Post by mshackleton on Apr 19, 2012 13:25:09 GMT -5
Background
Early US combat experience indicated the shortcomings of the M3/M5 Stuart light tank, the most important being the poor 37 mm main armament. In March 1943, the US Ordnance Committee issued a specification for a new light tank. The Cadillac division of General Motors started work on the Light Tank T24 with the same twin-engined power train as the M5A1, but armed with a 75 mm gun.
Every effort was made to keep the weight under 20 tons by keeping the armour light - the glacis was only 25 mm thick but sloped at 60 degrees from the vertical. A 75 mm gun was developed from the armament used in the B-25H Mitchell ground attack version of the medium bomber. The design also featured wider (16-inch) tracks and torsion bar suspension. It had a three-man turret, solving another complaint about the Stuart with its over-worked two-man turret crew.
In October 1943, the first pilot vehicle was delivered and production began slowly in April 1944, now designated Light Tank M24. It was produced at two factories - from April, Cadillac produced 3592 and from July at Massey-Harris produced 1139. Production ceased in July 1945. 302 were supplied to the British and just two to the USSR.
The first twenty M24s reached Europe in early December 1944 and were issued to the 744th Tank Battalion, Ninth Army, in France. The Battle of the Bulge then broke out and two of the M24s were detached to serve with the 740th Tank Battalion, First Army. Even though the crews had no special training on the type, these two M24s saw action in the fighting for Stoumont and la Gleize. The tank started to see widespread use in December 1944 but they were slow to reach front-line units. It was nicknamed ‘Panther Pup’ following a familiarisation programme because of fears that its shape and new suspension looked similar to the German tank at a distance. Shipments to Italy began in January 1945 but they were not deployed for another two months. By the end of fighting in Europe, the M24 constituted thirty-four per cent of light tanks with the US Army. It was not deployed in the Pacific. British M24s were not deployed until April 1945.
The M24 was named after Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr. who was responsible for integrating all branches of the US Army into the needs of mechanised warfare. He created the 1st and 2nd Armoured Divisions in 1940 and was promoted to Major General Chaffee. He died just before Pearl Harbour and is still considered the father of the armoured force.
Reports from the units that did receive M24s were generally positive. Crews liked the improved off-road performance and reliability and were appreciative of the 75 mm main gun as a vast improvement over the 37 mm. The M24 was not up to the challenge of fighting German tanks, but this was not its role. The M24s light armour made it vulnerable to virtually all German tanks, anti-tank guns and hand-held anti-tank weapons.
Variants based on the M24 chassis were the M19 Gun Motor Carriage with the engine moved to the centre of hull and a twin 40 mm M2 AA mounted at the rear; the M37 Howitzer Motor Carriage carried a 105 mm howitzer intended to replace the M7 Priest; and the M41 Gorilla Howitzer Motor Carriage had its engine moved to the centre of hull and a 155 mm howitzer mounted at the rear.
In the Korean War, M24s were the first US tanks to fight North Korean T-34-85s where they fared poorly against these much better-armed and armoured opponents. They were more successful later in the war in their intended reconnaissance role, supported by M4, M26 and M46.
The much superior M41 Walker Bulldog replaced it in the US Army from 1951. The M24 was supplied to many armies around the world and was used in many local conflicts. France used its M24s in Indo-China as infantry support with good results. In December 1953, ten disassembled Chaffees were transported by air to provide fire support to the garrison of Dien Bien Phu. They fired about 15,000 shells in the long siege that followed before they were over-run by Viet Minh forces in May 1954. France also deployed the M24 in Algeria. The last time the M24 is thought to have seen action was in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 where sixty-six Pakistani Chaffees in Bangladesh were easy prey to heavier Indian Army tanks and guns. Although both Iran and Iraq had M24s prior to the Iran–Iraq War, there is no report of their use.
