Armor/AFV
For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
Newbie
E23C
Visit this Community
Ontario, Canada
Joined: January 23, 2002
KitMaker: 238 posts
Armorama: 142 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 11:23 AM UTC
Welcome Relichunter! EX Military here too,not US though Canadian our paths probably crossed in Germany sometime ,I was there 83 to 90 spent a lot of time in Graf,Hohenfels,Baumholder ,all the wonderfull mudholes of germany.

Welcome again to the friendliest site on the net,as for an Armour build you could go with the Tamiya M4-A3 as some of the other folks have said a nice easy build which turns into a Great looking Sherman.
relichunter00
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: April 18, 2002
KitMaker: 61 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:01 PM UTC
First of all I would like to thank everybody for your kind words and suggestions. In my haste to build an AFV and the unfortunate limited supply in Cookeville (Bummer!) I chose Tamiya kit # 35055 M41 Walker Bulldog. I looked through it last night and it seems pretty straight forward.

One question, and I may be opening a can of worms here, but I was wondering with all the diferent manufactures out there if there is one to avoid altogether. I know that some will have good and bad, just wandering if there is a bad "ONE".

Thanks again, and Ranger if you could email me the details on the local club in Cookeville I would appreciate it.

Anthony
maxpain
Visit this Community
Australia
Joined: April 03, 2002
KitMaker: 109 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:02 PM UTC
Funny that so many of you were in germany with the army...

hey how did you like it there ?
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:18 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Funny that so many of you were in germany with the army...

hey how did you like it there ?

I loved it, great experience and a chance to see the world. I spent my 26th birthday knocking down the Berlin Wall and I served during the time when East Germans were still dying trying to cross into the west, a couple of US soldiers defected to the east and the end of communism in the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. Great times.

The reason so many of us served in Germany is that the majority of the US's (and Canada's) armed forces were stationed in West Germany awaiting the Warsaw Pact's attack to the west.
relichunter00
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: April 18, 2002
KitMaker: 61 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:29 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Funny that so many of you were in germany with the army...

hey how did you like it there ?




Loved it, The country was beautiful and most of the people were real nice. I did not get to see a lot of the country, because we stayed in the field all the time. 1st year(1986) there we spent 195 days in the field. Probably the best thing I experienced while I was there was being part of an East German border patrol(1987). It really brought home why we were there.

Anthony
maxpain
Visit this Community
Australia
Joined: April 03, 2002
KitMaker: 109 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:38 PM UTC
good stuff

I am german by the way..

Nice to hear you liked it over there.. I am from the northern part of germany where british soldiers were stationed. Let's just say.. those I 'knew' were not that much interested to mix up with german folks.............


:)
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 10:42 PM UTC

Quoted Text

...I chose Tamiya kit # 35055 M41 Walker Bulldog. I looked through it last night and it seems pretty straight forward.

...I was wondering with all the diferent manufactures out there if there is one to avoid altogether. I know that some will have good and bad, just wandering if there is a bad "ONE".

The Bulldog is an old kit that has recently been reissued for $36, but many are still on the shelves for $10-15. It is not a bad kit for a 30 year old one and is actually good practice. It suffers from Tamiya's motorization syndrome. That is, it has holes for a gear box and other hull holes. This is a great hull to practice covering up holes on (it is mostly flat surfaces). Get a tube of putty, back the holes using the flat portions of the sprue with the numbers on it.

As far as the manufacturer question, it is getting difficult to tell who's kit is in what box, and a 30+ year old Tamiya kit may be crap, but a new one is superb. The best thing to do is to ask about a specific kit or what is the best kit of a specific tank. You may find out that the same exact kit is in boxes from two (or more) different manufacturers and the only difference is the price.
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 11:52 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Welcome aboard is everybody here ex military Yahoo

I'm not ex-military



In My Humble Opinion, you're never ex military, just old military.

Unless, of course, one of you guys (and girls) have figures out how to forget all that training, and all those 'once in a lifetime' experiences??

Me, I couldn't get rid of them if I tried. And I really tried for awhile. In the end, I'm glad it stuck

Tread.

Oh, and welcome to the site relichunter00! I'm sure you'll be happy you joined us.
BTW, your sig. line...( M1/A1 Abrahms Silent Death )...nice line, but you must mean when the engine is shut down for the 'silent' part, right?
GunTruck
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: December 01, 2001
KitMaker: 5,885 posts
Armorama: 3,799 posts
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2002 - 11:55 PM UTC

Quoted Text

First of all I would like to thank everybody for your kind words and suggestions. In my haste to build an AFV and the unfortunate limited supply in Cookeville (Bummer!) I chose Tamiya kit # 35055 M41 Walker Bulldog. I looked through it last night and it seems pretty straight forward.

