I bought the Walker Bulldog 1:35 tamiya recently and read that it was developed in 1946 (the year after the war ended). Is that true? And could I display it in a WWII armor collection? Would that be correct?
Development started sometime after WwII, perhaps as early as 1946, although production commenced much later in 1951.
It may have had its roots in WWII US tank development, but it was not even a project until after the conclusion of WWII. Even in Korea, it saw only some very limited action, so it would not be appropriate to a WWII armor collection.
Andy
From what i’ve read, the m 41 didn’t really see action until the vietnam
war and then as a south vietnamese weapon. Since the m41 had a
gas engine and was loud as hell, the americans sold most of them off
to foreign nations who like the taiwanese still maintain some of them
with upgrades of course. The one good thing about the m41 is it
could be lifted by helo and set down in remote locations, perfect for
jungle combat.
I have mine decaled for the us army but i’m not clear what if any combat
the m41 saw in us army livery.
Hope this helps you a bit,
Doug
Here is the timeline per RP Hunnicutt’s Sheridan book:
July 1946 light tank requirements laid out
Sept 1946 designated T37 & recommended manufacture of 3 pilot tanks
May 1947 number of pilot tanks to be manufactured reduced to 2
Early 1949 the design was completed, wooden mock-up constructed and drawings released for production of the pilot tanks.
May 1949 first pilot tank shipped to APG for testing
June 1950 Korean War begins
August 1950 pilot tank returned to Detroit for production study
First three production models were designated T41 because of design changes, other changes added prior to full production make the T41E1 the production design.
Cadillac begins production of T41E1 in mid 1951 more changes lead to the designation T41E2 while tanks are still being produced.
May 1953 the T41E1 becomes the M41 and the T41E2 becomes the M41A1.
1953 the M41 began replacing the M24
As you can see, too late to even be remotely considered a WW2 tank. Too late into Korea to see actual combat use (some tanks did arrive prior to the cease fire).
I was showing this to my daughter earlier this year since she goes to the Gen. Walton H. Walker Middle School and wanted to know more about who the school was named after.
Very fascinating Rob. Who woulda thunk that your daughter goes there. Thanks also to ABARNE and tankbuster.
by the way, a couple of companies do some nice AM parts
for the M41 if you haven’t built it yet. You might look into
verlinden and some others…Tamiya’s kit as I’ve learned
is very basic…I believe it’s academy who does a more
complete version in 1/35…I liked tamiya for the price and
a nice fun build…
Good luck with yours,
Doug
It is actually AFV Club that does an updated and excellent M41 Bulldog, Skybow also had one, but it is OOP since AFV Club bought out Skybow.
Review of AFV Club M41A3: http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/afvclub/afv35041.htm
I think that I’m going to stay away from the AM stuff. I have like, 12 cents, darn that hobby lobby sale! I did like the price though, it was good. I will still put the Bulldog with my WWII models, though. I just won’t tell my viewers that it isn’t a WWII tank. I will keep them in the dark [;)] But if they ask, I’ll be sure to tell them what it really is. Tx guys.
I have the Tamiya kit as well, but I don’t think it’ll be worth any extas. I checked with www.guntruck.com. The modeler there had a very good update description of his Walker Bulldog build, and they were all scratched, but unfortunately now the link is not up.
Yeah, I know. The kit is only $12 so why spend $20 or + on it for AM parts? I’d rather devote that money to and entirely different kit.
Before Skybow and AFV Club released updated M41A3 kits, I had collected up about $100 worth of after market accessories to bring the old Tamiya kit up to modern standards. Of course, now I’ll never build the Tamiya kit with all the pricey doo-dads since the AFV kit is better and much cheaper.
Sure it is! It’s a great ol’ kit. Not really that bad OOB, and with just a little AM (or scratchbuilding for you industrious types) a fine M41 can be had.
Here are two pix of an old build I did about 8 years ago, using an $8 Tamiya kit, a $6 Ordnance Models PE set, and a $6 Ordnance Models resin mantlet set. That’s $20 altogether, cheaper than either the excellent AFV Club kit or the Skybow/Okuno kit (I also have both of them). Oh yeah, I also used a $4 can of Tamiya OD spray paint. No AB back then.
It’s no show winner, but it turns into a right fine li’l Bulldog! [:)]
Oops, I forgot to mention that those are the AFV Club belt-style trax on my Tamiya M41. I’ll use AFV Club’s link set on the AFV Club kit, so those trax were free!
Here’s two more questions.
How do I attach the polyethylene gun cover? (at the base of the gun)
Why is the gun latch located on the back left hand side of the tank?
The travel lock is located there to reduce the overall size of the vehicle while it is parked, stored or shipped. It is also the only area the driver can exit the driver compartment and enter the turret area from inside.
I figured it would be for some very important reason. Tx Rov
Hi Tengel, Abarne is correct about the service record of the M41. The M26 Pershing saw more action in WWII and Korea than the M41. I think the M41 saw more action in the Japanese “Godzilla”, "Rodan movies (lol) than actual combat. Some made it into the Vietnamese conflict.
TigerII
The Walker Bulldockis a post WW II developement. I can´t say anything about using in the US-Forces. But the M41 became the first tank-hunter of the Bundeswehr, in 1956, I believe. By the expireience with this tank, the Bw developed an owen tank-hunter. More important had been the bad expirience with the M47 and M48- because there was no europian solution posssible, we developed the “Leopard”.
Yours, Stephan ( Major German Army Reserve)