Type 64

[Mig Eater]

My latest model tank, the Chinese/Taiwanese Type 64. The model kit is Tamiya's 1/35 scale M41 Walker Bulldog, which was originally released in 1975 as a remote control toy & has been in production ever since. It can be bought really cheap & is recommended to any beginners because of its simple & easy construction. Because of how common this kit is I decided to do something a bit different & convert it into the rather obscure Type 64. Which was an upgraded version of the M41 developed in Taiwan in 1964, it featured a new engine, extra armour bolted onto the turret sides & new side-skirts. Only two prototypes were built, one was destroyed on a firing range & the other is currently displayed in a museum.
 

The extra turret armour was made with plastic card that was warmed up & bent into shape, the side-skirts are made from aluminium cut from a drinks can & the ROC insignia I printed myself. As this kit was originally a motorised toy it is full of holes for the electronics which I filled in & sanded smooth. I also scratch-built several extra parts that aren't included in this kit, such as the third exhaust, support bars over the fenders & all of the vision ports were drilled out & replaced with new clear parts. When I started this build I thought it would be quick & simple but it turned into a bit of a chore & I felt rather drained after. So much so that it's taken me two months to get around to taking pictures of it.
 

Note: There are actually two different tanks called Type 64, the other (& better known) Type 64 was a hybrid of an M42 Duster hull & a M18 Hellcat turret. This "hybrid" Type 64 was build as a stop-gap design after development of this Type 64 was cancelled.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

What a cool model and a very novel subject too. 

[Badder]

That's a beauty. And wonderfully weathered. I will have to give the heated plasticard trick a go.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

[Kingsman]

That was one of 2 parallel developments for the Type 64 project to develop an indigenous "cavalry tank" to support M48 MBTs.  I would have thought this was much the better of the 2 types, but only the 2 prototypes were built.

 

I've always fancied the one that did actually see service, with about 40 built.  An ex-ROC M18 turret mated to a 2nd hand ex-US M42 "Duster" hull re-fitted with M41 fender bins.  But quite an expensive cross-kit as you need bits of an M18, M42 and M41.  The redundant M18 could become an M39.

 

[Mig Eater]

Ding Hao Hobby make a 1/35 kit of the Type 64 "Hybrid". I've thought about getting it but it's rare & expensive tho, it probably would be easier & maybe cheaper to get M41, M42 & M18 kits instead.

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2018 by Mig Eater

[Kingsman]

Agree.  The M18 could be made into an M39 with the Legend conversion.  If you wanted to go really overboard there's at least 1 picture online of an M39 with a quad 50 turret in the crew compartment.  The trackguard bins would be relatively easy to scratchbuild.  I thought that one of the etch sets might have them in, but I can only find AFV Club's own set and the old Eduard one - neither of which have the bins.

 

Sadly you're left with a complete M42 turret with no purpose.  Crossing it with an M24 into an M19 is redundant now that Bronco have announced an M19.  But there was the XM166 prototype, which mated the M42 turret with an M548 chassis, and also an experimental conversion on an LVTP-5 hull.  Now that would be an impressive beast.

[PlaStix]

That is a really cool looking tank and you have made, painted and weathered it beautifully!! Very well done. 

Kind regards,

Stix

[KonigsStreegan]

wow, that looks incredible.