Paul Heiser Models makes an excellent M24 Chaffee US Army light tank. These tanks were introduced into combat about the time of the Battle of the Bulge. Teams had to take them around to American units and introduce these tanks to US Army troops because with the streamlined turret shape and torsion bar suspension they looked like many to be German tanks!
The model in front here is the Roco Minitanks M41 Walker Bulldog. This light tank was intended to replace the M24 Chaffee and entered service at the beginning of the Korean War. While both tanks look similar, it is clear the M41 is larger, has a much longer barrel and a much larger turret. Compared to the medium tanks of it's time the M41 is rather small, as medium tanks had grown significantly in size.
M41 tanks were featured in several episodes of the TV show Combat! as both American and German tanks and were also used in the movie The Battle of the Bulge.
Both of these tanks were fast, light weight and served for decades in armies all over the world. The M24 was popular in many Godzilla movies and many did serve in the JSDF. Many of these two tanks were highly modified with new engines, new guns, and may even be in reserve war stocks someplace today.
Back in olden times people would make conversions of the Roco M41 into M24 Chaffee tanks by trimming down the barrel and cutting down the length of the turret bustle. These were never very satisfactory conversions and as you can see the Paul Heiser Model is an excellent kit and much better than any conversion is likely to be. Both of these models are in HO 1/87th scale.
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