Ok, some readers may be getting tired of reading about the Walker Bulldog, so I am going to wrap her up here and write a review on the kit.
Tamiya originally made this kit a decade or two ago and it was sold as a motorized toy. The holes in the bottom of the model lay evidence to that fact- I had plenty of room for installing an electrical system. I also took advantage of a bottom opening to super glue down a switch for the LEDs. I decided that I wanted headlights on the tank, and I am glad I went ahead and did that with fiber optic. I purchased the LED from Radioshack and the fiber optic from Trains and Lanes up in Easton.
How I did all the Fiber Optic Work
I routed all the fiber optics through the headlights and joined them internally by taping the LED and fiber optic together, then wrapping aluminum foil around the mess, then more tape. This reflects the light back inwards and through the fiber optic, making the lights brighter. I used a 9volt battery for the battery supply, and by figuring out the maximum voltage of the LED (4 volts), I found the correct value for a drop resistor by using Ohm's Law. I soldered everything together along with a switch.
Almost short circuited the thing! the first time and had to contact an electrical buddy for assistance on what to do, and what he recommended is what I already did- disconnecting the circuit! I repaired the joints and fastened things down with tape. I then put the ends of the fiber optic over a hot soldering iron to mushroom them out and make them bigger. I made them only big enough to fit into the hole I drilled out for them in the headlights. The resulting effect is fantastic.
From now on I would like to at least include this system in tanks that are mod friendly like Tamiya's Walker Bulldog. For a $10.00-$15.00USD kit this is money well spent on a kit with a small number of parts and a large amount of detail. The kit allows you to build a respectable tank without searching for photo etch or other accessories. Mind you I made a few simple modifications to mine, such as the LED system and adding steel rod for antannae. By adding a 9 volt battery, I gave the tank some weight. This is great because the engine was in the back of the tank, just like the battery is. Somehow weight adds a charm to a model when one picks it up.
The hull detail is superb, but there are more detailed sets out there. Again, for the price this model is a steal. There is another at Trains and Lanes I am going to grab (it's on sale) and I am going to build a JSDF version (many bulldogs were sold to Japan, the JSDF is the Japanese Self Defense Force). The model went together extremely well, so well in fact that I chose not to paint it. I liked the olive drab, and contrary to many statements olive drab varied in degrees of light and dark. My Ford GPA Jeep has a much darker olive drab. Many Walker Bulldogs also had a darker olive drab. It truly is the "American Tank", engineered for reconissance work at about 24-26tons in weight.
The wheels also went together very nicely, and I like the added bonus that I can play with the tank if I want to fiddle with it on my desk. The wheels move. The tracks move with the wheels. The turret also rotates on a turret ring and I can switch headlights on or off. I can also flip hatches up or down. The decals that came with the kit are water slide transfer decals and were of excellent quality, which I have come to expect from Tamiya since I consider them one of the best if not the best in the model kit making industry. One thing about the Japanese- they make good stuff.
I only put so many decals on and they add personality to the tank. I only added the model number under the front portion of the hull and the american stars. I was going to add the numbers that came with the tank, but I didn't for two reasons. One was I wanted to add more personality to my tank, and two the film in between numbers may show as a result of weathering- and I don't have the patience to cut each one out carefully. I wanted a good looking tank with a medium amount of work and effort.
I can't understand why today's tanks are in the $40.00 to $50.00 range when kits like this exist. The value can't be beat for the amount of detail contained within the box. This is a kit someone could pick up with no modeling skills and be happy with afterwards. For what this kit is, I give it two thumbs up and I will be picking up a second one and doing a JSDF version.
No comments:
Post a Comment