As late as 1972, the Norwegian Army decided to convert fifty-four of their 123 M24s as reconnaissance vehicles after a modernisation programme. The resulting NM-116 used an improved power pack developed by US firm NAPCO from the diesel engine used in the M113 armoured personnel carrier, mated to an Allison transmission. The original armament was replaced with a French 90 mm low-pressure gun, with a co-axial .50-calibre heavy machine gun. The hull gunner position was eliminated in favour of ammunition stowage and a new fire control system was installed complete with a laser rangefinder. Norway also converted eight M24s into light recovery vehicles to support the NM-116. They were retired from service in 1993.
The Chilean Army up-gunned their M24s in the mid-1980s with a 60 mm Hyper Velocity Medium Support gun with comparable performance to a standard 90 mm gun. Chile operated this version until 1999. Uruguay continues to use the M24, modernised with new engines and 76 mm guns that can fire armour-piercing, fin stabilised, discarding sabot rounds.
The Model
Upon opening the box you are presented with a dozen or so cellophane bags with sixteen sprues containing the majority of the parts. Further smaller bags contain fourteen sprues of individual link tracks, the hull tub, idlers, sprocket hubs, a plastic recoil spring, .50 calibre MG body, string, clear parts, a photo-etch fret (with polythene protection on both sides) and two sheets of decals. All of the sprues have identification letters and part numbers, with some parts shaded in the instructions which are not for use in this kit. The contents are:
Sprue A - hull top with separate rear deck parts, mudguards, side skirts, headlight guards and some minor detail parts.
Sprue Ca (five off) - parts for two sets of road wheels.
Sprue Cd - tools, milk churn, hull .30 calibre machine gun.
Sprue Da - hull front and rear plates plus other items not needed for this kit (stowage for the British version), which is joined with …
Sprue Dc - torsion bar covers, hull crew hatches and some minor detail parts.
Sprue E - turret and main armament parts including seven detail items not needed for this kit.
Sprue F - a mixture of detail parts for both the hull and turret.
Sprue G - parts for six .50 calibre ammunition boxes which is joined to …
Sprue Ga - six items of stowage.
Sprue Gb - jerrycan parts, some of which are not required for this kit which is joined to …
Sprue Ge - three .30 calibre and three .50 calibre ammunition boxes, which is joined to …
Another sprue labelled Ga (two off) - sprocket teeth, transmission covers, torsion bars, idlers, various handles and hooks, suspension parts, tow cable parts.
Sprue I (not actually a sprue but marked as such in the instructions) - two idlers.
Sprue J (not actually a sprue but marked as such in the instructions) - two sprocket hubs.
Sprue L - clear parts with periscopes, headlight lenses, driver’s windscreen and commander’s cupola vision blocks.
Sprue M - hull tub.
Sprue N (14 off) - twelve track links each (168 total - according to the instructions 144-46 are needed, so plenty to spare).
Sprue Q - crew with three full figures and two half figures, supplied by Dragon.
Sprue W - .50 calibre MG body (shown here with idler).
Un-numbered sprue - with a plastic recoil spring - see above.
Photo-etch fret - engine intake mesh covers, rear stowage basket, straps, cast numbers for transmission, .50 calibre ammunition tray and barrel handle, skirt hangers and lots of very small details! Some of these etch parts will be a bit scary for some people.
Decals - two sheets, one for crew insignia, one with three vehicle options.
Note that there are no sprues B, H, K, etc. Maybe Bronco is holding something back for further variants. I can imagine that Sprue P will be sets of post-war tracks with rubber shoes.
Instructions
The instructions are presented as a 28-page, full colour, A4 stapled booklet. Each step is illustrated in a logical order with beautifully clear and large black and white line drawings. Colour CAD illustrations are included in some steps for clarity where necessary. There are 41 steps in the construction process and I can’t imagine many problems being encountered.
The only building options are:
using a clear part for one headlight or a black out mask;
etch or plastic for the headlight guards;
turret view port open or closed;
smoke launcher open or closed;
different radios (not necessary for this version);
jerrycans with plastic or etch latches;
and alternative decals.
The crew are presented as colour drawings showing colours and decal placement.
