Hats off to you, Louis, and thank you for allowing the rest of us to share your excellent work. I can't wait to see it painted and running around killing Charlie.
M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
I'm a fan of the Bulldog myself, and I've been watching this thread right from the start. Truly amazing, Louis. The attention for detail and your commitment to scale accuracy is what it's all about, and this tank build will stand as an example of how to do things the right way.
Hats off to you, Louis, and thank you for allowing the rest of us to share your excellent work. I can't wait to see it painted and running around killing Charlie.
Hats off to you, Louis, and thank you for allowing the rest of us to share your excellent work. I can't wait to see it painted and running around killing Charlie.
When FDR coined the phrase "The Arsenal of Democracy", he was talking about Detroit. Proud to live in the 2nd most violent city in America!!
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Hi, thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragements. I am really trying to honor this tank with a good looking 1/16 RC rendition.
Even though the ARVN markings are not very exciting, I chose to do an ARVN tank because they are probably the only ones that used it in combat, and I wanted a model with infantry riders in the field. I also find there are not enough Vietnam era vehicles so this was a chance to do one more. Doing a US Army tank would not have given me a lot of options. The most interesting deployment of US M41 was during the Seato exercises in Thailand in early 60s, with pictures mostly showing them running around or stuck in mud. All the other countries show them mostly in parades or modernized. Doing a reproduction of the ones shown in the movie Full Metal Jacket would have been interesting but knowing they were mimicking USMC M-48, it did not feel right.
In this post, I am showing the vehicle after 3 coats of OD enamel primer.
After the good wash and a first coat of primer, I spend 1 hour looking for issues to correct, such as gaps, scratches, glue residue and imperfections that could not be seen when the parts were white. This is the proper time to do it, it does not take long and it really helps with the final look. Then those areas a reworked, re-polished and made ready for the second coat.
Overall view of the model after the 3rd coat of primer. It's getting better, and no more white stuff.
The nose of the production M41 turret is cast, while the rest of the armor are rolled steel plates. It is important to show the demarcation and the different feel on both sides of the weld connecting the two. The light cast effect on the nose was done with superglue applied directly on the part, then sanded a bit. Also noticed that I have sealed the joint with putty between the top and bottom parts. Yes, if something goes wrong with the electronics inside, I will have to crack open the turret and redo the painting there. But this is nothing compared to seeing the turret split in half for the next decades, in case something happens.
I am really becoming more and more unsure about the value of most 3D printed parts on the market. I feel the technology is not advanced enough for the demanding modeller. They are ok when looking from 6 feet away but I do not think they can be made to look good in close ups unless they have flat surfaces that can be sanded smooth with a lot of efforts. I think I will remove them and put back the Heng Long 6 Pin hubs... This is why I am hesitant to buy a OKMO model after seeing that all their details are not separated from the hull parts, making them very difficult to sand and polish.
I am happy with the driver's periscope and hatch.
It was important to ensure it does not show that the turret was previously cut in half. It looks pretty seamless. the new loader's hatch looks good.
Side armor look good and flat on both sides. But they need to remain imperfect like the real thing, with cuts and welding. This is no Ferrari.
The cupola extension looks good and round.
With this step behind me, the model is ready for the acrylic coats. It will be in a dark olive green. After that, there will be a long weathering phase as I await more parts of the crew and infantry.
Regards, Louis
Even though the ARVN markings are not very exciting, I chose to do an ARVN tank because they are probably the only ones that used it in combat, and I wanted a model with infantry riders in the field. I also find there are not enough Vietnam era vehicles so this was a chance to do one more. Doing a US Army tank would not have given me a lot of options. The most interesting deployment of US M41 was during the Seato exercises in Thailand in early 60s, with pictures mostly showing them running around or stuck in mud. All the other countries show them mostly in parades or modernized. Doing a reproduction of the ones shown in the movie Full Metal Jacket would have been interesting but knowing they were mimicking USMC M-48, it did not feel right.
In this post, I am showing the vehicle after 3 coats of OD enamel primer.
After the good wash and a first coat of primer, I spend 1 hour looking for issues to correct, such as gaps, scratches, glue residue and imperfections that could not be seen when the parts were white. This is the proper time to do it, it does not take long and it really helps with the final look. Then those areas a reworked, re-polished and made ready for the second coat.
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Capture7.JPG (92.48 KiB) Viewed 3441 times
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
- Priming of M41 Walker Bulldog
Regards, Louis
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Unfortunately the ones you used are poor 3D parts made with a low cost printer.
I have bought and built the OKMO conversion for the 2A7 and the parts, very complex, are absolutely stunning.
They only needed a minimal cleaning of surplus threads, not much. And look you that big parts they were
http://www.modelersite.com/en/112905/le ... 1-16-scale
I have bought and built the OKMO conversion for the 2A7 and the parts, very complex, are absolutely stunning.
They only needed a minimal cleaning of surplus threads, not much. And look you that big parts they were
http://www.modelersite.com/en/112905/le ... 1-16-scale
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Hi, thank you for your interest.
As this is a build, I wanted to show the Work in Progress for the painting and weathering phases.
The Tamiya spray-can enamel primer coats are important as they seal the model and give a solid uniform base for the acrylic coat. Otherwise, the model will be very fragile. Touching the metal barrel will easily scratch it deeply. The oil in the putty will start to filter through the acrylics after a few months and ruin the paint job.
Here, the model is given an overall coat of Tamiya Olive Green acrylics on top of the oil primer. This creates a rugged surface to which pigments will adhere and blend easily.
