M41

M41 Assembled and Some Primer Observations

/ Matt Dyer / Leave a comment

This kit shows its age.  My theory is that as molds age in use, their alignment deteriorates and you are confronted with little ridges on all the parts.  However, there are nowhere near the number of parts you would encounter on a new modern kit, so the issue is not a big one.  Over several evenings, the parts were cut off the sprues, prepared and put in place.

My practice is to prime all my models.  There are many modelers who would say this is a waste of time and material.  I suppose it is a matter of taste.  Why do I do it?  On armor models, I am using various preparations to weather the model.  Some are solvent based.  I think the primer helps protect the paint finish by keeping it in place while weathering chemicals are being applied.  On aircraft models, I am so frequently masking camouflage and stripes of one sort and another with masking tape that I regard priming as a necessity.  I like to work with acrylic paints for colors.  Without priming, they are easily removed by masking tape being pulled off.   So, I prime models.

Here are some primer products I have used.

Vallejo Surface Primer comes in many colors, and I really liked it when I first started using it.  It is an acrylic-polyurethane.  However, over time I have been frustrated by the fact it can be the devil to clean out of my airbrush.  Maybe that is my issue, and not theirs.  I have tried everything, but it seems that sessions with this paint are marked with frequent needle build-up problems topped off with a full field strip of the airbrush for a thorough cleaning with lacquer thinner.

Stynylrez by Badger is also an acrylic-polyurethane preparation, and it has acted as the Vallejo Surface Primer described above, i.e., airbrush cleaning challenges.

Let me hasten to add that both these primers do their job very well when applied.  I have never had paint lift when masking tape is removed, and the finishes have been protected during weathering procedures.

My issues with these products may be due to my own lack of using proper procedures.  If I can be corrected, I would be grateful.

The final product I have used, and I really count on, is Mr. Finishing Surface 1500 thinned with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner.  I thin the primer until it is as thin as 2% milk, and I apply several thin coats.  It goes on beautifully, and totally does the job.  Paint resists masking lift offs, etc.  It come is black, white and grey.  It is lacquer based, and cleanup is a snap using regular hardware store thinner.  

Mr. Color Leveling Thinner has been described by Dave Knights on the Plastic Model Mojo Podcast as “unicorn tears”, i.e., a liquid with magical properties.  And he is totally correct.  Paints thinned with this thinner  form a perfect finish and resist running and dripping if you overspray.  As a bonus, Mr. Color Leveling Thinner works with alcohol based acrylic paints such as Tamiya’s.

The only drawback is that it is a lacquer type product, so there will be some odor using it.  But unlike old enamel based paints, that odor goes away very quickly.

The tracks were primed and painted with a mix of Tamiya Acrylics I use as a track base coat.  This base coat is the invention of Andy Klein of Andy’s Hobby HQ fame:  5 parts XF68 (Flat NATO Brown), 4 parts XF64 (Red Brown) and 1 part XF7 (Flat Red).  This base coat provides the perfect first step in weathering tracks as it covers up the color of the material the track was molded in and provides a nice base for weathering.

Next step – I’ll try to make olive drab look interesting.

Thank you for stopping by.

U. S. M41 Walker Bulldog, 1/35, Tamiya MM-55

/ Matt Dyer / 2 Comments

Almost as soon as WWII ended, the U.S.Army was looking at a replacement for the M24 Chaffee Light Tank, which had served well in the European war, and later in the Korean War.

Wikipedia has an excellent article on the Walker Bulldog’s history, and there are many others just a Google search away.

Here a few things I found interesting.

The tank did not prove to be up to what the U. S. Army wanted, i.e., a small, easily transported, light tank with a gun that could kill any tank it encountered.  Various issues got in the way.  The stereoscopic sight was not successful, the turret rotation system was not what was wanted and there were some engine issues.  The tank was eventually given to allies such as the nascent German and Japanese reconstituted militaries in the 1950’s. 

While there have been some claims that early models of the Walker Bulldog were taken to Korea for combat testing, there is a lack of evidence that ever happened.   

As the war in Vietnam boiled over, the U. S. gave many of these tanks to the ARVN’s (Army of Viet Nam).  It proved a great hit with the Vietnamese whose small stature fit comfortably in this tank which had proven to be cramped for American soldiers.  Since armored formations slugging it out was not a feature of the Vietnam War, there is not much history left behind of even ARVN use.  From what I read, these tanks were widely used as patrol vehicles as well as infantry support.

And, finally, the U. S. Army was falling in love with the M551 Sheridan which was under development in the 1960’s and had a main gun/rocket launcher that could destroy anything on tracks, and it was deployed to Vietnam along with the M48 Patton tanks.

The frank fact seems to be that while the Walker Bulldog served in combat with some of the countries the U. S. sold the tanks to, there is no evidence it ever served in combat with the U. S. Armed Forces.

The kit was first produced by Tamiya in 1973.  A half century ago, it was battery powered like almost all the Tamiya 1/35 scale armor kits.  The sprues are marked “1973”.  The hull bottom is marked “1973 2019”.  I think that Tamiya reworked the hull bottom to get rid of most of the battery power necessities, probably c. 2019.  There are few parts compared to modern kits, but I submit adequate detail.  I do wish Tamiya had provided some clear lenses for the driver’s viewing ports.  The figures supplied were WWII American Infantry and a generic commander.  An ARVN commander or driver would have been nice, but one cannot have everything.

Sadly, the Walker Bulldog was less than successful, but still an important tank at the beginning of the Cold War.  And it contributed to successfully preventing the expansion of communism during the Cold War, as did the millions of Americans who served the country  in our Armed Forces during that not stressless period.

And now to the workbench to get the build under way.

These are all the styrene injection molded parts. In the upper left is the hull bottom. This is a single piece. Not like modern armor kits with hundreds of parts, is it?
This is the rest of the kit, i.e., vinyl tracks and caps, a small decal sheet. There are two Japanese markings and one U. S. Army marking (probably the occupation army in Germany).
Sprue A with the date engraved on it.
And, Sprue B dated.
The two dates along with the remnants of the battery configuration of long ago.