G'day gents, I am busy getting reference pictures together for 2 new zealand tanks I'm planning to build ( these are the scorpion cvr(t) and the M41 walker bulldog). So far I've found some beauties on anzac steel & kiwis in armour websites & jeff plowmans book "royal new zealand armoured corps" . however I was wondering if anybody here might have some pictures that they may like to share with me ( & others that might want to build the same tanks)?
Any help ,no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated & I look forward to hearing from anyone who can help.
Cheers,
Andy
PS TANKS ROCK!!

I don't have pics of Anzac cimitars but i have some from the Iraqi army would you like them?

Hi Andrew,

These should be of some assistance:

NZ Scorpion
and
NZ M41

cheers
David

G'day darren & david, firstly many thanks for your prompt replies to my request.
Darren :- thanks for the offer but it's New Zealand Scorpions & M41s that I'm after.
David:- Wow!!! your pictures were fantastic and are what I was looking for so once again many thanks for that.
I have a couple of more questions though & I hope someone might be able to help.
1) on the M41 I've been lead to believe that they used British radios and had British style antenna bases ; if so can anyone post a picture of it?
2) I've got AFV Clubs kits for both vehicles & I want to have crew hatches on both vehicles open but I've no pictures of the interior views of the hatches; can anyone help ?
3) I'm trying to decide whether or not to attempt scratch building interiors for one of these vehicles or not so my next request is does anyone have interior pictures ?
I hope I'm not asking too much but I'd really appreciate any help from people who know more about kiwi scorpions & M41s than I do.
Once again ,thanks for all your help so far guys & look forward to hearing from anyone who may be able to help.
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK

Hi Andy
Sorry for the delay, I'm working 14 hour days at present I will get back to you on ANZAC Day. (that's Saturday 25 April, for the rest of the world )
cheers
David

G'day David , no problem with the delay mate!!! looking forward to hearing from you on ANZAC Day.
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK

Hi Andy,

Hopefully these will be of some help;




Yes, they were fitted with a C-42 and B-47 radio sets, the same as were fitted in the Centurions (before we sold them to Australia)

Radio Installation in a Centurion

Antenna bases were also British style, one infront of the loaders hatch the other behind it.

In keeping with our colonial love for modifing things, our Scorpions were fitted with two AN/VRC-64 radios with MX-6707 antenna bases.









As for the Scorpion there are some good ones at Toadman's Pictures FV101




As for scratch building the interiors, may I suggest cheating put crewmen in the hatches. But if you really want too here are some pictures of the M41 interior

I hope this may be of some help, if you require any other info please just ask and I will see what I can do.

cheers
David

G'day again David , sorry for not getting back to you sooner but ANZAC Day turned out to be bigger than anticipated . Needless to say Sunday not so much fun. The info you supplied was excellent so many thanks for that , it is greatly appreciated!!!
I also have some more questions and a tweaks list which I'll post tomorrow after work as your input into my research has been invaluable!!
Cheers,
Andy

G'day David & all others,
Finally got round to getting on the site (very early starts & late finishes at work ). Anyway, enough whining!! here is my tweaks list for the scorpion in new zealand :

1)canvas cover needed on 76mm gun, from mantlet quarter of the way down the gun
2)tube required under exhaust (for antennas)
3)three stakes required down left hand side of vehicle to secure three man tarp/tent/hootchie
4)three man tarp/tent/hootchie required for left hand side of vehicle
5)American style "MX-6707" antenna bases/mounts
6)tow rope to be added to front left & right front mounted bollards , to run up both sides of vehicle
7)plate to be fitted over the sight housing (n.z. scorpions did not have night sight fitted)
8) two water jerrys to each side of rear turret bustle
9)three packs to be fitted around turret
10)American style helmets required for crewmen (hornet heads, modern u.s. tank crew with separate mics, from firestorm models, VERY good quality).
11) small rolled up tarp /cover to go at the bottom of the engine grill beside drivers position
12)scratch build a slave lead cable
spare road wheel or sprocket strapped onto the back of the vehicle somewhere(?)
13) decals for VEHICLE(?) may be hard or impossible to find; may have to make own stencils or decals
14)eduard P.E. set 35457 cvr(t)required for side bins on turret (otherwise will have to scratch build these) , also good for generally adding a bit of finesse
15)old school minimi machine gun with iron sights with bipod legs opened (for crew commanders position

so there it is , any thoughts , comments, suggestions , reference pictures no matter how big or small will be gratefully received & welcomed.
looking forward to hearing from you David or anyone else who may be able to help.
P.S. David; just curious ,were you ever in the RNZAC ?
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK!!!

