is just as nice and includes an aluminum barrel. Great Models (www.greatmodels.com) has them on sale for $22.


Rob,

Thanks for that info on the M-41. I never thought that the Skybow version is quite rare nowadays. Our local hobby shop still has some Skybow M-41 priced at about 15 US Dollars. I was wondering why it has not been sold out. If I have the money, I might as well pick one up.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Tochigi, Japan
Posted by J-Hulk on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 8:17 AM
Littlemoe, go back a few pages and check out the pix and text of my Tamiya M-41! I outlined the PE and resin bits that I used in that build, plus you can see 'em right there.
Hope it helps ya out!Big Smile [:D]

Here's the link:

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8681
~Brian
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Upstate NY
Posted by Build22 on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 6:23 AM

Littlemoe,

Check out this Chaffee - It's about the same size and shape as a Walker. You can try tooling around the rest of the gallery for examples of how other people finished some American armor


http://www.missing-lynx.com/gallery/usa/jmm24.htm




Jim [IMG]
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Dahlonega, Georgia
Posted by lizardqing on Monday, October 27, 2003 10:34 PM
Hey littlemoe, watch out I used to do only cars to and then I decided to try out a piece of armor. Now the armor out numbers the cars sitting on the shelf both built and still in the box. You might want to try and get some antidote ready for when you get bit by the armor bug.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 9:53 PM
well i have decided that I am going to build this tank OOB,,,,, my next delima is how to spruce it up.... is every thing on this tank the same color??? air air vents and such a different color??

In the instructions, there is a choice of building 3 versions... Japan Groun Force A and B, and the U.s version....

I don't know all that much about weathering.....


I'm starting to feel overwhelmed........
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Monday, October 27, 2003 9:28 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by shermanfreak

Eduard makes a set #35428.
Tossing good money after bad. While theTamiya kit is an excellent starter armor kit, the kit plus Eduard PE set costs about as much as the superb AFV Club or Skybow Walker Bulldogs that were released last year.

I've got all three Bulldog kits as well as about $80 worth of aftermarket accessories to bring the Tamiya M41 up to standards (most bought prior to the release of the AFV Club and Skybow kits). Even with all the bells and whistles added, the Tamiya kit won't be close to either of the newer Bulldogs which run around $30 a piece.

Now if you can find the old Eduard set (35040) or the Ordnance set (A-031) for around $5-8, then those are good for dressing up the Tamiya kit. These can normally be found on Ebay cheaply.

The Skybow kit (IMHO) is the better of the three. It ran around $30-35 but since Skybow went out-of-business, it is hard to find and getting expensive. The AFV Club is just as nice and includes an aluminum barrel. Great Models (www.greatmodels.com) has them on sale for $22.

Again, for an initial armor kit, the Tamiya Bulldog is a great build and I highly recommend it. But to spend $17-20 on a PE set when the newer kit runs $22 seems kind of crazy.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 5:34 PM
Wow guys, thanks for the warm welcome into the "darkside"....

just to let ya know, i spend alot of time in the auto forum...... since i came over to check you guys out and do a tank, why dont you guys come over to the auto thread, we are starting a community build....

It would be nice to have ya's


I gets lonley in there from time to time....

Yhanbks agan guys, and gals!!!!
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philippines
Posted by Dwight Ta-ala on Monday, October 27, 2003 5:27 PM
Four bucks is a very good price, especially in the U.S. I saw this kit once and it looks fine for a starter tank kit.

Welcome to the darkside littlemoe...

I agree with the guys, Olive Drab will be just what the doctor prescribed for that baby.

Happy building.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Exit 7a NJ Turnpike
Posted by RAF120 on Monday, October 27, 2003 5:18 PM
I think you got ripped off, so send it to me and I'll give you your 4 bucks backWhistling [:-^]
Trevor Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 3:06 PM
Thanks edog,

I do have some experience with PE, i use them alot on my cars ...


Thanks for the warning



I just may do OOB and save the PE stuff for the sherman tank...


  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 2:01 PM
littlemoe,

I would suggest staying away from any PE for the first few AFV models you build. Or else the first AFV model you attempt may be your last. I only say this because PE can get frustrating and I would not want you to get upset with “the dark side” on your first tank model. Having said that, if you feel up to the challenge I believe Eduard makes a PE set for that kit.

Good luck, and have fun with it
edog
  • Member since
    January 2003
Posted by shermanfreak on Monday, October 27, 2003 1:59 PM
Eduard makes a set #35428.
Happy Modelling and God Bless Robert
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 27, 2003 1:51 PM
Sheesh, I'm sorry i'm sorry i asked if i should paint it or not.....lol

are there PE kits available for this kit????

Thanks for the warm welcome frosty.........

oooo and sherman, thanks for saving my armor soul!!!


just think, i alm,ost commited a sin!!!!
  • Member since
    January 2003
Posted by shermanfreak on Monday, October 27, 2003 12:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by littlemoe

Would it be a sin to not paint it???

I was just thinking of painting the details, but leaving the kit color alone.....

if not, what would be the proper color for this tank???



IMO ...... not to paint it falls under one of the deadly sins of modelling.

Tamiya's XF-62 Olive Drab acrylic would be my choice.
Happy Modelling and God Bless Robert
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