Firstly: to all you in the know regarding Chieftains, you may want to pass this up. It’s kind of a “why bother?” thing, but I’m again using up partial kits and parts.
A while ago I bought a Takom Chieftain with the Marksman turret, wanting just the turret and the kit was deeply marked down at Sprue Brothers, maybe $30. I used the turret, and later scavenged a few parts of the hull for other stuff. Then watching Johnny’s superb Chieftain build recently completed got me motivated to use this leftover hull, somehow. All I needed was a turret and gun tube. As it happens, I snagged a Tamiya Chieftain at a vendor’s table and thought I had it in the bag. A little bit of basic research and I realized it was NOT in the bag but I went ahead anyway as I had tracks arrive about then and decided to just do it. So I think it’s pretty close to a Mk9, and when a sprue of Takom parts arrive from “beaddreamsllc”, my favorite eBay vendor, it will be very close to a Mk9C. I know it’s going to have faults but as usual I’m having too much fun to stop now, or “hold my beer and watch this”.
Where it is today:
IMG_4593 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_4591 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_4592 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
The back of the turret is prepped to receive the larger, late style NBC box. The rear mudguard stowage boxes are out of set of miscellaneous British stowage boxes from AA, found at a vendor’s table last month. The Takom parts will go on the turret after I get the Takom NBC housing on. Smoke dischargers are from an AFV Club M60A3 and the etch on so far is Takom. I have Eduard etch for the Tamiya kit on the way. The Takom gun tube got used elsewhere so I think I got pretty close with the Tamiya part, if a little coarse…
The rest of the turret details will come off the Takom sprues that are on the way.
I’ve found the major challenge is bringing the Tamiya parts up to the level of the Takom parts, no surprise really as there’s a light year’s difference in the kit making technology involved. Frankly, I considered just building the Tamiya kit but a quick look in the box nixed that.
So the question is: why not just buy and build a Takom kit, like a normal person? Good question, one I asked myself a couple of times. The answer is pictured above. 
Russel, very interesting build! Looking forward to following it…because it looks like fun!
Good luck with the mix and match.
Nice start Russ. will be tagging along as well 
Can’t beat a Chiefie! I’'ll certainly be watching this one.
Personally, I enjoy projects like this. Or taking an old kit & “upgrading” it with AM or scratchbuilt details. I’m thinking about picking up a Tamiya Chieftain to do just that, & be OK with it being a Mk.3 rather than the Mk.5 on the box.
Damon.
Honestly, I enjoy this kind of modeling more than straight up assembly, even of a good kit. Although every now and then it’s very pleasant to build something that’s well engineered OOB. I might do that soon. I’ve been a busy boy at the vendors tables lately.
It’s looking great.
Okay, some Takom bits showed up (more on the way), my Eduard PE got stolen from the mailbox but I don’t think I need it, and I have more Takom stuff on the way.
Interesting factoid: I was going to just put the later NBC box on the back of the turret and add the needed details on the back turret plate but the Takom part looked really close. I pried out my filler plate, and dip me in putty, it fit like it was made for it. Talk about luck, and actually kudos to Tamiya. I just had to fix the weld beads I messed up taking out my filler plate.
I had some Eduard PE for the Tamiya kit on the way, mainly for the mesh in the turret baskets but it got stolen from my mailbox (along with who knows what else) so I fudged some Takom mesh in there instead.
I have pics of various extra stowage boxes hung off the baskets and I’ll do that too, using two boxes from the Tamiya kit, two from Takom and maybe one of the resin boxes. I want to load it up.
Pics so far:
IMG_4594 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_4600 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
And a pic of one of the main reasons I wanted to build a Chieftain, those goofy big exhaust pipes…
IMG_4599 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
A two stroke opposed cylinder diesel with two crankshafts and individual, removable cylinders? Gee whiz Wally, what could go wrong…
And below, my choice of extra stowage boxes, to be mounted on the back of the turret baskets or thereabouts, as best as I can determine from pics.
IMG_4598 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
It looks to me like from the Mk10 onwards, this was fairly standardized, but I have pics of earlier Mk’s with some variation. Artistic license, anyone?
IMG_4597 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
The Clansman radio box was on the same sprue as the NBC stuff, lucky me.
IMG_4595 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I think it looks like a Mk9 C, best I can tell, so that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it (for now).
But what a beautiful screaming noise they made !!
Ref the additional bins. Usually located on the rear or sides of the turret baskets, thats about the only areas you could mount one without getting in the way of anything else.
Avoid that bid square sand coloured bin – that would be a non starter. And dont go overboard with the amount, they would normally limit the extra bins to maybe one or 2 only. There was no real need to throw on loads of extra bins as stowage wasnt a big deal.
Thanks. Where or on what might the big resin bin be appropriate? It doesn’t look familiar to me at all, and there’s two of them in the bag of bins I bought.
Maybe a bin from a 43 ? It’s the sort of size the REME would use on one of their Chieftain / Cent recovery wagons and fill it with crap… Or ten packs of Herfy
I’ll hang on to them then, thanks guys.
A two stroke opposed cylinder diesel with two crankshafts and individual, removable cylinders? Gee whiz Wally, what could go wrong…
Lots, and it did, with an alarming regularity!
The Chieftain is one of my favorite tanks Russel, there has been several very nice models of it done on this site, Johnnys etc, so I’m following here as well. Great job so far!
For those who like a bit of Chieftain morale, you might enjoy this one:
British Army: Troop-Platoon Tactics (1979)
Around 20 minutes of your life you’ll never get back but worth it just for those patrician officer tones, the Rarden-turreted FV 432s, the 7.62mm Self Loading Rifle (and bayonet), and well, those Chieftain engine noises(!)
The film uses a bit of a mix and match approach regarding footage, some of the early shots clearly show troops in green combats.
Interestingly, it shows the RAC steel helmet in use in Chieftain, which I’ve only ever seen in these training films.
Anyway, if you’re seriously bored, or waiting for glue/paint to dry - enjoy.
Pretty cool film Brian. Lots of diorama ideas. I particularly like the scene where the Troop Commander has drawn a chalk diagram on one of the side skirts of the tank for his briefing!
I need to find my earbuds…
On the topic of added storage bins and such, this pic from the Tankograd British Special #9031, page 33 is what got me all fired up to add stuff. Pic for illustrative purposes only.
IMG_4602 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
It’s captioned as a Mk 5. Two things I noticed: 1, the smoke cartridge box moved outside the right side basket, and 2, the bins of course. It looks like the Clampetts have British relatives…
If any of y’all have the same book, pg 40 has a couple of neat pics too.
Just for kicks, I have a Meng Mk 10 kit waiting for me at my favorite local retailer as well. I’m anxious to see that’s in the box, but I may have to leave it sealed until I finish this build, just 'cause I know how badly I get distracted by the next shiny object.
You and me both! Talking of shiny, I have plans for my stashed Takom Chieftain Mk 2, to be finished in gloss Deep Bronze Green. One day(!)
Keep at it Russel - great work.