First Impressions
The overall quality of the parts is very, very good with excellent moulding including some items being slide-moulded. There is a virtual absence of ejector marks apart from on the back of the road wheels and the stowage sprue. The walls of the mudguards and sideskirts are commendably thin as are the track guard mounts. Flash is almost non-existent. There is no sign of warping and no sink marks at all. This is state-of-the-art moulding and is far and away a much better product than the old Italeri kit, good though that was for its time (nearly thirty years ago!).
To quote the instructions, ‘This is a precision moulded plastic kit with exceptionally fine detail. It will require a little more care during assembly, but you feel the end result is well worth the effort.’
Bone of Contention
One flaw in this kit is the turret roof. Most people will NOT notice a problem, but the sticklers amongst us already know there is something wrong from comments on other websites.
This is the problem. Running across the width of the roof plate in front of the commander’s cupola is a weld line. On the model, this weld line coincides with a change of angle on the turret roof and a corresponding change of angle on the turret sides. I have looked at as many photos as I can find and I have to agree that there is a problem here. The weld line is in the CORRECT place up close to the cupola. The angle of the roof of the real machine occurs IN FRONT of the weld line where the armour plate has actually been bent to shape across its full width. Consequently, the change of angle in the model’s roof plate, and the corresponding change of angle on the model’s turret sides, is incorrect. They should both be further forward.
I asked a contact in Germany, Michael Lembo, who is restoring an M24 at Hohenfels. He says, “From the roof weld seam in front of the cupola to the weld seam behind the mantlet is 52.5 cm measured from the front edge of the roof weld to the back edge of the mantlet weld, measured along the centre-line of the turret The width of the weld seam varies a little bit across the turret so I also measured from centre to centre of both weld seams and got 55 cm. The fold in the forward roof plate is a little harder to measure. It is a very gradual curve so I got down beside the turret and looked from an angle where the overhead lights were casting a glare on the highest point. The distance from the weld seam in front of the cupola to the centre of the glare on the fold is 4.5 cm.” As a result, the measurements taken indicate that the sloping roof of the kit is too short by 1.2 mm which happens to be the distance from the weld line to the fold in the roof (see the accompanying photos).
Additionally, the weld line should stop at the ventilator cover and not carry on to the right turret side – thankfully this is easy to correct with some gentle scraping. Note that the instructions ask you to delete the splash guard around the ventilator that wasn’t present on wartime production. Apparently, according to my expert Chaffee source in Germany, a turret ventilator motor was never fitted under this cover to any Chaffee.
Another aspect I am not happy with is that the turret sides are higher than the turret roof. They are SLIGHTLY higher on the real thing, but only to the depth of the weld bead around the edge. The kit has a definite taller edge all around the turret. This too can be improved with some gentle scraping with a sharp knife and/or file. These are the only things that mar an otherwise superb model.
Another problem brought up on another website was the question of a missing splash guard in front of the transmission drain cover under the front hull. Once again, having asked Michael Lembo, he tells me that “there should be one present and also in front of the similar transfer unit drain cover two-thirds along the hull.” However, both are very minor and could actually be post-war modifications.
There is also supposed to be a minor flaw with the snaps for the cover over the turret co-axial machine gun, but that is really nit-picking.
Construction
Construction is broken down into 41 steps.
Steps 1-7 take you through construction of the hull bottom and the running gear. The hull tub is beautifully moulded as a floor complete with the angled hull sides, negating any problems with getting the hull sides correctly angled. It also has return roller and main suspension mounts moulded in place (there are even casting numbers on the bottom). Independent torsion bars are supplied so the suspension can be realistically articulated.
I haven’t tried this myself, but it may be a good idea to deviate from the instructions by not fitting the torsion bars in Step 1. It might be better to fix the road wheel trailing arms (Steps 3 and 5) to the bars first. This will avoid any possibility of mistakenly gluing the bars to the hull if you want them to remain operable. It might also be easier to line up the trailing arms before adding the wheels. However, I’m not sure how practicable this is. Just a suggestion!
As with any model, it would also be advisable to leave off the more delicate parts such as the crew steps (parts Da1) until later in the build.
