So I don’t want to thread-jack any of the current M551 related topics to resolve a question I have. So I’ll ask it here. I have a 1/35 Tamiya M551 Sheridan in my collection which I built some twenty maybe thirty years ago (or somewhere thereabouts). But when I display it next to my other U.S light tanks, it seems a bit too large. I recently did a little research and I thought I read somewhere that the old Tamiya M551 was slightly out of scale because those old Tamiya kits were designed to be motorized. Apparently, as I understand it, the hull was made slightly larger for that purpose but I can’t confirm it and I cannot find where I first read it. So, I’m coming you, in the forum world to help figure it out. If you have a Sheridan that’s offered by another manufacturer, can you tell me basic dimensions, like the length, and width of the hull? Diameter of the roadwheels? Etc.
I can’t answer with any accuracy, but I too read somewhere that it scaled out, roughly at 1/32; if true that might explain a lot. It deterred me from getting one, many years ago when they were rare, and I was so keen to get one. In a way, i wish I had, and just built it come what may. I had to wait for years until the Academy one came along, and that apparently is far from what it should be. True to my perverse nature, my build of the Academy one then stalled for what ever reason, for something like 20-odd years. I mean, what the hell (is wrong with me?)
Tamiya released a new tool M551 in 2019 so be careful to compare apples to apples.
I would take a ruler and measure the length and width of the old Tamiya M551. Multiply by 35 and compare those numbers to the length and width of the real vehicle. That will provide primary evidence without need to rely on someone’s memory.
I would not be in the least surprised if there are geometry distortions in the old kit’s hull (that lead to other distortions in other areas, like the turret, etc.) that were the result of Tamiya designing the model around one of its motorization modules and the standard batteries to run it.
I’ve never checked the M551, but I can say for certain that the Tamiya Italian M13/40 kit suffers from such accuracy distortions for that reason (even though the original was never released as an actual motorized kit - the hull interior was given the fixtures to receive those parts anyway). So, it’s completely within believability that the M551 also suffers from these same early Tamiya kit design “sins.”
I happened to have an unbuilt Tamiya kit. I sent the smoke dischargers to someone over a week and a half ago (I don’t remember whom) but haven’t heard back yet. I know our postal system can be a slow, but damn…
By the way, when determining the accuracy of a kit, it’s best to use real measurements than another kit. When people use kits as references, unhappiness usually results.
Probably manners, or lack thereof; sadly, I’ve noticed it quite a bit on this site. One offers up even information in helpful vein, and then tumblelweed. It doesn’t make me angry, more depressed.
I’ll forgive, up to a point, if one’s first language isn’t English, as it may follow that knowledge of the concomitant customs and practice are also lacking, but it’s rude and even churlish not to acknowledge other’s efforts. Anyway, to those who are guilty, you can whistle for info in the future.
“Old school, Mikey! Old school!” (taken, of course, from some episode of OCC). Switch to dial calipers, brother, the batteries never go bad. LOL!
On a side note, I’m a “shade tree” machinist from long ago, and because of that, I surf onto a lot of machine shop stuff on the interweb. I was recently watching a YouTube video, and the machinist that made it called her calipers “guess-o-meters.”
At any rate, I use and abuse my “guess-o-meters” to measure and layout just about everything!
Edro, I have the newest Tamiya kit (2019) kit on my workbench, not the ancient 50-year old one you were talking about. I will measure the kit parts tonight after work and give you the width, length dimensions.
I understand what you are saying and I should have clarified my thought process. I’m not exactly looking for accuracy, per say. I’m trying to determine if what Ive read about the old Sheridan model and what my Mark 1 eyeball is seeing is correct. I guess I could measure, and check it against a real Sheridan, (or published Sheridan measurements) but I also want to get an idea of how such a model will look against the other light tanks in my collection. My Sheridan is displayed next to my M41 Walker Bulldog and M24 Chaffee. In real life, I believe the Sheridan is roughly equivalent in size to the Walker Bulldog, but the model is equivalent in size to an M48 Patton!
I took some quick measurements, sorry, I couldn’t find my digital calipers, but it’s about 7 1/4 long by 3 3/8 wide (184mm x 86mm)
The kit’s dimensions are fairly close to the data mentioned above: 80mm x 180mm.
The lower hull length’s shortness by 4.5mm may be due to not accounting another part (D1) that goes on the top of the Tamiya kit part B.
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