After a long break, mostly because we moved but also due to a lack of time, I’m back at the bench. After looking at the projects I had in progress when I packed everything up in April, I just couldn’t get the enthusiasm back, so I cheated and pulled something else out of the stash, Academy’s Magach 7c. It’s still based on the rather old M60 kit, with new parts for all the -7c pieces, and a few small additions that should have been in their old Magach kits, like the proper drive sprocket. Anyway, so far I have the basic hull built up, largely OOB but with air filter housings from a vendor on Shapeways (forgot whose) and final drive housings from another Academy M60. I added the mud holes on the drive sprockets, I’ve added quite a few bolt heads and rivets, and done a lot of texturing on the old hull, but still trying to keep it simple. I have a set of Friuls mostly assembled, and I may yet pull out some old Legends bits for the turret, but I really don’t want to go nuts on this one, maybe famous last words…
Nah, looks like Surfacer “roughening” for that cast feel… RBaer, good to see you build again. Some time ago your builds have motivated me to add the Nagmachon to my stash - this thing has haunted me sinse I’ve seen it in the news like 20 years ago. Good luck with your build and try to keep it sane… Have a nice day
Thanks all. It’s good to be building. I hadn’t realized how much I was missing it until I had to take about 8 months off.
Pawel hit it, the gray is MrSurfacer 500, to simulate cast steel texture. I also had to fill a lot of holes and gaps on the old girl, and the MrSurfacer is good to get a uniform texture between kit plastic, added plastic and the various types of putty I use.
I’m really excited to see how this turns out. I’ve got a Magach conversion set in storage that I’d really like to play with eventually. Its such a mean looking machine.
Thanks all. More done this past week, mostly the turret. Academy supplies all the 7c turret as new parts, and the complete Sprue E from the old Magach6 kit for items like water cans, so I have lots of spare parts for the next project. With the AFV Club M60A1, Legend and Academy bits I have in the stash, and some tracks, I have enough left over to do a Magach6. Hmmm…
Speaking of new parts, the Urdan cupola in this kit is new, and appears to be a very good representation of the actual item, much improved over the old Magach6 kit’s part. Also, Academy did a slight goof on the turret basket tow cable brackets, supplying six when there should be seven, so in order to obtain the same look and keep symmetry, I only used five and shifted the mounting points. The basket itsef is pretty good, if a little “heavy”, so if I was to do another one of these kits, I would use the Legend “loaded” basket. I think they do one anyway, I know they do a nice one for the Magach6B Gal-batash.
I’ve included pics of the hull, also mostly finished. Several parts are pirated from other kits, like the IDF-added Merkava style tow points on the rear. Academy’s new (and mostly correct) drive sprockets still lack mud clearing holes, so those were added. Pitch is slightly off, even the kit tracks are not a good fit, and since I’m using Friuls, I had do so some filing and re-shaping on the teeth, but nothing major.
Anyway, the pics so far:
Edit: P-bucket malfunction, will update later.
It’s time for anti-slip, not sure exactly what I’l use yet. All the pics I have show a very fine texture, different than Merkavas, so my Liquitex may work.
'95, thanks. Still going on it, time for the small amount of anti-slip and then paint…
I think.
Anyway, I’ve done the spare road wheel mounts for the turret basket using some spare Tamiya wheels from the M48 kits, added spare track links and mounts in the turret basket and left rear fender using spare Friuls and plastic stock, and then more brush-work with Humbrol 110, trying to get those hard-to-spray areas and create some shadow at the same time. Turret MGs are built up, just not installed yet, and antenna mounts using Desert Eagle “tied down” springs are on. I’ll be doing a minimal amount of stowage, as I plan on posing this one “in action”, in an urban setting, and crews kept the baskets as empty as possible in such situations to reduce the chance of a basket fire.
Well dip me in shinola. P-bucket dumped my whole account. Until I can start over, here’s a couple of pics of where I am now: two pics of the turret in paint, one of the turret and hull with anti-slip applied and before paint, and one of the wheels and bits, with the skirts also, which I have seperated into individual pieces to get that “used” look seen in so many pics of these things in action.