Hi Andy

Sounds good, just a few points:



Normally 1.8m (6-ft) long 50mm dia and painted grey.


Best made from thin braided nylon 1.5-2mm dia. If you weather them with pigments/pastels they will remain flexable.


Similar to the Aust and British water cans, Mouse House do a set of Australian cans and Accurate Armour do a British set.


Normally standard US ALICE pack, filled to overloading.


Vinyl coated canvas.


These should be of some help:



and for your M41


Headlights were fitted either up or down and were the same as fitted to the M113. Large headlights were fitted at first, but soon went west during range shoots.

Vehicle numbers range from NZ 34180 -34184, 34187 – 34196, 34198 – 34204.



Does it show? Yes, 74 to 91

cheers
David

G'day David , firstly please forgive me for not replying sooner but work has been flat out & we had a family emergency to deal with plus the normal dramas associated with my job!!! So yeah ,it's been a hell of a few days but things have settled back down. Anyway , once again your knowledge & help have really been appreciated.
A couple more questions if you don't mind?....
1) do you have any close up pictures of the centurion style antenna bases that were fitted to the kiwi M41s ? ( on other reference pictures I've found of Centurions they have 2 different types & it's got me a bit confused )
2) Do you know of any good books and/or websites that deal with the RNZAC postwar period to the present?
By the way , I'm going away on exercise soon so there's no rush for a reply ( I'm an Abrams T.L.O. in the R.A.A.C).
have a good one mate,
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK

G'day David ,
Finally got back and now have a bit of time to myself!!! . I was just wondering if you had any answer for my previous questions??
Have a good one mate and look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Andy

Hi Andy,
Sorry about the delay, life on this side of the ditch has been pretty full on.

Firstly


Sorry all my photos of M41 don't show the antenna bases clearly, but a clear example can be found on Toadman's Tank Pictures, here and here



The only book I know of is Jeffrey Plowman's KiwiArmour No.6, available through his website which also has some info on postwar Kiwi armour.



Some of us are spending up to 16 hours a day, 6 days a week stuck in a coolstore packing Kiwifruit still it will all be over on a month or so and then back to the models

cheers
David

G'day David,
Many , many thanks for the pics of the antenna bases!! !! That has been a great help & has cleared up the confusion .
I already have Jeff Plowman's book ( Kiwis in Armour no. 6) & I definitely rate it as a brilliant book ,
it's just a shame that there are not many books or websites out there on the RNZAC .
Once again , your help & knowledge is gratefully appreciated .
Cheers ,
Andy

TANKS ROCK!!!!

G'day David and all ,
As yet I haven't started on either my scorpion or M41 yet as I've been away on exercise for the last couple of months !!) I have , however, come across a little treasure chest of pictures on the following website : www,hobbyhavoc.com , go to gallery then go to real world tanks.
There you will find about 4 pages of kiwi M41s and Scorpions . Trust me ,you wont be disappointed , some of the pictures are from the 1960s and most are of good picture quality!! . Definitely worth a look if your planning to build a Kiwi Scorpion or M41.
I've also been looking for pictures of Kiwi Ferret scout cars (both mk. 1 & 2) but haven't had much luck . Would anyone know of any good websites where I could find some good reference pictures??? any help would be greatly appreciated.
David , I think you'll really like these pictures!!!
Anyway gents , hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do
Cheers ,
Andy
TANKS ROCK!!!

Hi Andrew,

very nice great find. I love photos from the 1960s, the vehicles are yet to be fitted with British radios, and those charter parade photos, now that brings back memories

I know I have some photo of Ferrets filed away somewhere, I will see what I can find for you.

cheers
David

G'day David ,
Really pleased to hear you liked the photos !! I had a feeling that they would bring back some memories for you !! I hope that others on this forum enjoy the pictures as much as yourself & I did!!!
Looking forward to seeing those Ferret pictures mate !!
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK!!!!

Thanks mate!!!

I'm building an NZ M41A3 right now so those photos will come to good use.

Cheers,
/E

BTW: If one looks on page 2 in the "Everything else" gallery there are a few more 1960's era M41A3 pictures.