The transmission bulges on the hull front are missing casting numbers, but Bronco include the numbers as separate, very, very tiny figures on the brass fret. Good luck to those brave enough to use these! Maybe Archer have some suitable surface detail sheets as an easier alternative? All of the slide moulded hollow suspension dampers are telescopic so they help in realistically portraying suspension movement. The sprocket hubs and idlers are also slide moulded. Both types of wheel have their lightening holes cleverly moulded open, but the sprocket rings have to be added to the sprockets and idlers have very fine rims as additional parts. All very impressive. The road wheels are each made of four parts and this is where the only ejector pins appear on the back of parts that have to be dealt with.
Equally impressive is the driver’s windscreen. This is Step 8 and shows how to build this from four parts plus a clear screen plus a three small etch parts. This means it can be depicted either up or down. Nice.
Step 9 shows you how to build the headlight guards from etch. Two useful plastic formers are supplied for bending them to the correct shape. If the builder cannot cope with etch, have no fear as plastic parts are also included and these are reasonably fine, though not with the delicacy of the etch counterparts.
From Step 10 we start to build up the upper hull starting with the main rear deck grilles (even the rear faces have grille detail). Etch cover screens and latches on the forward grilles are supplied. However, photos from M24 manuals or factory photos don’t always show wire mesh covers and on wartime photos they are difficult to see because they are hidden under the turret overhang. According to Michael Lembo, they were indeed fitted.
Step 11 features the front and centre hull which has the distinctive transmission cover as a separate part. The turret ring has teeth around its circumference. Here we have the option of using a clear part for the left headlight or a blackout mask. The hull .30 calibre MG is slide moulded but I feel the cooling holes are not as well defined as they could be and the barrel would be better replaced with an etch alternative from RB or Aber.
Subsequent steps (up to Step 18) show the build up of the remaining rear deck and hull crew hatches that can be positioned open or closed. The crew hatches also have periscopes supplied as clear parts. The periscopes could be left unmounted, in which case the top flap would close onto the hatch. If the hatches were to remain open, you would have to source some empty periscope mounts for the bottom of the hatches, possibly from an after-market company like Tiger Models or from a photo etch source. The same applies to the Commander’s cupola in a later step. The hull hatches have handles supplied in the kit (parts Ga12), but apparently they were not originally fitted. They appeared from serial number 2531, which was about halfway through the production run. If you don’t fit the handles, then the notches in the hatches will need filling.
The deck plates over the fuel tanks and the armoured covers over the fuel fillers have tiny cast numbers moulded on. The rear hull has a nice etch basket – not the simple platform seen on many restored M24s that was a post-war feature. Two photo etch hooks are add to the rear hull under the basket. These are for a long crow-bar which would be secured with straps. These are missing. Also on the rear hull is the option of fitting flotation mounts. These were missing on tanks built up to October 1944 when they were introduced on the 713th tank built by Cadillac. The front mounts were introduced in November 1944 on tank 1101. The front mounts are not included in the kit. Both front and rear mounts were introduced on tanks built by Massey-Harris from chassis 250 from January 1945. This limits the model to one built before November 1944 by Cadillac - or a Massey-Harris tank built before January 1945 which would not have any rear mounts.
In Step 19 we are introduced to the tracks. Here we have no alternative as no vinyl tracks are supplied. Instead, we have slide-moulded links in sprues with twelve links each. Each has three attachment points but careful work with a sharp blade will see them separated cleanly. Then it is a simple matter of clipping them together with a tiny bit of pressure for a fairly secure hold. The precision of the fit is quite impressive and the instructions recommend no glue, so Bronco seem confident they will hold. However, to be safe, I would glue them once they are in place. The instructions recommend 72-73 links per side, so there are plenty to spare.
The mudguards are then added in Steps 20 and 23. The track guards have their supports moulded in place and all are commendably thin. Side skirts can be added. If not, then photo-etch side skirt supports are supplied which fix to the track guard edges. Once these are built up, it will probably be best to leave the track guards off until painting is completed if you have already added the tracks. Leaving them off will also give you better access to the hull for the next steps - Steps 21 and 22 - which show you how to mount the tools on the hull sides. The tools are all moulded without straps and very clear CAD drawings are provided to show the routing of the photo-etch straps and brackets around the tools.