As explained by Barry, Vietnam war vehicles need some red dust to be realistic. However, my idea is not to go heavily into it because it will just be plain ugly. I did not spend 2 months detailing this tank to make it covered in mud. I want the lower bottom hull and tracks to have a lot of dry season red dust, yes dust, not mud, and there should be less and less with elevation.
As per my technique that I use on all my models, the tank is applied with AK Interactive (MIG) dry pigments (applicated dry) of various colors using different brushes. Black pigments in deep areas and corners with small hard brush, Dark Steel pigments dry brushing on raised components with medium soft wide brush, Medium Rust pigments for the red dust on lower hull, tracks with some touches on upper hull with soft brush, then European dust applied all over the upper hull and turret with soft brush. Then the tank is sprayed overall with a thick layer of MIG pigment fixer directly on the tank, which fixes the pigments in place and give a satin flat surface that I like. Repeated as needed until the desired effect is reached.
Following pictures show the current state of the model. It is work in progress and there is still a lot to do but it gives a good idea of where this is going.
The serial number markings are from the Glencoe M41 microscale decal sheet that was excellent. The only other markings provided on the sheet for the ARVN are signs on the turret for 2 tanks shown in a Army parade in Saigon in the early 70s, not what I need.
More to come in a couple of days,
Regards, Louis
As this is a build, I wanted to show the Work in Progress for the painting and weathering phases.
The Tamiya spray-can enamel primer coats are important as they seal the model and give a solid uniform base for the acrylic coat. Otherwise, the model will be very fragile. Touching the metal barrel will easily scratch it deeply. The oil in the putty will start to filter through the acrylics after a few months and ruin the paint job.
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- M48 Vietnam
- Capture8.JPG (62.37 KiB) Viewed 3386 times
Following pictures show the current state of the model. It is work in progress and there is still a lot to do but it gives a good idea of where this is going.
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
- Heng Long M41A3 M-41A3 M-41 1/16 RC Walker Bulldog fixing
Regards, Louis
Last edited by lmcq11 on Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Looking good Louis, I see "red"! 
Barry
Barry
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail."
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Amazing work Louis! Fantastic.
Will go nicely with your M113’s!
Will go nicely with your M113’s!
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Wasnt ther a recent case where someone posted pictures of a museum tank and pretended to be his own RC 1/16th scale model? Didn´t you learn from that? 
Fantastic model 
Fantastic model
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
Hey, thank you everyone for your great support and encouragements.
I have to say that this build has been a very interesting one. It had been a long time since I wanted to do it. The availability of the MLRS tracks was surely the trigger. I am so far very satisfied with the results of the whole transformation and integration of all the components.
The Heng Long model is after all a pretty good base for a good looking M-41. If Heng Long had only chosen to create new road wheels for it, and forget about installing the smoker, it would be a totally different model on the market today. I can see that it is only because they wanted to install a smoker that they selected a high gearbox so that the smoker can fit in between the two gearbox, which then required them to distort the model to fit the high gearbox. Too bad, I can't care less about the smoker...
In this post, I have painted and installed the tracks, and did a bit more work on the paint job yesterday night and tonight. The weathering on the tank itself is mostly finished, I just need to do the inside of the road wheels. I ran out of pigment fixer... Next step is to install the accessories and do a running trial with the tracks having their rubber pads. I need the rubber to look "used" instead of brand new.
Here are some pictures of the model as it is today, and a Youtube video of the turret in action at the end of the post.
And the link to the YOUTUBE video for the turret in action.
https://youtu.be/b_iIW4XWGRI
Regards, Louis
I have to say that this build has been a very interesting one. It had been a long time since I wanted to do it. The availability of the MLRS tracks was surely the trigger. I am so far very satisfied with the results of the whole transformation and integration of all the components.
The Heng Long model is after all a pretty good base for a good looking M-41. If Heng Long had only chosen to create new road wheels for it, and forget about installing the smoker, it would be a totally different model on the market today. I can see that it is only because they wanted to install a smoker that they selected a high gearbox so that the smoker can fit in between the two gearbox, which then required them to distort the model to fit the high gearbox. Too bad, I can't care less about the smoker...
In this post, I have painted and installed the tracks, and did a bit more work on the paint job yesterday night and tonight. The weathering on the tank itself is mostly finished, I just need to do the inside of the road wheels. I ran out of pigment fixer... Next step is to install the accessories and do a running trial with the tracks having their rubber pads. I need the rubber to look "used" instead of brand new.
Here are some pictures of the model as it is today, and a Youtube video of the turret in action at the end of the post.
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
- Heng Long M41 Walker Bulldog M-41A3 RC 1/16 Vietnam ARVN enhanced
And the link to the YOUTUBE video for the turret in action.
https://youtu.be/b_iIW4XWGRI
Regards, Louis
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
BRAVO Louis!!!
You've got the master's touch.
Barry
You've got the master's touch.
Barry
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail."
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci
Re: M-41A3 Walker Bulldog - ARVN Vietnam 1970s - Build
The details and the weathering look great.
If I could offer a couple of suggestions...the headlights should be warm white (yellowish) given their era and the rear end needs stiffer springs. It might be the angle, but it looks like the rear end is squatting, which is normal for this tank when it has steel gearboxes.
If I could offer a couple of suggestions...the headlights should be warm white (yellowish) given their era and the rear end needs stiffer springs. It might be the angle, but it looks like the rear end is squatting, which is normal for this tank when it has steel gearboxes.
