Cadillac Gage M41 Walker Bulldog Light Tank

The piece is molded in two different colors. The turret and the upper chassis are molded in the original olive drab color that the series one release saw. The lower half of the chassis and the interior supports for the turret are all molded in a dull white. Each has had the opposite color added to give a uniform look. The overall appearance is a dull shade of white generously applied over the original olive drab color that we can only imagine is hidden underneath. I suppose this was a paint scheme that was applied to the tanks in cold environments that has also mixed in with the natural camouflage that came from the snow and the ice. The effect is a nice and it does give the tank a very cold appearance.

The add on pieces, like the spare tracks and the gas cans attached to the turret, have a speckled white paint applied to them. The .50 cal gun is given a metalized look and the ammo leading to the gun from the “can” is fully painted. Neither the gun or the ammo can is painted any different on this release than the series one version and look as if they might have been taken directly off the original release. The gun mount is the only thing colored to match this version of the tank.

21st Century isn’t big on weathering their vehicles. They never have been. When they do try and weather a vehicle the paint is usually rushed on and the term “sparingly” is probably a liberal term. Other than the “winterized” camouflage, which can be argued as being a deliberate painted on effect or an environmental affect is about it for this piece. The edges of each hull plate seem to maintain some of their original olive drab coloring around the edges, and the centers tend to have the white gathered together. There is some light scratching on the tip of the main gun’s barrel and some light “burns” on the side of the turret. The weathering process however is most evident in the interior where a hefty, poorly done, addition of “mud and dirt” has been applied to give the tank interior a used feeling.

The painters did, however, forget a tiny detail. None of the periscopes or Commander’s viewing ports have any paint to indicate that they might be made of glass. Of course, the argument could be made that they are in the closed position, but the glass would go a long way towards breaking up the muted paint job of the tank. White, painted on markings round out the details.

This tank is probably the most visually interesting no matter how you want to slice what you may or may not consider weathering. The two tone is very interesting and probably one of the most realistic paintings on any of 21st Century Toy’s offerings. The paint effect is very subtle, which is something 21st Century Toys never seemed to get a hold of throughout its entire existence.

If 21st Century Toys was still around, this is where they would begin to hide their eyes while reading our reviews. 21st Century doesn’t have a good reputation with quality construction to say the least. Most of the time parts can be found floating freely in the box, or they will break off if looked at in the wrong manner. I’ve had pieces that won’t stay in place and parts that won’t hold together. I’ve even had parts that weren’t even present when I opened the box, but this is all status quo for 21st Century Toys. Collector’s blame everyone else for 21st Century’s demise, but at the end, it was only their fault. Quality control was one of the top concerns on a laundry list of bad business decisions.

Despite all these concerns the Walker Bulldog holds up surprisingly well. Again, this tank is a real anomaly amongst all of 21st Century Toy’s offerings. The only piece that I’ve lost is a single antenna that was broken off in a move, which is an extraneous circumstance. If I had not moved, the piece would still be on their without a problem.

As I’ve mentioned the handles on all the hatches hold up very well and are strong and sturdy. On a normal 21st Century model these pieces would be made of extra brittle plastic and break upon first touch, but they have endured much play, even by my seven year old son.

The one fault of my tank is that there is little reinforcement on the front of the turret, around the main gun hinge. When tilted too far the gun will pry the two separate turret sections apart, creating a gap. This has to be deliberate action though, but someone who isn’t paying attention may not realize what is going on and may cause damage or release some of the tension on the hinge and cause the barrel to droop over time.

The tracks on my Walker Bulldog move very smoothly and don’t get caught and jump off the rear sprockets. This is a common problem with my Patton tank that can be very frustrating when messing around with it, or when my son is playing with it.

The pack in figure is a first series World War II tanker figure. The tank entered service right at the end of the Korean war, so the World War II styling of the figure would be accurate. As with most of the first series of figures, this figure uses the older articulation style that utilizes the swivel elbow and knee joints. Don’t expect to get many more poses than standing or kneeling.

The tank has a date stamp of 2001, which is close to the beginning of 21st Century’s start, so the Bulldog is one of the first pieces made by the company, but this is the second release. I’m not sure when this version was released, but I will assume that this was the only style of figure 21st Century had at the time. Over the years their articulation has much improved and there are numerous figures with a great amount of articulation available separately.

The sculpt on the figure is fairly good, but the weakness is definitely the facial details. That is common on the first series figures. Most of them look like the same person. The helmet is molded onto the head as well, another problem remedied later down the road by 21st Century.

The figure comes with a holster, a pistol, and a display stand. The pistol has a brown handle much like the real M1911 Colt pistol. The holster is a static pieces and doesn’t open to hold the loose M1911, so don’t lose it. The holster fits into one of the holes on the side of the figure. There are three holes to choose from, but the most obvious is on the right thigh. The mainline release of this figure included numerous accessories that are not included with this figure that would utilize the other holes, such as pouches and knives.

The paint apps on the figure are very nice, but the skin tone isn’t 100% here. Skin tone is something 21st Century struggled with throughout it’s existence, but it is not as bad as the German tanker from the Tiger tank. There is a bit of subtle weathering in the folds of the jacket. The belt and zippers are all detailed, and the face is very cleanly applied with no google eyes.