M41 tank - JGSDF - Tamiya 1/35 - more or less finished

bianfuxia · May 21, 2022

Time to fight Godzilla!

This one will be next on the list after I finish my T-2.

Edited August 7, 2022 by bianfuxia

PeterB · May 21, 2022

Now that is something you do not see modelled very often! I will watch with interest as, together with the M-47, it is noticeably absent from the 1/76-1/72 range I tend to build. I seem to remember somebody. maybe Hasegawa, used to offer a couple of Post War "indigenous" Japanese tanks which were reputedly engineered to accommodate the slightly shorter stature of the average Japanese person though I cannot remember what they were.

Pete

Edited May 21, 2022 by PeterB

trickyrich · May 28, 2022

welcome along again.......

Wow this one is a real classic, mid 70's was the first release of this one with the figures if I remember right, I remember seeing it in my local toy shop in NZ (they did have hobby shops back then). Still even then Tamiya models were great.

Well good luck with this, should be a nice simple one.....until Godzilla stomps on it!!

bianfuxia · June 22, 2022

Godzilla will feature in one of my builds for this GB for sure. Whether it's this one only time will tell.

For now, at least I've made a start:

This bit will be an interesting challenge:

bianfuxia · June 24, 2022

So far, so easy!

trickyrich · July 16, 2022

Hopefully Godzilla hasn't chased you away from this build???

bianfuxia · July 25, 2022

On 7/16/2022 at 10:26 AM, trickyrich said:

Hopefully Godzilla hasn't chased you away from this build???

No, it's still going slowly.

I've done two brush-painted coats on the tank now. Needs some touch up in places - the paint is exactly the same colour as the plastic so it's hard to see where you've missed.

This part is a little more interesting - figuring out how to pose these soldiers (who come with the kit) as part of ....maybe....a godzilla diorama. The guy with the rifle had it in firing position, but I think I've worked out how he can be posing more "at the ready" and at the same time "apprehensive of what is around the corner".

Now I know these are WW2 US Army figures. But if you paint them differently, it's good enough for me. From what I can tell the JGSDF started off using old US equipment - maybe not the Thompson gun that the other guy has or even this WW2 rifle. But Godzilla isn't real either so what I have in mind will probably look ok.

trickyrich · July 26, 2022

looking good, the paint job looks great. :thumbsup:

9 hours ago, bianfuxia said:

........... and at the same time "apprehensive of what is around the corner".

something looking for a snack!!!

bianfuxia · August 2, 2022

Making a bit more progress on this one although from the pics you probably can't tell.

I did all the wheels and I've been trying to "wash" some muck into them...noting that this one (in my mind's eye or in my planned set-up for it) has not been churning its way through some jungle). I just used watered down black and brown paint and decided to wait and see how that looked once dry.

I guess it looks okay.

This is the first time I have ever built a 1/35 anything - tank or otherwise.

Still a fair way to go but I can probably have it basically finished by the end of the GB.

The Godzilla diorama I am planning for it will not be finished but I will continue to post it here if that project remains off the Shelf of Doom....

trickyrich · August 4, 2022

for never have built a 1/35th beastie, you're doing a great job!!

bianfuxia · August 7, 2022

Well, there's quite a bit more I could do with this - including figuring out the Asian skin tone which multiple experiments have still failed to do (the dude looks about as Japanese as I do...).

But as time has expired, I raced through to finish the basics tonight - the decals, a few details and touch ups, and adding the hand grips on the turret.

If time permits tomorrow morning (ie, just before midnight UK time) I will take a few better shots outside. But it's dark now so interior ones are all I can rustle up.

I did intend to do the gun cover following the technique in the instructions (polyethylene bag heated up, etc, as set out earlier in the thread). Maybe I still will.

Thanks for following along - my first build of anything in 1/35 and even including the old Matchbox tanks I built as a kid, this is probably still about tank #6 or 7 in my entire modeling life. I have one other 1/35 tank in the stash (a Chieftain) but that'll probably be the last.

I do also plan on finishing my Godzilla diorama idea using this tank but first I have to nail the Asian skin tones!

trickyrich · August 7, 2022

Gee she looks amazing!!! Well done on completing her.........pity very shortly she's going to get either stomped on or meet a fiery demise at the hands/foot/breath of Godzilla!!!

That's a lovely finish you have achieved not that it's going to do her or the crew much in the end.

I have loved the builds you have bought to this GB, this one especially. A pity the party piece didn't make its appearance but with what you have do so far none can complain.

It has been a real pleasure to have you and you wonderful builds along for this GB, I do hope you enjoyed it.

bianfuxia · August 7, 2022

9 hours ago, trickyrich said:

Gee she looks amazing!!! Well done on completing her.........pity very shortly she's going to get either stomped on or meet a fiery demise at the hands/foot/breath of Godzilla!!!

That's a lovely finish you have achieved not that it's going to do her or the crew much in the end.

I have loved the builds you have bought to this GB, this one especially. A pity the party piece didn't make its appearance but with what you have do so far none can complain.

It has been a real pleasure to have you and you wonderful builds along for this GB, I do hope you enjoyed it.

I did enjoy it - just sorry I couldn't get the Godzilla dio done (or started, even). I took some extra shots this morning though. Look what radioactive Tokyo Bay coughed up this time!