One question, and I may be opening a can of worms here, but I was wondering with all the diferent manufactures out there if there is one to avoid altogether. I know that some will have good and bad, just wandering if there is a bad "ONE".

Thanks again, and Ranger if you could email me the details on the local club in Cookeville I would appreciate it.

Anthony



Nothing wrong with you selecting Tamiya's Walker Bull Dog for your first AFV model - in my opinion...



It is a nice kit to learn and try new techniques out - and if you're an experienced builder, it is a good kit to sharpen your skills upon.

Gunnie
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:07 AM UTC
As to a 'first' kit, I would have to agree with the general consensus here. The Sherman (almost any version) is a real good choice. Believe me, just the difference in the amount of time saved doing the Sherman road wheels as compared to a german tank kit's set of road wheels is worth it. (::::said in a whisper::::I'm still secretly convinced that's why everyone likes the Sherman).

As to the Bulldog. As usual Sabot's just told you the skinny on that. It does build up to a really nice kit though with just a little time and effort. If you want some proof of just how good a Bulldog can look, just check out Gunnie's Gallery! (shameless plug for the GunnieMan)

Tread.
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:08 AM UTC
Oooops.....apparently Gunnie beat me to the punch! Damn Gunnie, your fast! :-)
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:10 AM UTC
Now......is that a nice Bulldog relichunter or what?


Tread.
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text

BTW, your sig. line...( M1/A1 Abrahms Silent Death )...nice line, but you must mean when the engine is shut down for the 'silent' part, right?

Spoken like someone who's never been on one. It is "silent" for any tank, modern or not.
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 12:37 AM UTC
Ouch!......yeah, your right Rob. Never been on one in my life. To paraphrase, and twist an old line, " That was way after my time....."

Sorry, I spoke out of turn. I bow to the more modern men. I come from a time (not too long ago) when the only time you couldn't hear a tank in the field was if you were deaf.
My mistake.
My profuse apologies to relichunter00 for my apparently failed attempt at [humour[/b]

Tread.
relichunter00
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: April 18, 2002
KitMaker: 61 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 01:01 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Welcome aboard is everybody here ex military Yahoo

I'm not ex-military



In My Humble Opinion, you're never ex military, just old military.

Unless, of course, one of you guys (and girls) have figures out how to forget all that training, and all those 'once in a lifetime' experiences??

Me, I couldn't get rid of them if I tried. And I really tried for awhile. In the end, I'm glad it stuck

Tread.

Oh, and welcome to the site relichunter00! I'm sure you'll be happy you joined us.
BTW, your sig. line...( M1/A1 Abrahms Silent Death )...nice line, but you must mean when the engine is shut down for the 'silent' part, right?




Thank you Sir (see i haven't forgot ), and for the silent death, stand about a 100 feet in front of one that is running and compared to an M60A3, the engine is shutdown its so quiet.

Anthony
relichunter00
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: April 18, 2002
KitMaker: 61 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 01:09 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

First of all I would like to thank everybody for your kind words and suggestions. In my haste to build an AFV and the unfortunate limited supply in Cookeville (Bummer!) I chose Tamiya kit # 35055 M41 Walker Bulldog. I looked through it last night and it seems pretty straight forward.

One question, and I may be opening a can of worms here, but I was wondering with all the diferent manufactures out there if there is one to avoid altogether. I know that some will have good and bad, just wandering if there is a bad "ONE".

Thanks again, and Ranger if you could email me the details on the local club in Cookeville I would appreciate it.

Anthony



Nothing wrong with you selecting Tamiya's Walker Bull Dog for your first AFV model - in my opinion...



It is a nice kit to learn and try new techniques out - and if you're an experienced builder, it is a good kit to sharpen your skills upon.

Gunnie





NICE Tank Gunnie, I hope mine comes out anything close to that. I didn't mean to imply that this was a bad tank, It just was not the one everybody was recommending for me to start with. I think It is cool tank!!

