ANOTHER SILLY QUESTION. what are the exterior differences between the varius m-41 tanks ? which parts make a m-41-a1an a1 and what makes a a2 a ? the tank i looked at this weekend has a few noticeable differences from the antique tamiya i'm working on right now , the muzzle brake and a extra bit of armor plate around the drivers escape hatch. thanks, T T -13 OUT.

From memory:

Later production versions of the M41 (A1 to A3) have the auxilliary muffler at the front, tapered fenders, tube-type muzzle brake and a different weld pattern on the turret than early M41s (basic M41s) which have square fenders, no auxilliary muffler or having the auxilliary muffler at the rear, different weld pattern, rounded muzzle brake. Also, the position of the .50-calibre is different between early M41s (which was beside the commander's position to his left, i.e. between the loader's hatch and commander's cupola) and the later M41s (to the right front of the commander's cupola). Some later M41s have a gun shield for the .50-cal. Regarding the auxilliary muffler, some M41A3s of the ARVN (from pictures of Hunnicutt's book 'Sheridan') show the aux muffler being either positioned at the front or the back. The Tamiya kit has the hull of an early production M41 with the turret weld pattern (IIRC) and muzzle brake for a late production (i.e. A1 onwards) M41.

Guntruck (?) could fill-in/correct what I missed/said.

thanx -this info will help T T -13 OUT.