M42 -Tamiya + PE Eduard
Track - AFV






Thanks

Excellent stuff, especially the weathering- restrained yet effective. Great job.

Very nice Duster. This is a kit I have always wanted to build, but some of the Tamiya kit is pretty crude. So, thanks to you, I have the formula - AM tracks and Eduard Photoetch. The results speak for themselves! Nice work.

Very nice build and paint job Thienan. Little additions like the tie downs add so much. Your painting and weathering lifts the details beautifully. Nice one mate.

Excellent work on the almost 30 yr. old kit! A lot of us have cried for a new AFV club offering but you've showed a great potential in the Tamiya one. Great weathering effect.

It came out really good. Nice job on updating an old kit. The weathering came out really good as well.

Here are a couple things that could be improved upon further. First is an easy one, the rear lights. Only the upper left oval should be red. The right side should have two dark slits, with the upper being shorter than the lower (like below).



Also, you might want to cover the ends of the spare barrels with a dust cover. Tamiya molded them very poorly. On the actual vehicle, they are very detailed with stepped ends, threads, and are open. This can easily be done with tissue paper soaked in white glue and painted when dry.
Like this:


The spare track blocks on the left rear should be strapped down under metal straps. How they are now, they would fall off as soon as it moved. Also, the inner surface of the tracks should have rubber pads.

There should be an M60MG in the mount on the right side as well.

Lastly, If you would like to update the suspension with more detail, AFV Club also makes a Suspension set that is great. I highjly recommend it.

Good job overall. A few tweaks and it will be even better.

Were black plastic jerry cans used back then? Might want to change it to a metal one.

Jim

Yes, they stared issuing them in 1968 time frame. So the water can is fine. I would put an M60 in the ACAV shield and get rid of the .50 cal. Not to say it did not happen, but I have yet to see a picture of a M42 from Vietnam with a .50 cal mounted. I have seen plenty of M60s mounted on them. Here are a couple of pictures of the black water can in use in Vietnam.



There is one on the ground near the M551.

that's a great job! I built that thing waaaay back when it was a new kit and I have to say yours looks a million times better than mine
Terry

Well what'er ya know. And here I thought they were a '90's thing...

Jim

Great build and finish, with some very nice refinements.

My only criticism would be that the track under the drive sprocket at the rear left side looks a bit "wonky".

This kit has just been reissued by Tamiya San and I picked one up in Telford in November, so shall definitely bookmark yours for inspiration.

Thanks also to Gino & Tony for the pointers on the M60 MG and the jerry cans.

- Steve

I have not see a case of Carling's Black Lable in over 30 years! What unit were this photos from? Looks like 5th Mech or 17th Cav in late 1968 ot 69. red mud all over the place, and trust me for those that don't know it; it's gets pretty chilly up in those hills
gary

Great job. You might want to consider adding the bar with two half circles at the front of the extra gun barrels to keep them in place. Also, where did you get that so neat machine gun? It looks like some of the boxes on the tub have empty shells in them. Why would that be? Great details!!