Tank M41A3 Walker Bulldog

thingiverse

HISTORY An American Light Tank produced in numbers of 5,467 for recon missions. The Walker Bulldog entered service in 1953 and was intended as replacement for the aging fleet of M24 Chaffee tanks. Production of the tank was sped up in view of the heightened Cold War, causing flaws in its final production. Notably, crews reported technical difficulties as well as cramped conditions that affected combat effectiveness. However, the interior of the Walker Bulldog was ideal for foreign use, particularly in Asia. This Light Tank was the US first post-WW2 tank to be exported worldwide. It even made a brief but memorable service with the Bundeswehr, adopting the Walker Bulldog as its first post-war tank. The Walker Bulldog remains in active service in several countries today (i.e. in Brazil, Thailand, Uruguay) with some also receiving the latest upgrades in military technology (i.e. under Brazilian, Chinese, Spanish use). The Walker Bulldog was involved in a decent amount of action, although the Light Tank came with generally mixed results. It performed admirably against Soviet T-34-85 tanks in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. However, due to poor supplies and lack of air support, the Invasion was a washout. The tank also saw service during the Vietnam war against Soviet T-54s. But the battle between these two tanks were seen roughly as stalemates, with most Walker Bulldog tanks lost due to land mines and rocket grenades. MODEL This is an update to Captain_Ahab_62's already available Walker Bulldog tank, a splendid foundation for reviews and re-equipment. The hull and turret are fully equipped by just our engineer (for now). In brief absence of our mechanic, the models may have slight dents, indicating battle weariness. References for the complete equipment on the model and its history were pulled from various sources, including wikipedia, tank encyclopedia, world of tanks, online blueprints and much more. For more description on what our engineer has done, the hull of the tank comes updated with a roughly complete suspension. More details were provided i.e. hooks, new headlights, shovel, axe, tow cables, tarps and small tool boxes (very commonly viewed on complete M41A3 models). The turret is fully equipped all around with tools, tarps and also rivets to signify the added armor screens on the front of the turret. A machine-gun is mounted in front of the commander's cupola. Also, the design of the main gun is updated as well. The Bundeswehr turret features a row of smoke grenade launchers on each side. NOTES The set of models here come complete with files of the hull and turret detached or attached for printing and viewing pleasure. It should be already scaled at 1/100 and should be printed by experts for tryout. Like the models? Feel free to support us on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/garage434 for more content or do give us a comment so that we can update our post to rectify the errors if any. Like the original model? Do follow Captain_Ahab_62 for more! The picture used to display the Walker Bulldog tank is merely for reference by Garage 434 and is the property of its unnamed owner. All written materials and blueprints for the Walker Bulldog mentioned in this post are sourced from Wikipedia, the Tank Encyclopedia, World of Tanks, Google Images, etc.