Step 24 is the final stage of the hull build. Here we have to add three etched tow cable mounts which are strange spiral affairs that will have to be wrapped around a suitable rod of the correct diameter to form them. The tow cable is a piece of nylon string but the eyes have to be drilled to attach them to the string. It’s a shame these were not slide-moulded as they are very narrow and will be near impossible to drill out cleanly. The instructions also don’t tell you how long the tow cable should be.
We start on the turret construction at Step 25 which details how to build the recoil guard and the base of the turret. Step 26 is the main armament which includes a plastic slide-moulded spring – a little unnecessary as this kit is definitely not a toy. The slide-mould barrel has rifling inside and two rings around the barrel, typical of the early barrel adapted from the Mitchell’s armament. The breech is also slide-moulded and could be modelled open or closed, though this is not called out in the instructions. The following steps (27-32) take us through many detail steps building up turret equipment such as the manual traverse mechanism, the hydraulic traverse mechanism, a very complex little gunner’s sight, the co-axial .30 calibre MG, crew seats and a strange option of using an SCR 508 radio or a British No.19 set which shouldn’t even be shown in the instructions for a US Army machine.
Not being over familiar with the M24’s interior, I did wonder if there should be a turret basket of some kind, so I asked my helpful contact, Michael Lembo. “As with 76 mm Shermans and the Pershing, the gunner and commander should be seated or the commander can lower his seat down the post and stand on the folded seat back. There is also a pad on the turret ring behind the commander’s seat so he can keep the seat lowered and still sit down onto the turret ring to stay inside the turret. The loader can stay up on his seat attached to the turret ring, but since the ammunition is all under the floor, he would more likely be standing on the fighting compartment floor on the right side of the turret and have to walk around following the gun breech. The loader would have to constantly be aware of where the gun is and which way it is moving to keep from getting hit by the recoil guard or the turret motor suspended under the front of the turret when he is taking ammo from the floor stowage. All turret crewmen would have to keep their legs and feet clear of the hull walls so they don’t get snagged by the ammo can stowage racks, air cleaners, etc. that stick out from the hull walls. The driver and hull gunner are forward enough of the turret to be safe most of the time, but would have to be sure the gunner is not about to traverse if they are crawling up into the turret. I’m sure there were plenty of accidents, but today’s ‘safer’ tanks can still do the same thing. I almost lost a foot to an M60A3 turret about fifteen years ago and I have seen M1’s take their toll as well.”
We meet the contentious turret top in Step 33 (see Bone of contention above). The wartime version depicted here did not have a splash guard around the ventilator dome. This was a post-war addition. This is called out in the instructions and has to be cut off. For accuracy, also shave off the weld line to the right of the ventilator, as discussed above. This step has parts for the fittings and a deflector guard for the .50 calibre MG when it was stowed on the right turret side. I have never seen wartime photos of the gun stowed as it was always mounted on the roof tripod ready for action. The observation hatch on this side of the turret can also be modelled open or closed as can the roof-mounted smoke launcher.
The aforementioned .50 calibre machine gun and its tripod are dealt with in Step 34. The tripod itself is eight parts and the body of the gun is slide moulded so the cooling holes are open, though one row of holes on my example has flash over them (easily cleaned). The barrel slides inside as per the real thing. The barrel handle is an etch part with its perforated collar needing to be bent around the barrel. Nicely done. The loader’s hatch has latches top and bottom. The turret stowage box has fine photo etch to be added to the latch and a tie down on the right side of the box. It’s a shame this tiny detail wasn’t moulded on the side like the other tie downs in the kit. A very minor point though.
Step 36 is the commander’s cupola which is a very nice piece indeed. Vision blocks are supplied as separate transparent parts which are slid into place. I suggest using PVA glue to fix these to prevent fogging. The hatch itself is two parts – a ring with very fine teeth and the rotating top. A transparent periscope is provided. There are casting numbers on both sides of the hatch and on the base.
