1/35 M-10 Tank Destroyer (KUTA) kit# MT142

[RC Boater Bill]

This build is in homage to Mr. Tamiya.   My first Tamiya kit ever was one of the motorized tanks- the Sherman, built as 13 yr old.  It was the first tank I fully painted - I splurged on a spray can of Army Olive paint, and was amazed at how much better the model turned out!

 

This M-10 is the older mold, the motorized version first released in 1975.  ( I think my copy is the the 198x release with kit number  30942.).  The lower hull is very similar to the Sherman from so long ago, too….

 

The stars have aligned for this one! 

 

-  At last week’s club meeting, one of the guys brought in the old Tamiya T-34  he had picked up at a show for $2.  It  clearly was a static  version of the old motorized kit- that led to group reminiscing on the old motorized kits.  ( I had built a few of them as a lad.)

 

- Then 2 nights ago I was checking the active GBs, and discovered that KUTA kits were eligible here!  

 

I knew somewhere deep in the stash was this kit, so I went digging and found it!  I thought it be fun to see if I could get it running, to bring to the next club meeting, and also build something that might actually get finished by the end of the year.

 

Two birds, one stone- so here we go!

 

The kit was pretty far along when it was sent to the “Trunk of Doom”.  I bought in the early-mid  ‘90s, thinking I’d use it as cargo for an RC landing craft.    I probably. started building it in the late ‘90s, but theLanding Craft idea// project never really came to fruition- and the kit went into the “Trunk” for 25+ years….

 

I dug it out last night,  and hooked up the wires and set the motor/gearbox in place, just to see  if it would run.   It did, so I decided to proceed…

 

Here is how it looks now:

 

 

 

Edited October 7 by RC Boater Bill
fixed typos

[Col.]

Ah ace! A motorised kit that actually features its motor

[2996 Victor]

Fabulous, Bill, this'll be a great one to complete in the GB! Looking forward to some video footage when she's all finished!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Retired Bob]

I believe that these kits were available in European countries without the motorized parts.  I certainly had numerous Tamiya AFV kits and still do, of tanks with the location brackets for the motor/gearbox and batteries but, non were supplied in the box,  T-34, Churchill Crocodile, Panzer IV, Tiger and King Tiger are some that I had.  Perhaps I should add my Churchill Crocodile as a KUTA build?  

[RC Boater Bill]

When I started this kit, I had just recently discovered the Usenet newsgroups and rec.models.scale-  it was my first real exposure to adult modeling techniques.   I learned about things such as aftermarket details, using Future/ decal setting solutions, etc.   I found a beautiful brass .50cal and ammo box in the box with the model- not sure where that came from!

 

I didn’t own an airbrush back then- I must have  used a spray can to paint the model.   I have no idea what brand/color- not sure what to do for touch-ups as needed.   As I look at the model now, I see a bunch of errors such as few seams not filled, and mold lines not removed from the return rollers.   I originally thought I’d fix the build and bring it up to  my current skill set, but that would turn this into a project, requiring stripping the few decals already applied, a full repaint, etc.- that would probably not happen and it would end up back in the TOD (Trunk of Doom)…

 

So I am going to try to resist the compulsion to “fix” everything and just do what I can going forward…..

 

Edited October 27 by RC Boater Bill
added missing word

[Col.]

On 10/7/2025 at 9:53 AM, Retired Bob said:

I believe that these kits were available in European countries without the motorized parts.  I certainly had numerous Tamiya AFV kits and still do, of tanks with the location brackets for the motor/gearbox and batteries but, non were supplied in the box,  T-34, Churchill Crocodile, Panzer IV, Tiger and King Tiger are some that I had.  Perhaps I should add my Churchill Crocodile as a KUTA build?  

Yes! Go for it.

[RC Boater Bill]

I hooked up a battery to the motor and it was a little slow to start at first, but quickly came up to speed. With 3 volts coming from fresh batteries, the model is actually a bit faster than I would like to see!  

