Just finished the build phase on Tamiya’s 1/35 M24 Chaffee. Great kit — clean fit, no major issues throughout the assembly.
Added a few scratch modifications before moving to paint:
Full build on YouTube:
That tank crew figure is amazing considering it is Tamiya! Looks better than some resin figures I have.
Thank you! 
Tamiya really stepped up with this one — the figure detail is surprisingly good straight out of the box. Rendered it in black and white to keep the focus on the tank, but it deserved a proper color paint job honestly!
Following up on my build post — here’s the paint and weathering stage.
Painted with Tamiya acrylics, starting with a shadow coat of XF-85 Rubber Black, then base color using XF-62 Olive Drab and XF-49 Khaki at 7:3. Decals applied with Mark Fit and Mark Softer.
For weathering: AK Interactive pigments on the tracks and wheels, fixed with odorless enamel thinner. Panel line wash with AK Dark Streaking Grime and Dark Brown Wash. Sponge chipping, then oil dotting with AMMO Oilbrushers to add depth.
The figure was rendered in black and white to keep the focus on the tank.
Full process on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHKQgOMxKss
Seeing the Tamiya Chafee makes me want to run out and buy one! I have the Bronco kit but it has about 1000 parts - I really don’t want to spend 6 months on a build with tiny parts anymore. The Italeri Chafee just isn’t worth it!
BTW, does this kit come with clear parts for the commander’s episcopes?
Ha, I completely understand — once you build a Tamiya kit it’s hard to go back to anything complicated! The Italeri kit really can’t compare.
And yes, the kit does include clear parts for the commander’s episcopes — nice touch from Tamiya! I didn’t end up using them myself though.
