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Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
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M24 Chaffee
DAKjunkie
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Joined: June 10, 2017
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Posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 11:19 AM UTC
Father in Law served in F tropo (no joke) of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in WWII. Wounded in a Chaffee, late '44. Was in VII Corps; First Army. What división would this be in? Which Combat Command? Want to build a replica of the Chaffee. Any links to kits Tamiya, AFV club? and opinión as to best? Were there different modelo of the Chaffee and if so, which one would have been in Europe at the end of '44. Father in law deceased so I cannot ask him.
Biggles2
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Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
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Posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 11:33 AM UTC
Even if you're just a little experienced in model-building, and like kits with lots of detail (and lots of parts!), get this one:
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/bronco-cb35069-light-tank-m-24-chaffee--131099
If it looks a little too daunting, go for the much older Italeri one. But it will be a disappointment, and a not-so-good model. This one:
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/italeri-6502-m24-chaffee--134656
There's also this one from AFV:
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/afv-club-af35054-us-wwii-m24-chaffee-light-tank--472473
DocEvan
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California, United States
Joined: August 09, 2014
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Posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 12:37 PM UTC
The 4th Cav was a separate armored cavalry regiment. They performed recon duties as Corp level assets, but could be attached, in part or in whole, to individual divisions.

Have you seen this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Cavalry_Regiment_(United_States)#World_War_II




Quoted Text

Father in Law served in F tropo (no joke) of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in WWII. Wounded in a Chaffee, late '44. Was in VII Corps; First Army. What división would this be in? Which Combat Command? Want to build a replica of the Chaffee. Any links to kits Tamiya, AFV club? and opinión as to best? Were there different modelo of the Chaffee and if so, which one would have been in Europe at the end of '44. Father in law deceased so I cannot ask him.

Belt_Fed
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Joined: February 02, 2008
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Posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 02:36 PM UTC
The Tamiya and Italeri kits are very old. That said, there isn't a really good option if ease-of-build is your goal. Having built both the Bronco and AFV club offerings, it's a tossup. Neither are easy kits to build, but the AFV club is a bit easier. The details aren't as crisp in it, and the tracks are terrible. I wasn't able to get the kinks out of them. They both have overly complicated, delicate, and stupid workable suspensions, which mean there is no way to set the ride height correctly. The Bronco tracks are excellently detailed, but do not hold together. The AFV club kit is allegedly more accurate dimensionally.

So: if you want something that looks like a Chaffer and is easy to build (and is cheap) get the Tamiya or Italeri
If you want the most accurate dimensionally, don't mind replacing the tracks, are okay with shimming and trimming parts: AFV Club
If you want the best detailed, will test fit basically everything, are super patient. And willing to deal with ultra tiny suspension parts, and can deal with plastic tracks coming apart all the time: Bronco.

If I had to build another Chaffer kit, it would be the Bronco. The detail really is just that good.


deltab200
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Alabama, United States
Joined: March 14, 2012
KitMaker: 3 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - 04:17 PM UTC
You can always order metal tracks from Fruilmodel. Here's the website: http://www.friulmodel.hu/en/

The part number for the Chaffee tracks is ATL-39. Fruilmodel is in Hungary, so an order takes about 2 weeks to receive them. A set of tracks is rather pricey (about $30.00), but these tracks are much better than any of the tracks included in any kit from any manufacturer.
DAKjunkie
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Posted: Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 09:24 AM UTC
Thank you very much, this is great info and just what I was looking for.
DAKjunkie
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Posted: Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 09:29 AM UTC
Thank you. This is great info and just what I was/am looking for.
Jack M.
DAKjunkie
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Posted: Sunday, December 22, 2019 - 06:03 AM UTC
This has been great information about the M24 Chaffee and the 4th Cavalry. Now if I am to build a replica, what to do about markings.
More specifically, any sources for markings for "F" troop, and registration numbers? Looking at the aftermarket products on Scalemates, I'm not seeing anything for troop markings, but maybe they didn't use them. I have not checked any of the reference works mentioned on scalemates so if you have any information at to which might best cover this question, please let me know. Thank you all once again
Johnnych01
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: June 29, 2019
KitMaker: 604 posts
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Posted: Sunday, December 22, 2019 - 07:42 AM UTC
Hey Jack, seasons greetings and great idea for a build .. if you're interested I am running a campaign build called Golden Memories which starts 01 Jan 2020 for people to build a model with a family or friend link or that they have seeved on.... you woukd be a welcome addition if you fancy enlisting into it... John
DAKjunkie
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Posted: Monday, December 23, 2019 - 01:30 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Jack, seasons greetings and great idea for a build .. if you're interested I am running a campaign build called Golden Memories which starts 01 Jan 2020 for people to build a model with a family or friend link or that they have seeved on.... you woukd be a welcome addition if you fancy enlisting into it... John



Thanks, I will keep it in mind. Several trips coming this winter and spring will limit my time to model until May.
Jack M.
Johnnych01
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: June 29, 2019
KitMaker: 604 posts
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Posted: Monday, December 23, 2019 - 03:35 AM UTC
Cool, well its a 12 month campaign so keep it in mind. Have good safe xmas.
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