G'day Erik ,
whoops , forgot to mention that page!! Glad the link has helped you mate.
By the way , the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps used the M41A1. Externally all four variants of the M41 series light tank look almost identical , the differences between them took place internally .
Cheers ,
Andy
TANKS ROCK!!!!

Andrew, thanks for the correction. I dug out my Hunnicut Light tank part 2 and re-read the M41 part to refreshing my memory regarding M41 version.

I also found this album on PrimePortal:
http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/azrael_raven/m41_walker_bulldog

One question:
There are to types of stowage bars on the side of the turret of the M41A1-3. Some just have the ends of the bars welded to the turrets (like those on the NZ tanks I've seen and like those included in the Skybow kit). Example:
http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/azrael_raven/m41_walker_bulldog/images/m41_walker_bulldog_06_of_16.jpg

The other type have the ends bent in 90 degreds and welded to the turret along the bent part (as in the AFV Club kit). Example:
http://data.primeportal.net/tanks/bill_spidle/m41/images/m41_14_of_58.jpg

Have anybody ever seen an NZ tank with the "second" type?


Finally:
I noticed that the NZ headlight configuration are not the same as in any of the M41 kits (and it's not quite the same as the early config descibed in the Hunnicut book).
NZ config:

http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/azrael_raven/m41_walker_bulldog/images/m41_walker_bulldog_04_of_16.jpg

US late type (as in the kits):
http://data.primeportal.net/tanks/bill_spidle/m41/images/m41_39_of_58.jpg

Cheers,
/E

G'day Erik , David & all who might be following this thread,
Erik ; I am using the AFV Club kit ( U.S. M41A3 Walker Bulldog Light Tank , AF 35041) . Thanks a lot for pointing out the situation on the grab handles on the turret as I'd overlooked that . If you want to make a kiwi M41 in the early days of their service ( plain olive drab or bronze green I think ; David , can you confirm this?? ) then you can use the bent/angled grab handles on the turret , as I want to do a cammed up onefrom the late 70s / early 80s I have to fill in the indents where the kit grab handles would've gone and replace them with wire so they look welded on .
Yes , your right about the headlight configuration . On my kit I will have to cut / sand down the area where the kit headlights would normally sit . Not hard to do though!!
Thanks again for pointing out these things , this has saved me a lot of grief !!
David ; do you have any thoughts or comments that might help ?? it would be gratefully received .
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK!!!!

Andrew,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still out there. A vacation trip kept me away from internet for some time.
I'm also going for a MERDEC-style NZ M41 and are using the AFV Club kit, so I'll have to do the same changes to the rails and head lights. I'll post my progress here as soon as I think I have something to show.

Cheers,
/E

G'day Erik ,
Firstly I will apologize for the delay in replying as I've been away on exercise again & since been back I've been spending time with my family!! I'm very keen to see your progress by the way!!
David ; have you had any luck finding those kiwi ferret pictures??
I still haven't started any of my scorpion , M41 or ferret yet as works a bit full on at the moment so there is not too much time for models unfortunately.
One more question David .... Do you know how many ferrets the RNZAC had in service??
I've been searching the internet to gather more reference on the ferret and have nearly zero luck
Look forward to hearing from you both.
Cheers,
Andy
TANKS ROCK

Greetings Andrew


Yes

SCOUT-CAR, FERRET, Mk 1, FV 701C.
Three of these entered service with the RNZAC in the late 1950s, and remained in service until about 1978. NZ 29413, NZ 29414 and NZ 29415.


SCOUT-CAR, 4X4, RECONNAISSANCE, Mk 2, FERRET Mk 2.
Six entered service with the RNZAC in 1962, and remained in service until the late 1970s. NZ 30870, NZ 30876, NZ 30876, NZ 30877, NZ 30878, NZ 30879, NZ 30880 and NZ 30881.

There were no distinctive NZ modifications they were all pretty much standard British. As for radios, by the looks of antenna bases the Mk 1s were originally fitted with No. 19 sets and were latter fitted with Larkspur radios, C42 and C13, the Mk 2s were fitted with C42 and C13.
The Mk 1s spent their entire carrer painted Deep Bronze Green, the Mk 2s were Deep Bronze Green up until about 1978 when they were painted in the NZ modified MERDC scheme.











cheers
David