RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Ad Lav wrote:I was only watching Platoon the other night! Joker not being modelled

Joker ? Nah, that is in Full Metal Jacket

But I just found Johnny Depp (aka Lerner in Platoon) in the lot...

Hi,

Here is a YOUTUBE video of the M41 in Action.

https://youtu.be/w5kcJT0J13I

Regards, Louis

I must admit, you have made the Walker bulldog into one of my favorites Top notch build as usual

It really looks good.
I suggest though that you make new lenses for the headlights (especially the night vision ones) I made mine by simply heating some scrap clear thin blister pack plastic and pushing a rounded something into the softened plastic, in my case I found a ball point pen that had a push button that made the right size.
Then paint the inside of the little bubble with a appropriate color then cut the bubble out and glue it over the existing lens. I worked on tanks and the night vision lenses look a very very dark red when your up close to them. almost black but not quite.

Amazing work Louis!!!!


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Hi, thank you for your interest

greengiant wrote:I suggest though that you make new lenses for the headlights

Yeah, saw that. thanks, I agree, it is a weak point. I will get on it when i am done with the figures.

The construction of the figures is finished. As this is a build, i am showing them in details prior to painting so that you can see the construction in case you would like to do something similar.

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) or Armee Nationale Vietnamienne was created by the French during the Indochina war and was highly influenced by it. Its material was mostly WW2 and Korea vintage US weapons and gears with tight fitting indigenous uniforms of various colors and makers. More modern US material was later integrated, such as 1 million M-16 rifles, M-79, M-60 MG, flak jackets and gears.

I am picturing an M-41 in the 1973 to 75 period. As such, the mechanized infantry would be considered more "elite", better clothed and equipped than regional forces. And towards the end of the war, surplus US material would be more consistent. There are very few pictures or books on the subject, so I did my best to represent such unit.

Overview of the 6 figures. I previously showed the tank crew so I will focus on the 4 infantrymen on this post.
This is the squad leader, armed with Reedees M-16A1. Helmet, body and uniform come from 1/18 Ultimate Soldier 173rd Brigade, Vietnam series. Flak Jacket is from the M-48 tank crew. His gear comes from the 1/16 Dragon Vietnam seal figure.
This is the M-16A1 rifleman. Ideally, I would have given him a AN-PRC 77 radio but did not find one. I will have to create one from scratch if I really want one. Legs and flak jacket are from the M-48 tank crew, the legs were trimmed a lot. Gears are from the 1/16 Dragon Vietnam seal figure. Helmet, lower jacket and arms are from the 173rd brigade figure, arms positioned with the rifle, adjustment points glued in place and then sanded smooth.
This infantry man is armed with a Verlinden M-79 grenade launcher. You likely have seen one in action in the movie Apocalypse Now at the Do Long Bridge scene where the soldier called Roach says "He's close man, real close". He is also equipped with a Verlinden M-72 LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon) rocket launcher in case some VNA T-54 or PT-76 are encountered. Legs and flak jacket are from the M-48 tank crew. Legs were trimmed a lot, no side pockets. Gears are from the 1/16 Dragon Vietnam seal figure. Arms are from the Japanese Imperial Marines figure, positioned with the M-79, adjustment points glued in place and then sanded smooth. Helmet and lower jacket from the 173rd Brigade figure.
Continuing on following post

Continuing with the Infantry build up

This is the machine gunner armed with a Verlinden M-60 from the M-113 ACAV conversion kit. The helmet and body are from the 173rd Brigade series. He does not have a flak jacket, I wanted to create some variations, so he is equipped with a small back pack instead. You can see the flexible arms and legs, positioned, glued in place, putty applied then sanded smooth. It will be provided with MG ammo around his neck and body. The M-60 will be assembled later because it is fragile.

On all figures, you may have noticed that superglue was applied to all areas where putty or heavy Dremel sanding was done, this is to solidify the surface and make it more even, which is then polished with a fine grain nail file. Superglue is a very polyvalent tool.
This is the Verlinden M-60 from the ACAV conversion kit which contains 2 M-60 MG in addition to the armor. These are the best 1/16 M-60 on the market, but they are fragile and construction of them is tricky, so they must be the last thing you will do on such build. These are currently on sale at 60% discount at Lots of Models (40% + 20% special discount) so these are a real bargain, and I have stocked up on them. Once they are gone, these will be difficult to find because these are discontinued.
This is the general placement of the figures on the tank. Although the 2 tank crew will be fixed in place, the infantry will be removable when the tank is played with.

The idea is to show an M-41 riding through a wooden South Vietnam valley jungle road, with low visibility all around. So the crew is nervous, on the lookout for ambush, and is ready to fight at any moment.
Next step is to paint the figures, and to install all the heads which are all coming from the Ultimate Soldier Imperial Marine series. The heads and helmets do not need painting because I cannot do better...
Regards, Louis

Louis one thing I find following your builds that may go unnoticed.......

is how you take the piece of armour, no matter how it starts big or small and it starts to tell a story and really puts that particular piece of work into perspective and lends itself to making the scale model look larger than life It brings the piece into a virtual full scale....

and the viewer into a place that makes all your hard work easy to understand.... as if you're next to or on the model.

This is a very rare talent

c.rainford73 wrote:Louis one thing I find following your builds that may go unnoticed.......is how you take the piece of armour, no matter how it starts big or small and it starts to tell a story and really puts that particular piece of work into perspective and lends itself to making the scale model look larger than life It brings the piece into a virtual full scale....and the viewer into a place that makes all your hard work easy to understand.... as if you're next to or on the model.

Thank you Carl. Yes, when I create a model, it is not just a tank build for me, it is a chance to research its history, the soldiers that used it and learn about the technical aspects of the vehicle. I try to honour the tank and men with my best effort.


Now presenting the finished ARVN crew and infantry riders.

Here are the men in action during the last few months of the war in 1975, riding through a jungle road in South Vietnam. The men are apprehensive, expecting contact with the NVA who apparently has T-54 tanks in the area.
Next step is the finishing touch on the model, and then I will bring it outside for some pics.

Louis

Amazing