M42 Duster

This is the really old Tamiya kit with all of the battery & motor fittings in the lower hull.  Since I am going to screw it down to the base and groundwork, I didn't bother to fill all the openings.

The kit lacked a lot of detail based on the photos I researched on line. I packed it with stowage and made some minor corrections.  The ammo provided in the kit was way undersized.  I went to my supply rack and found more suitable substitutions.

 I decided to do this as the US Vietnam version, though I was confused on several details.  I found what I believe were early war photos where there were no flash suppressors.  I found what I think were post VN versions with a wire bracket around the flash suppressors.

Each vehicle had its own personality as well as a name in most cases. I did use the decals in the kit, though I did find actual photos of this subject online with a different personality.

The mud was a concoction of my dried out air brush sludge mixed with some Burnt Umber oil paint.  The sludge had dried to chunks which I ground down into powder. This worked out great under and behind the road wheels in the lower hull.

Vince B July 10.