Tanks Honey! (Tamiya M-41)

2494 Views 25 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Gluefinger, Oct 15, 2009

steve123

Discussion Starter · Sep 18, 2009

The wife got me this kit the other day at Hi-Blob lo-Blob
With a coupon or a sale this little kit is only about 7 bucks.

I built this when I was a kid, and slapped the two motor wired remote control from another tank into this one.

I've always loved the way this tank looks. I'm gonna do a weekend build, so I cut some sheet plastic to cover the bottom of the sponsons:

Slapped some tamiya O.D. on and filled in the open driver's vision blocks with some thick white glue:

This is a nice little kit. I covered the motorization holes with some sheet plastic. (Nothing fancy, nobody has any business picking up one of my models to look underneath anyway...lol)

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djnick66

· #2 · Sep 18, 2009

The kit really isnt bad and not the dog it is made out to be. There should be some detail on the vertical sides of the tool lockers... you can make that with stretched sprue or Evergreen... The kit box art is good to work from.

One thing to do that makes a world of difference... buy the cheap AFV Club workable track links. The links are molded in steel plastic with seperate black plastic track pads. They are super simple to paint and snap together... they look wayyyyyy better than the worthless Tamiya ones. AFV also sells a wheel set, although the Tamiya ones are ok (the rubber hubs are annoying). If you have a better .50 cal machine gun, replace that too... otherwise the kit is really not so bad considering its nearly 40 years old now.

philo426

· #3 · Sep 18, 2009

Pretty Good Kit!

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The-Nightsky

· #4 · Sep 19, 2009

In Real life this was a good tank and Fast...I had the oportunity to drive one many many years ago at Ft.Knox.Nice acceleration

djnick66

· #5 · Sep 19, 2009

Too bad it was one of those between the Wars designs. Too late for combat in Korea and was out of US service by Vietnam. It did see some combat with the ARVN and in the Lebanese Civil Wars

steve123

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 19, 2009

I'm not gonna spend any dough on this one. I am going to spruce up the sides as Dave suggested. (my sprue stretching mojo is strong this morning...) Nice tank Philo!

I'm going to play around with the .50 cal a little bit..(try to drill out some details...etc.)
I just want a fun fast build,the fit is very good! I only used a trace of putty on the turret and the main gun barrel. And this kit has solid(non-vinyl) road wheel hubs, I think you were thinking about either the M-60 or the Leapord A-1 tank. I built both, and one or both of those has the vinyl wheel hubs...

djnick66

· #7 · Sep 19, 2009

Cool maybe they changed it? I was looking at my old issue and the wheel hubs (Part M11) are in OD vinyl and press on to the ends of the axles so the wheels turn (its motorized).

The kit wheels are not too bad... they are good to replace the horrid flat button wheels in the AFV Club M18 Hellcat tank destroyer (which oddly used the same wheel as the M41?!?)

Tamiya's Bulldog is a fun old kit. Most of the fixes it needs you can do yourself with sprue, a drill, some scrap plastic, etc.

I would spring for the tracks... they only run about $15. They have link or belt tracks. Both are vastly better than the crappy Tamiya ones which are totally smooth on the inside

http://www.missionmodels.com/files/t_17632.jpg

http://www.hobbycentre.com.au/AFV3552.jpg

AFV also sells a gluable vinyl mantlet with cover, tie down straps etc. Way cool and much better than Tamiya's notion of making the cover using a cellophane bag.

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steve123

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 19, 2009

I did the cellophane thing when I was a kid, I don't remember much about hating the look or not. I was having too much fun running it around the house. I loved those two motor wired remote tanks! I had to write MRC after I broke all the suspension arms off my M-60 A-1...they sent me a new lower hull...I think they liked the fact that I drove my tank to death.
I'm unable to spend a dime on this little tank, But wait 'til you see the paint job on the tracks...

hedorah59

· #9 · Sep 19, 2009

I used to love those old Tamiya kits - They were fun, and the fit was usually close to perfect. I look forward to seeing it done

btw, nice build, philo!

steve123

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 20, 2009

The seams are pretty easy to finesse away.

The vinly track don't look too bad with a little love.

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djnick66

· #11 · Sep 20, 2009

Thats looking good. The old Tamiya kits still build up so easly they make good weekend projects. I find Tamiya's TS Series JGSDF Olive Drab spray paint to be a great match for the US Post War, darker OD shade.

The kit track outer face isnt bad... its the inside thats poor.

steve123

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 20, 2009 (Edited)

It's a really fun build. I used modelmaster leather (it's my favorite rust color)
and some black for the pads, and then a silver paint pen for the rub marks. The upper and lower hulls fit so well that I only needed a little white glue to fix the front and rear seams.
I half thought about painting her Panzer grey and doing Robert Shaw's "Tiger"

steve123

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 20, 2009 (Edited)

I'm really having fun building this little tank! Dave, I can see your point about the AFV club stuff, this little devil deserves some add-ons.
The fine detail on this kit is a hoot.

I'm sitting at the coffee table, watching Jessica Alba scuba diving, working on my tank, the laundry is in the dryer, and I made a huge batch of Chille Rellenos last night.
Yup, I'm in the zone...lol

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steve123

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 20, 2009 (Edited)

Knock Knock...Who's there? Ma! ma who? Ma Deuce!

I should have taken a before pic. Some small drills,micro files..and look!
I also found my old Tamiya Modern US accessory set..really nice jerry cans and stencils for the ammo boxes....yup I'm having fun.

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steve123

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 22, 2009 (Edited)

I'm getting carried away...I drilled out the headlights:

Thinned the exhaust pipes..the plastic tore a little giving it even more or a corroded look:

The pic above is funny, here I am spending ten minutes thinning the exhaust, and I miss the glaring mold seam on the main gun lock..(I fixed it)
Some fuel stains:

Here is a shot of the sides where I added stretched sprue..not my best work...

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steve123

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 22, 2009 (Edited)

I must be driving you guys nuts..

A micro drill and too much time on my hands.

Putting on the initial weathering, a little coat of dust.

Can you tell I went to the Verlinden School of weathering?...lol

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The-Nightsky

· #17 · Sep 23, 2009

Lookin Great!

Cro-Magnon Man

· #18 · Sep 23, 2009

The Verlinden School of Weathering: that's another school I flunked!

I just could never achive his effects; but his work is amazing and is probably the most distictive and recognisable style of finish anywhere in the world.

djnick66

· #19 · Sep 23, 2009

Cro-Magnon Man said:
The Verlinden School of Weathering: that's another school I flunked!

I just could never achive his effects; but his work is amazing and is probably the most distictive and recognisable style of finish anywhere in the world.

Thats a good thing to fail! There are much better and more realistic methods to use than the "drybrush it with white" method...

Pioneer at the time but kicked to the curb by newer, better modellers and techniques (like Mig).

steve123

Discussion Starter · #20 · Sep 23, 2009 (Edited)

Thanks guys!
I stil like looking at his work,even after all this time.
I over did the black panel emphasis, so I tried to lessen it with some flat grey spray paint(I misted it on as lightly as I could)..a hair over done..but it's easy to darken it a little.
I need to add the tools and paint the commander..I can't wait to see how the binoculars look when painted..I'm trying to decide how to color the lenses: dark blue or red?

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