Tamiya- 1/35 US Light Tank M24 Chaffee European Theater

History

The M24 Chaffee was a much needed late-war replacement for the M3/M5 Stuart light tank with much improved designs for crew survivability and offensive capability. Formally adopted in 1944, it featured a torsion bar suspension and sloped armor on the hull and turret. The heavier M3 75mm gun was replaced with a more lightweight M5 75mm which was originally developed to equip the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. It carried a crew of 4- commander, gunner, driver, and assistant driver and was powered by two eight-cylinder, 90 degrees V-type liquid-cooled Cadillac engines. It entered service in the winter of 1944 in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge, and saw service in Italy and throughout the war as the Allies crept into Germany. Post-war, it saw service for years- including action in the Korean and Indochina Wars.

What's Inside

This much anticipated newly tooled Chaffee is labeled as European Theater which may mean there are plans to release other versions in the future? Time will tell...

In the meantime, we get a nicely molded kit with some great detail. Most ejection pin marks are hidden on inner surfaces-- and if you use the scheme options for A or C, the sand shields will hide them on the undersurfaces of the track guards and fenders. There is a pair of them on each individual track link and they are instances along the length pieces but they are very shallow and easily fixed with a quick dab of Mr. Surfacer and a swipe from a sanding stick. The included olive green sprues are as follows:

Sprue A (x2) includes parts for the link and length tracks, road wheels, multi-part sprocket and idler wheels, return rollers, grab handles and lifting rings, headlights, final drive covers, bump stops, and some suspension parts. The parts to attach the sand shields to are slide molded.

Sprue B features the main top hull piece and sides, rear lights and parts, fuel filler caps, pioneer tools, front hull hatch, and hull-mounted .30 caliber machine gun (which is not slide molded).

Sprue C contains most of the lower hull parts to assemble, a pair of suspension arms, light guards, tow hook, and a jig that allows you to fold the one PE part in the kit- the mesh rear basket rack.

Sprue D features turret and mantlet parts and hatches, coaxial .30 caliber gun, turret stowage box, AA machine gun mount, as well as interior details like the gun breech, seats, and radio. Sprue P containing the sand shields is also part of this sprue.

Sprue E contains parts for machine gun ammo boxes, spare tracks, tow cable, front panel, track guards and fenders, slide-molded 75mm gun barrel, turret top, hatches for the driver and assistant driver, parts that represent canvas covered track connecting tools and machine gun tripods, antenna base, and parts for the two included figures of the loader and commander with helmet and binoculars.

Sprue AA includes parts for the anti-aircraft .50 caliber machine gun- the receiver end is slide molded, but the barrel is not. Decals are for the three included schemes and also include stencils for the ammo boxes and decals for the cupola periscope lenses. Clear parts include periscopes, figure goggles, and headlight lenses. The aforementioned PE wire rack is also featured in this photo.

Instructions are well laid out in 38 steps and typical for Tamiya. The separate background information insert includes a brief history, labeled drawing, and color three-way diagrams of scheme B and C and a five-way diagram of the featured box art scheme A.

• Scheme A- 81st Cavalry Recon Squadron, 1st Armored Division, Italy, April 1945
• Scheme B- Unknown Unit, Germany, January 1945
• Scheme C- 43rd Cavalry Recon Squadron, Germany, March 1945

Conclusion

This looks to be another knock-out release for Tamiya. All parts look crisp and well detailed and as mentioned, sink marks are all quite shallow and hidden in the interior surfaces, but can be easily filled if desired. Figures look to be designed well- there are no decals for their badges or insignia but the folds that are molded into the torsos and arms would make them difficult to apply anyways. I am looking forward to diving into this one!

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders, pending Full Build.

Thanks goes out to Tamiya for this review kit.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

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