M41 Assault Gun

[Old Wombat]

Well, whichever weapon it was, it didn't stay in the cupola for very long in combat.

[Kerick]

I think it was a matter of getting the weapon outside the vehicle where you could swing it around quickly to fire on the enemy.

[ChalkLine]

I think it was a matter of getting the weapon outside the vehicle where you could swing it around quickly to fire on the enemy.

Yeah, the problem is that the tanks were made with a sort obsessive 'got to fight the Soviets' view of fighting in Europe where encounter ranges would be at least 1,000m* and not the fighting they encountered. They really needed two cupolas, one for Vietnam and one for Europe.

*Although a Soviet study found that combat in Poland had a maximum engagement range of 1,300m due to terrain factors regardless of vision methods and the range would be even less in Germany.

[Kerick]

I’ve finished painting the tracks. They will get a little dry brush with steel just before I put them on.

[Kerick]

I designed some decals tonight for the Moose and Squirrel. I cooked up some I might use on the Alabama Slammer I’ve been thinking about for ages now. That project would be good for the kitbash GB as it combines an M113 hull on a five ton truck.

[Kerick]

Here's a pic of the decals I put together last night. The Moose and Squirrel names are in yellow which I thought would look good against the OD green. Everything else is black. Then there are the gun truck markings which includes the "BLOOD SWEAT AND TIRES" in color. Sweat should be in white but my printer doesn't have that so back to yellow.



I just realized the Ace of Spades card image won't work unless I paint a white rectangle first. Drat!

[Old Wombat]

Decals look good! 

[Buzzbomb]

I just realized the Ace of Spades card image won't work unless I paint a white rectangle first. Drat!

Very good work on these.
Another options might be to use a patch of white decal under the cards, may need two layers to get the coverage, depending on the location, might be easier than mask/paint.
 

[Kerick]

I just realized the Ace of Spades card image won't work unless I paint a white rectangle first. Drat!

Very good work on these.
Another options might be to use a patch of white decal under the cards, may need two layers to get the coverage, depending on the location, might be easier than mask/paint.

I could get some white decal paper and either print the card image onto that or just snip out some rectangles and place them first. Its not likely to get used on this project or the Alabama Slammer so no big deal. I just got carried away with the gun truck possibilities.

[Kerick]

Here's a pic of the dual rear wheels. One of these is the outside wheel and the other is the inside wheel. I don't know which is which and the instructions are unclear.



The center hub is slightly larger than the other but otherwise are identical. Anybody out there build this kit and have this figured out? I'd like to get this right and not have the wheels too far out or too far in. Then there is the ridiculous mismatch between the two halves of the rim. I'll try to fill and sand that as best I can on the outside wheel and never mind the inside wheel. These wheels really do suck but the price of resin is totally insane. A die cast toy has better wheels than this. Otherwise things are coming together. I'll start on the back axles next. Maybe that will help get this wheel situation figured out.

[Old Wombat]

According to the online instructions & images for the Italeri M925 Shelter Truck the rear wheel inners are the ones with the more open hole & the smaller diameter lip on the raised side.

[Kerick]

I shortened the frame behind the rear wheels by 1/2" but there is still room for a platform behind the M113 hull. I'm considering using part of the truck bed for this. Should I use the front portion with the higher wood railing to keep people from falling off a moving truck or the rear portion with the handy tailgate? If the tailgate then I would have to add railings to it. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Here's some pics of the paint work so far. Decals are on too.
I sprayed some highlights on the upper surfaces.







When I sprayed on the gloss coat some of the highlight disappeared. The areas that had more coverage held up but the light areas just blended in. My home made decals are working pretty good.











Some matte coat and then the fiddly bits. The end is in sight!

[Kerick]

Matte applied. Kind of a satin finish. I might look for something really flat. It just doesn’t look quite right yet.

[ChalkLine]

Wow

[Buzzbomb]

Matte applied. Kind of a satin finish. I might look for something really flat. It just doesn’t look quite right yet.

Maybe for this era, Satin is just about right.

[Kerick]

I found a can of good old dullcoat at a local craft store. Now I can make it look right.

[Kerick]

A friend from my club recommended Vallejo ultra matt polyurethane varnish. I tried it tonight and its looking good. Even some of the shading that had faded away from the acrylic clear seems to have reappeared. Its totally flat which is what I wanted. Now I can proceed with the detail work and the tracks.

[finsrin]

Dang; so much innovative design and great plastic surgery. 

[Kerick]

Now that I’m attaching the outer tiny bits I’ve discovered that when a part is pulled loose or tape removed the clear comes right off with it. I think the craft store gloss is the culprit. No worries as I don’t plan on removing stuff if I can help it. I’ve attached the side skirts and some of the fiddly bits. A few more to go. Antennas will be last of course. The spring wire I bought a few months ago is working like a champ.

[raafif]

  This looks really nice !  Probably a bit late to say so now, but there isn't much room for the driver's legs (unless he's an amputee) and that flat front cries out for some more ">" angle shape to deflect shells.

[Kerick]

A war emergency design that made do with what they had. Actually the driver is sort of standing with his butt on more of a back rest than a seat. Many reported this was better on rough terrain than the cheap barely padded seats.
That’s my story and I’m stick’n to it!
Actually I attach the tracks before the previously mentioned side skirts. I had to pull the ends together with thread as neither were the right length. Fiddly bits are being painted and glued on. I have to figure out where to put the pioneer tools because I can’t stand the rack the normal M41 uses. One set is from a Bradley and the others are just spares.