M41A3 Bulldog - a beginners take

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Steve.d.scott
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Posts: 31
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 11:34 pm
Location: Kent , England

M41A3 Bulldog - a beginners take

Post by Steve.d.scott »

Back in May i brought my first two fixer upper RC tanks. both HL. A Tiger and a Bulldog. The tiger ran ok but the bulldog didn't, so i decided that this would be my first project
2 months XX pounds later i have a running Bulldog but its still an on going project
This is where it started
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At this stage it was a case of strip it and find what was wrong.
First thing found was a loose wire on the smoke unit which when connected meant i could test the rest of the tank.

Issues found.
BB unit non function
Lots of cosmetic damage.
Both hatches damage
Secondary issue was i only had one controller and i wanted to change this. so i decided to upgrade the internals from its 2.7 board to a new 6.0

whilst waiting on the board i fixed a few of the cosmetic issues. Reshaped driver periscopes, Fixed both hatches, replaces flimsy plastic turret bits with wire ones. Repaired and replaced most plastic accessories. Once this was done i gave it a few coats of primer then a coat of paint to see how she looked.
Image
Image
Finally the upgrade for the Electronics arrived and i got to work rewiring and replacing what needed it to finally have a running and gunning tank
Image

This is not it finished but just the end of the first phase.
To do list included Camo scheme, accessorising, replacing road wheels, tidying the internal wiring.
I love this forum and the knowledge held here, i know my skills are that of a beginner compared to the masters ( lmcq11Bulldog is amazing) but i am really loving this hobby.
Things i have learnt so far, take plenty of pictures, get instructions, my solder iron will burn me, superglue is sticky, RC tanks are a rabbit hole that once you fall down you dont want to leave.


This is my first taste of this drug and i think i'm addicted :D
Good morning Mr Stevens and the windy notchy knight.
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Jarlath
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Re: M41A3 Bulldog - a beginners take

Post by Jarlath »

Ayup… It gets worse too!

Now make that bulldog a recoiling barrel system and watch your head explode with the amount of alterations needed...
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lmcq11
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Re: M41A3 Bulldog - a beginners take

Post by lmcq11 »

Good start. You're on the right path. Those external periscopes were terrible. The lighting apparatus built by the previous owner on top of the mantlet also did not belong to the M41.

Unless BB shooting is important to you, one of the high value alteration is to replace the oversized plastic barrel by a more realistic (thinner, longer) metal barrel from Tank Modellbau (if they can reopen from the pandemic..), and give it a recoil if you want more action.

The large X embossed stiffeners seen on the bins sides are a Walker bulldog trademark. It is very simple to remove the inverted V by an X using half rods.

Giving it a Tamiya M2 machine gun is also highly visible. Axel Modellbau has them.

Not sure about changing the road wheels unless you have bigger plans to reduce the tracks, reduce and lower the hull, or strengthen the suspension.

Regards, Louis
Steve.d.scott
Recruit
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 11:34 pm
Location: Kent , England

Re: M41A3 Bulldog - a beginners take

Post by Steve.d.scott »

Probably should have been clearer the road wheels are the very old type (glued together) the screw heads are all worn and several are loose. Decided just to put on some newer ones that I have acquired via the magic of Ebay.

I must say your build has given me many ideas for what I can do in the future. Just taking it steps at a time at the moment.
lmcq11 wrote:Good start. You're on the right path. Those external periscopes were terrible. The lighting apparatus built by the previous owner on top of the mantlet also did not belong to the M41.

Unless BB shooting is important to you, one of the high value alteration is to replace the oversized plastic barrel by a more realistic (thinner, longer) metal barrel from Tank Modellbau (if they can reopen from the pandemic..), and give it a recoil if you want more action.

The large X embossed stiffeners seen on the bins sides are a Walker bulldog trademark. It is very simple to remove the inverted V by an X using half rods.

Giving it a Tamiya M2 machine gun is also highly visible. Axel Modellbau has them.

Not sure about changing the road wheels unless you have bigger plans to reduce the tracks, reduce and lower the hull, or strengthen the suspension.

Regards, Louis
Good morning Mr Stevens and the windy notchy knight.
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