Step 37 shows us how to build the .50 calibre ammunition box from six individual sides! This then goes inside a photo etch tray which will be topped off with a photo etch top. There is no ammunition feed into the gun with this option. If you don’t want all this fuss, there is a one-piece plastic ammunition box complete in its tray and it even has an ammo feed into the gun (part F71). Strangely this is not mentioned in the instructions!
Steps 38 and 39 are the final assembly stages of the turret bringing the two halves together and adding lifting rings and the aerial. A personal gripe of mine to all model companies - not just Bronco - is that aerial mounts should have holes (or at least guide dimples) moulded in to avoid having to drill a tiny hole to glue the aerial itself in - and possibly damaging the mount when the drill slips. Also, they never tell us the length of the aerial. They go to so much research to produce a fantastic kit and don’t give us a simple piece of information.
Step 40 has a milk churn. What you are supposed to do with this vital piece of equipment, I don’t know. It is slide-moulded, however! You can also build five more .50 calibre ammunition boxes and six jerrycans (which have optional plastic or etch latches). There are no suggestions in the instructions about how to stow these (or the bags and rolls on sprue Ga and ammunition boxes on sprue Ge), so consult your references. It is nice to have them and not have to source them from elsewhere.
Step 41 is a simple step of adding the turret to the hull and adding the tow cable. There are no suggestions about how the tow cable should be lashed down apart from looking carefully at the marking profiles or the excellent box-top painting. On the glacis plate and the hull rear are L-shaped hooks (part Ga17). From checking period photos, not all M24s seem to have them. Maybe one factory added them and the other didn’t. I’m not sure. The same period photos show those without them using conventional means of a U-bolt attaching the cable eyes to the tow shackles. Those with the hooks seem to have the cable ends strapped firmly in place.
The best person to solve this query was Michael Lembo again. “The L-shaped hooks should be on ALL M24s. The tank I am restoring has them but it is possible some may not have. The stowage position for the cable changed when the flotation mounts were added. On the early tanks that have no front flotation mounts, the cable passed under the L-hook and then went through a semi-circular cut in the lower glacis plate down to the front tow hook. The tanks with front flotation mounts don’t have the cut-out in the lower glacis, so the cable was curved back up the upper glacis plate inboard of the left headlight after passing under the L-hook and was then strapped to a large footman loop forward of the driver’s hatch. Period photos show that the crews did not always follow this procedure. Sometimes the cable is just laying on the glacis which may account for some tanks looking like they don’t have the hook.” Check your references. The final step 42 is a line illustration of the completed model.
Finally, the instructions take us to the crew. I asked my friend Martyn Smith to look at these and his review of the crew appears at the end.
Decal options cover three alternatives all in olive drab:
Company D, 36th Tank battalion, 8th Armoured Division, Rheinberg, Germany, March 1945 with no side skirts;
81st Reconnaissance Squadron, 1st Armoured Division, northern Italy, March 1945;
37th Armoured Battalion, 4th Armoured Division, north-west Europe, March 1945. This has a bridge classification circle on the lower hull that seems to have a very bright hue of orange. I’m not sure if this correct?
The Competition
Quite honestly, there is none! This is a very, very fine model of a tank that has been neglected for nearly thirty years. Granted, the Italeri model has been available as a post-war version (and later rehashed as a wartime version), but though it was good for its time, it cannot hold a candle to this brilliant piece of modern plastic engineering. Just out of interest, I offered up the Italeri hull top to the Bronco hull bottom and they matched up perfectly - apart from a two millimetre difference in length of the glacis plate. The turrets are also a very close match, so the Italeri kit was very good dimensionally. However, moulding techniques have overtaken it and the Bronco kit is much crisper with far more detail. AFV Club have announced their own M24, but who knows how long we will have to wait for this?
Conclusions
A very fine model indeed is all I can say. Apart from the turret problem and some very minor gripes, I cannot fault this kit. I have to admit it has always been one of my favourite machines so I am very happy indeed to see a modern plastic kit of this machine.