Anthony
210cav
Visit this Community
Virginia, United States
Joined: February 05, 2002
KitMaker: 6,149 posts
Armorama: 4,573 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 02:27 AM UTC
Gunnie--why do I torture myself? "Mommie, Mommie, stop the pain." You guys are really, really good. That 41 is about as realistic as Man can make it. WELL DONE!
Your humble student who shall attempt to replicate the Master,
DJ
TreadHead
Visit this Community
Colorado, United States
Joined: January 12, 2002
KitMaker: 5,000 posts
Armorama: 2,868 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 05:32 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Welcome aboard is everybody here ex military Yahoo

I'm not ex-military



In My Humble Opinion, you're never ex military, just old military.

Unless, of course, one of you guys (and girls) have figures out how to forget all that training, and all those 'once in a lifetime' experiences??

Me, I couldn't get rid of them if I tried. And I really tried for awhile. In the end, I'm glad it stuck

Tread.

Oh, and welcome to the site relichunter00! I'm sure you'll be happy you joined us.
BTW, your sig. line...( M1/A1 Abrahms Silent Death )...nice line, but you must mean when the engine is shut down for the 'silent' part, right?




Thank you Sir (see i haven't forgot ), and for the silent death, stand about a 100 feet in front of one that is running and compared to an M60A3, the engine is shutdown its so quiet.

Anthony



Thanks for your kind, and learned retort to my earlier post relichunter. I'm glad you saw through the bit of jest I was throwing at you. As I posted above, I have never been on or around an M1/A1 or any of it's variants. All the equipment that I have come in contact with was
pre 1975. Your comparison to the M60 really worked for me, and made sense.

Again, welcome to the site, and good luck with your Bulldog.

Tread.

P.S. Don't let Gunnie's M41 intimidate you....instead, allow it to inspire you!
And if you have any questions or need any help at all, I don't doubt for a minute that Gunnie would trip over himself to help out. Me too.
RufusLeeking
Visit this Community
Ohio, United States
Joined: January 18, 2002
KitMaker: 330 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 05:44 AM UTC
Hey Mom....Gunnie's showing off again!!!
GunTruck
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: December 01, 2001
KitMaker: 5,885 posts
Armorama: 3,799 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 07:31 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Mom....Gunnie's showing off again!!!



LOL!!!

Gunnie :-) :-)
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 10:14 AM UTC
I remember standing on a row of M1s (XM1s, M1IPs) at Ft. Knox and one of the tanks fired up. Even though I was standing on one of the tanks, I could not tell which one was cranking up. Those were the first M1s I was ever on. An M60 or 48 series tank shook and spit out black smoke when you started them!
210cav
Visit this Community
Virginia, United States
Joined: February 05, 2002
KitMaker: 6,149 posts
Armorama: 4,573 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 10:21 AM UTC
Rob--the M-60/48 spit black smoke for several reasons--dirty air filters, diesel fuel, clogged oil filter, etc.... The M48A3 is one beautiful tank. My favorite will always be the M60A3. I loved that Baby.
DJ
ARENGCA
Visit this Community
Arizona, United States
Joined: February 13, 2002
KitMaker: 382 posts
Armorama: 267 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 10:49 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I'm not ex-military



Ditto ...too dumb to quit, maybe???

Nope, too smart and dedicated! I'll leave when they tell me I'm no longer wanted.



You took the words out of my mouth. I'll be in until they tell me if I come back, they'll have me arrested! But every now and then, don't you wonder if maybe you took too many sharp blows the brain-housing-group? LOL!!
Ranger74
Visit this Community
Tennessee, United States
Joined: April 04, 2002
KitMaker: 1,290 posts
Armorama: 658 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 11:51 AM UTC
Treadhead - Pre -75? God, you make me feel a lot better, since I started in '75 :-) The Germans had another name for the M-1 when it arrived in Germany, some kind of cuss word I could never pronounce. The 3rd ID tankers destroyed a numbe fo nice German cars before the word got out about the M1s. The Germans had no fear to pull up behind an M60A1, M60A3. Leo I, AMX 30, etc., When the tank driver stomped on the accelerator the Germans just got a face full of diesel exhaust, sort of like following a diesel Mercedes They learned the hard way about turbine exhaust: I saw several cars with the paint blistered off the hood and fenders of several nice German autos. In the US these beasts are rarely off teh reservation, so we don't have that problem.

My M88 (gasoline powered) operators had a patented method of getting rid of tail-gaters they would stomp on the accelarator than let off quickly, a large blue flame would shoot out the exhausts and usually over the hood of the car, no damage, under than possible dirty pants.
Arthur
Visit this Community
England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: March 13, 2002
KitMaker: 2,454 posts
Armorama: 330 posts
Posted: Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 07:30 PM UTC
Thanks Gunnie am just going to take a long walk of the pier
Arthur