The M24 Chaffee was a U.S. light tank replacement for the M5 Stuart. Deployed late in World War II, it went on to see action in Korea. There have been many 1/35 scale kits of the M24, but this all-new kit from Tamiya offers state of the art engineering that makes it a great choice if you want to add an M24 to your collection.
Tamiya has taken its excellent engineering up a notch with this release, making changes from typical armor kits to help modelers fit and align parts properly. Following the instructions, you’ll build the lower hull and suspension first. The lower hull plates fit perfectly with alignment tabs. Of note is the clever engineering for the single photo-etched metal (PE) part in the kit. Not only does Tamiya provide a bending jig to form the wire rack correctly, but the part fits into slots in the hull plate that ensures correct alignment. And it doesn’t require glue — brilliant!
For the link-and-length tracks, Tamiya has precisely placed slots in the rear-most road wheel for the bottom track runs. Following the sequence in the instructions, I found the tracks easy to install with excellent fits. The only thing I noticed is the bend in the top run of the tracks to simulate the slight track sag on the return rollers seems to be a bit off. The track pieces fit into place correctly, so this could have been my mistake in positioning the tracks. Watch for it and adjust before the glue is dry. If you install the sand shields, the sag will be hidden.
On the upper hull, it took a good deal of glue and several minutes holding the sand shields in place to get a consistent gap where they attach to the fenders. I ended up going back over this seam with a hobby knife and razor saw a few times to clean it up and make it more consistent.
While I applaud Tamiya for making this kit easy to build, I found the pioneer tools for the side of the hull oversimplified. Molding several tools together in a single piece eases building, but I spent time with a hobby knife carving the parts to create better definition and a more realistic look. Another area where detail could be more scale accurate would be the inclusion of PE parts for the brush guards on the front of the hull. The plastic parts fit well, but are exceedingly thick for the scale. Remember, there are always trade-offs between detail, ease of build, and kit cost. Tamiya has gone for ease of build and affordability. The aftermarket is sure to offer plenty of scale detail options.
One of the engineering improvements I noted are extra long locators on some parts, like lifting loops. This makes them easier to handle for part cleaning and easier to place on the model. Tamiya has included long pins in the lower hull that fit into holes in the upper hull for a stable and well-aligned fit.
The turret fits together without difficulty. With the figures in the open hatches, there is just enough detail in the turret for any part of the interior you would be able to see. If you display your build with the figures, you will need to remove some slight ejector-pin marks on both turret hatches. A little work with a hobby knife and flexible sandpaper will take care of these.
Tamiya provides only references to its acrylic colors in the instructions’ detailed paint call outs. For the overall olive drab paint scheme, references for Tamiya acrylic, lacquer, and spray paints are provided. I used the acrylic colors. The decals went down well over a coat of Tamiya Clear. I did cut the large U.S. insignias at the bottom portion of the decal where it folds under the hull so I could get it to settle in place.
Tamiya’s figures in its most recent releases have good detail and are a welcome addition for those who like to add figures to their builds. The crew figures in this kit are no exception, with sharp details overall, and they fit well into their turret positions. I left off the binoculars and goggles because there are no straps molded into the parts for them. You could easily make straps if you use these details. I painted the figures with acrylics and placed them in their respective positions, where they add a nice sense of scale and human interaction with the vehicle.
Tamiya’s new 1/35 scale M24 Chaffee plastic model kit demonstrates great engineering to ensure an easy and quick build. The simplification of some parts may send some modelers to the aftermarket for updated details, but it also keeps this model accessible for novice builders. Even if you are inclined to seek out updated details, this kit is a hassle-free build on which to improve. I would recommend this M24 to builders at any skill level. Even if it is your first attempt at an armor model, this kit would be great place to start.