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Tamiya 1/35 M41 Walker Bulldog - NZ Army c.1971


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Hi all,

This is my first-ever 1/35 armour build, the old and light-on-parts Tamiya M41 Walker Bulldog. After finding out this is one of the tanks New Zealand operated I decided to build one, but the multicolour MERDC paint scheme does nothing for me on the type. Finding out that ours started out in green made me happy, and thanks to a bunch of internet friends I now have a nice stash of reference photos.

Onto the build!

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I did the first coat of paint before deciding that, yes, I should close up the massive amount of holes on the belly.

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After sanding the first lot of filler I was feeling good about this decision.

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Yeah, filling the holes was a good idea. Who puts holes in the bottom of a tank anyway?! (even without reading about it online, the + and - signs in the hull would've told me this kit was once motorised)

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The tracks are the one-piece vinyl "rubber band type", as I've come to understand is the norm for older kits. Based on my experience with the little Airfix Sherman I expect to do some touch-ups thanks to paint flaking off once I've fitted them to the wheels..

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I've also been painting various bits on the sprue. I'm leaning towards overall Deep Bronze Green and am using a Mike Starmer mix for the paint, but I got the ratios wrong and this is probably a bit bright...I'm away from home this weekend for wedding stuff but will make a side trip to my LHS to get some more Flat Green and Olive Drab, as well as some kind of satin varnish, to do it right.

I don't know which individual one of the ten we operated this will be, but I hope to add some stowage and various bits around the place. I have an AFV Club Centurion on the way so I'll make a resin copy of the cable reel to whack on the turret, too.

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  • 1 month later...

Late to the party here but this is an intriguing build. I have a soft spot for these old Tamiya armor kits. You have a pretty good start going there. Filling those old motorization holes is a must...good job filling them. The treads look great! I find a good hard washing of the tracks in warm soapy water followed by a coat of Tamiya primer and acrylic paint for the tread colors helps to virtually eliminate the paint flaking on the treads. Looking forward to more updates.

:cheers:

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Thanks Don, that's helpful to know as my other 1/35 kits in the stash have vinyls too. Thanks also for your kind comments! This is my first 1/35 armour build and it's been great fun. I'm off to visit the NZ Army Museum next weekend to take a look at their examples for inspiration, and to get reference pics of some other units there.

This one's almost done, just need to do some weathering. I haven't been able to find any decals for Kiwi M41s so I've improvised:

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Looks the part in my opinion :thumbsup: ! You are at the best part of armor building...the weathering and kitting up :woot.gif:. Please post some pictures of the actual tank from the museum as I have never seen a NZ M41 before. Keep us posted on the build too.

Cheers!

:cheers:

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Hey Don, will do! I asked the curator of the vehicle collection if it was possible to see the ones not on display, he said he can show me around the base and collection for the low, low price of a pack of chocolate cookies! I expect I'll be taking a lot of photos and will definitely share some here for you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry Don, my tour was postponed as the curator and another member of staff had to travel to check in with some items on loan. Not sure when I'll get back to this build but I'll be sure to post final pics when I do.

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No worries :thumbsup: . These things happen to all of us. I look forward to seeing your M41 finished when you get around to it.

Cheers!

:cheers:

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