The Bronco M24 is not a shake-the-box kit. It is a model for the more experienced builder. However, it is not so complex that it will put off any competent builder. Take your time, and you will be well rewarded with the result. It is extremely well detailed including very fine casting marks on many parts. It offers some of the best moulding I’ve ever seen with things like track guard mounts, side skirts and the track guards themselves which are very thin and close to scale thickness. All of the rear deck panels and the glacis transmission plate are separate parts making things easy for after market people to come up with different interior sets. The kit has open hatches, all of which have interior details. The sprockets and idlers have lightening holds moulded in. There are many other nice touches, as already detailed above. However, there are some toy-like options such as a recoiling gun and workable torsion bars. This kit includes a Dragon-supplied US tank crew set.
I can almost forgive Bronco for their mistake with the turret. To make amends and to prove that some companies take notice of what is said on internet forums, Bronco have now released a British version with a corrected turret. A separate turret can also be acquired for those who have bought the original kit. See here: www.track-link.net/forum/news_industry/23365
Bronco have now released a British version of the Chaffee, and this has the corrected turret included. Apparently, the US version is also now being shipped with the revised turret, so good news all around and thank you to Bronco for listening to us modellers.
A revised wartime turret will also be available soon from Tiger Models.
References
Hunnicut Stuart
Osprey New Vanguard No.77 Chaffee 1943-85
Squadron Walkaround No.14 M24
Squadron Armor no.25 M24 Chaffee in Action
WWP M24 in Detail
US Tank Battles in Germany 44-45 Concord 7046
US Light Tanks at War 1941-45 Concord 7038
Allied Axis 15
www.primeportal.net/tanks/m24_chaffee.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M24_Chaffee
afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m24chaffee.html
The crew figures (reviewed by Martyn Smith)
It is still common from some manufacturers to produce AFV kits without any crew at all, so it is a refreshing change to see this kit supplied with a crew of five figures. When I say five figures, there are actually two half figures for the driver and assistant driver (or loader) and three full figures representing a tank commander and two dismounted tank troops.
The figures themselves originate from Dragon as are their kit# 6054 US Tank Crew (NW Europe 1944). Based on the box I have stashed in my attic, they were first released in 1996.
The figures are as follows:
Poses
Figure A: this figure is depicted wearing the OD Herringbone Twill Trousers or HBT’s, with gaiters or ‘Leggings, Canvas, Dismounted, M1938’ to give them their official title. These were standard wear for most US troops though I’m not sure how much they would have been worn by tankers. The figure is wearing the second pattern (from 1942) Jacket, Combat, Winter or ‘Tankers Jacket’ which was worn all year around and is finished off with the fibre and leather Tankers Helmet introduced in 1938. This has the distinctive ventilation holes and ear flaps with integral headphones, which are supplied as separate pieces. Provided as a separate parts are the M1944 Goggles.
Note – you will have to cut the pistol grip from the separate Colt Automatic to fit his hands which is fairly easy by the looks of it. He is further equipped with a model 1916 holster for the Colt .45, and ammo (Pocket, Magazine, Web, M1923) and first-aid (Pouch, First Aid Packet, M1942) pouches.
Figure B: this figure is portrayed wearing the Tanker Overalls or ‘Trousers, Combat, Winter’ with the high bib front over his Tankers Jacket. This is again the second pattern version with the stud closure bottoms, as opposed to the early drawstrings. He is depicted with a radio handset which is provided as a separate item. This will need trimming to fit his hand. He is wearing an M1 helmet over his Tankers Helmet and a M7 shoulder holster with Colt .45 and comes with separate, nicely moulded, binoculars.
Figure C: this figure is wearing his Tankers Jacket over his Tanker Overalls and is walking carrying a fuel can. This can is good but there are better ones provided in the M24 kit parts so I would swap this with one from the tanks accessories. Note that you will have to remove the centre bar from the fuel cans handles to fit his hand. A nice feature is the jacket which is shown open most of the way down the front. This is portrayed using multiple parts.
