Little Bulldog

The M41 Walker Bulldog is an American tank that has not been represented in 1/72 scale by the plastic model companies despite its widespread use by many nations.

I have three types of diecast models of this tank. The first picture shows the War Master M41A3, and the Amercom M41A3. I believe that the Amercom model is identical to the original Altaya version, so that is how I will refer to it from this point forward.

The War Master and Altaya models are similar, but despite the superior finish on the War Master model, there are certain aspects that are better with the Altaya model. I believe that the hull of the War Master M41 is a copy of the Altaya model, but some of the surface details seem much softer.

The turret of the War Master M41 does not have the softness of the hull, and seems to be a new tool with a more accurate commander's cupola.

The most objectionable part of the War Master model however, has to be the road wheels, which are all connected to each other by plastic strips. I guess these make the model easier to manufacture on the assembly line, but they look horrible. I'm going to see if I can cut them off without damaging the model at some point in the future.

The next comparison is of a Hobby Master M41A3 (of which there are now 10 different versions) and the Altaya M41A3.

The finish of the Hobby Master model is excellent, and details like the headlight guards are not overly chunky like on the Altaya and War Master models. The downside of the Hobby Master tanks however, is that they are very expensive.

Finally, a comparison of all three tanks.

The overall dimensions are pretty much identical for length, width, and height.

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

I am always on the lookout for offbeat monsters to throw at adventurers. One of those finds came a long time ago, when I bought a bunch of cheap Dreamblade miniatures and saw the Slaughter Boots.

I was thoroughly taken by the idea of giant animated boots (or were they boots worn by an invisible giant?) that would stomp all over everything.

More recently, I found a small trading figure that bore similarity to the Slaughter Boots.

Based on the copyright information on the bottom of the figure, I was able to identify the pair of strange creatures as Hell Hoppers from the Dragon Quest games.

In the following comparison shot, the Dreamblade Slaughter Boots (Base Set #95) are on the left. On the right are the Square Enix Hell Hoppers (Dragon Quest Monsters Gallery Chapter 1, silver version).

The Slaughter Boots were cut from their base because I wanted the option of using a single boot if necessary. Magnets were installed in the heels so that they could be mounted on washers.

The Hell Hopper figures are slightly smaller than the Slaughter Boots, but I believe the actual monsters are supposed to be the size of regular boots. I like the fuzzy one-eyed creatures, and am thinking that they could be the manifestation of spirits that are animating the boots.

The only thing missing now is to find some sort of stats for them.

Dark Future

Games Workshop's short-lived post-apocalyptic Road Warrior/Car Wars-based game was released around 1988, and set in the year 1995. What made this game of interest to me was that the miniatures were stated to be 20mm, as opposed to their usual 28mm. The miniatures have been particularly difficult to find at a reasonable price, but there has been a slew of them on eBay recently, so I was finally able to obtain some examples.

From left to right are first release figures DF600108, DF600113, DF600114, and DF600117.

From left to right are first release figures DF600121, DF600127, DF600128, and a second release figure DF600148.

The figures are obviously dated with their 80s Glam Rock hairstyles, but they're otherwise good solid sculpts produced by Alan Perry.

The female figures in their heels are taller than their male counterparts, and look fine compared to George. The male figures are on the short, stocky side, but are otherwise okay. I will probably have some of them undergo height enhancement surgery though.

I doubt that I will complete this range of miniatures. A small sampling of figures is probably enough, unless I see them at a ridiculously low price. I'm still looking for some of the motorcycles at a price that is reasonable to me, but the design of the cars are a little too much Hot Wheels, and not enough Road Warrior/Fury Road for my tastes.