 

With the knowledge that the motor worked, I went ahead and finished the wiring for the on/off switch.  An upgrade from my youth - I soldered the connections to keep the wires from coming loose from the vibration…

 

I then moved on to “fixing” the tracks.   Apparently I had (long ago) painted the tracks with a rust-colored primer - a rather bright “new rust” orange sort of color.  Knowing what I have learned about painting AFV tracks over the last few decades, I now know this is actually a poor base color. So I tried to fix them as best I could with what I had on hand. (With no real idea of what brand/type of paint was originally used!)

 

I drybrushed the tracks with a Vallejo metallic silver, then used a  dark wash to dull the rust color. The combo has succeeded in toning the track color down to something less garish….

 

Edited October 27 by RC Boater Bill
fixed typos

[Col.]

This reads like excellent progress to me Bill

[RC Boater Bill]

I’ve spent a few evenings at the bench, cleaning up and prepping some of smaller tasks.  I added a few missing decals, and cleaned up (lots of mold lines in these old molds!) and painted the smaller bits— the extra track links, the shells for the turret rack, the machine gun, the extra stowage, etc……

 

I tried something new (for me) when painting the tarps:  I took a half dozen bottles of vallejo green paint, colors ranging from light to dark green.  I painted one a dark green, then randomly mixed in another shade, painted a piece, etc.  The goal was to have them look like they all were about the same color, but not carbon copies. I then did the same thing for the bags, using various bottles of khaki, tan, and brown.   It will be interesting to see if it was worth the bother after they are all highlighted and given a wash……

 

EDIT:   failed to mention I was airbrushing at the time- I was doing the color blending in the paint cup….

Edited October 19 by RC Boater Bill
for clarity

[Col.]

I'm liking your description of this shade varying technique; it will hopefully represent the fading and aging of otherwise similar kit

[RC Boater Bill]

I think this old model was the first time I tried that miracle product called Future (Klear?)  that I had just learned about.  I must have been a bit heavy handed in applying it, as there some very bright and shiny area under the few decals I had applied.  Very glossy spots on the otherwise very flat mystery paint…

 

I am concerned that adding a flat top coat now will not even out the finish-  that it may take a couple of heavy coats to truly make the glossy areas around tge decals truly disappear.   Rather than trowel on a super thick coat of flat, I am going to try to even out the existing finish by spraying the entire model with a coat of Future…..

 

Edited October 26 by RC Boater Bill
fixed typo

[Col.]

That seems a decent plan Bill. Hopefully it'll work out right.

[RC Boater Bill]

After applying a coat of Future/Clear, the area under the decals was a little bit shinier, but not by much.  I was out of my usual Vallejo matte clear, so I next applied a coat of Micro Scale flat clear.  It is rather thick in the bottle, so I had to thin it about 50%.   It went down well, but after drying, it looked a little too semi-gloss like.   So today I swung by the local gaming store- and picked up a bottle of Vallejo’s “New Polyurethane clear” matte.   It went down well, and 3 hours later I started working on adding some gear to the turret…..

 

 

I had to drill/carve holes in the backs of the bags to get them to lay flat, but they look good now!    I am hoping I’ll finish adding them tomorrow evening…..

 

[Col.]

That extra kit looks great Bill. Well rendered.

[RC Boater Bill]

The model is complete!    I’ll try to get some more photos soon… (and a video!)

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28 by RC Boater Bill
fixed photo link

[Wings unlevel]

What a great tribute to Mr Tamiya. Very cool to see this given new life and completed after a 25 year hiatus. Good things come to those kits who wait? 😂

[Col.]

Excellent result Bill. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos and video.

[RC Boater Bill]

I have been trying to take a video of the running model outdoors- but conditions haven’t been favorable.  It either rains, or the yard is full of oak leaves- two of which are big enough to cover the tank!  

 

SoI tried to take a short video tonight in the basement.  The model advanced about a meter and then stopped, with the motor still whirring.    I checked under the hood/bonnet- the problem is the old pinion gear isn’t a tight fit on the motor shaft any more.   The model runs for a few seconds, as the pinion works it way down the shaft, until it finally breaks contact with the gear train.

 

I am trying a bit of a temporary fix - I glued a piece of plastic to the inner hull to serve as a bearing/blocker- it should keep the pinion from moving so far down the shaft.   I’ll try again tomorrow…..

 

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by RC Boater Bill
fixed typo