He is topped off with the Tankers Helmet and is carrying a very nicely done M3A1 Grease Gun. This comes with a separate stock and is very finely moulded, so care will be needed removing this from the sprue especially where the sprue meets the top of the barrel. It’s difficult to remove the weapon without bending the fragile barrel.
Figure D: this figure represents an assistant driver, loader or other crew member. Supplied as a half figure, he’s only useable leaning out of the vehicles hatches. Simple in construction, the figure is depicted wearing the Tankers Jacket and ‘Helmet, Combat, Winter’ which, unlike the name suggests, was a cloth hood/toque affair which fastened under the neck and was designed to provide extra warmth. It was introduced in 1941 and could be worn under the normal Tankers Helmet above.
Figure E: another half figure this one represents a driver holding onto his steering levers. He is dressed similarly to the figure above apart for the headgear which is the Tankers Helmet with M1938 Resistal tanker goggles.
The figures
The figures (standing) measure at around 52 mm which equates to a rather tall 5’11” or six foot figure. They also look rather bulky even allowing for the winter clothing. Bearing in mind the average US combat soldier during the war was around 5’8” tall; 144 pounds in weight; with a 33 inch chest measurement I think these figures are generally a little oversized.
The figures are of the usual multi-pose construction. I did build two figures to test the fit (B & C) and this was fairly good with just a few tiny gaps to fill. I think that if I had used my usual method of using liquid poly to soften the plastic before pressing together and cutting off/brushing over the resulting bead of styrene, this would have been much better. I couldn’t get a good fit of figure C’s open jacket. The collars/lapels of the jacket come in two parts which just didn’t fit correctly. However, with a little extra work the end result is great IMO.
Quality is pretty good being well moulded with just a few minor seams lines to get rid of, and a little flash. There are a few minor cooling lines marring the figures mainly on the torso but they’re not bad considering the kit is 17 years old? All the details look accurate. The jackets have the ribbing, zips, etc. well represented. Creases and folds fall naturally. The M3A1 Grease Gun is excellent and the other equipment is appropriate and well done. The faces are OK. They look a little bland apart from figure D which is quite good. I didn’t try out the multipart helmet and earflap arrangement, so I would test fit these first in case the figure’s ears need trimming so the flaps will fit. You will need to add the wiring for the commander’s radio handset and also wiring for the helmets, even on the dismounted figures (just a short trailing wire for these, from the earphones). The goggles would have been nicer in clear styrene, but I am being pretty picky here I think.
Everything for me points towards later war use for the figures, certainly from 1942 onwards. The clothing is predominantly for winter use (certainly the colder months), mainly for training settings in the UK or the winter of 1944/45 in north west Europe (maybe Italy too).
The figures have rank and divisional insignia moulded on which is a good idea, but for those who don’t want to paint these tiny parts Bronco have supplied a very nice set of decals – two rank badges and five sleeve patches for armoured troops. They are a little glossy but in perfect register. They’ll just need a matt coat to dull them down. However, they are a little bizarre as under the magnifying glass they are all numbered differently (1–5 and I’m sure the 1st Armoured didn’t fight in Europe with the other four?). Surely the figures would all have the same divisional insignia? The quality is excellent though and due to the tiny size maybe I’m being very picky? Just slice off the moulded insignia before fitting the decals.
Conclusion
Despite the age and a few shortcomings, this is a very useful set of figures. There are not many US tank crew figures available in styrene. It will be interesting to see how MiniArt’s impending US crew figures fair in comparison. Construction is a little more difficult than normal due to certain features like providing collars and lapels as separate pieces, but with a little work this does add to the overall finish. The faces are a little bland and devoid of expression but are acceptable. The decals are a great inclusion to the kit.
Overall, pretty good for an older set of figures and a very useful inclusion to Bronco’s M24, and they should be taken for what they are … a real bonus to the kit.
References
World Army Uniforms Since 1939: Mollo, McGregor, Smith and Chappell, Blandford Press 1981
The American Soldier (US Armies in Uniform 1755 to the Present): Phillip Karcher, Osprey Publishing 1990
Olive Drab website: olive-drab.com
