Here are a few pics of my completed M1A1. This is the Tamiya M1A1 kit with a few extra bits added. It was painted using mainly Humbrol enamels plus some artists oil paints for weathering, detailing etc.
Thanks for the hints and tips picked up from this forum.
Questions, comments and advice welcome.
Can I use the badge now?
That’s one muddy Abrams!
Good work!
Dave … Dave … Dave
Tsk Tsk … what a filthy mess you have on your hands.
I like it !!! [:D]
Good use of weathering, clean build all around.
One small critique, you may want to drill out the end of the commanders MG barrel, a simple fix that will improve the look.
Thanks for sharing with us !!!
Consider it done, I knew that I had missed something.
Looks like the commander could use some RnR hehehe dirty build looks good what color did you use for the windows on the drivir hatch?, and you might want to paint the commanders cupola windows as well cant tell if they are or not. Something else you might want to do is add some exhaust residue to the exhaust which is the long slit in the rear of the hull the it usualy covers the whole area below it I havent done this yet to mine as of yet I kinda got in a hurry [:P] gotta try the mud 4myself though looks awesome.
Looks great. Always good to see something all mudded up.
The hatch windows were initially clear and covered in Future, but then I used a yellow “Staedtler Lumocolor” permanent marker pen which gives a goldish tint to the glass.
I will add some pastel chalks to simulate the exhaust. I did it early on in the build but the other weathering effects have covered it.
As for the commander, in my kit the detail around his mouth was very vague. I sanded off his mouth and painted on a scarf, same as the gunner.
Thanks for the replies.
very good job an the abrams dave!!! I like your weathering especially!!
Looks very nice Dave. Reminds me very much of one I used to own. Really a great job all the way around. Small note, the figure on the left is your loader not your gunner, but hey it could be the gunner; he normally out ranks the loader and may have made him ride inside for a while! Also, [:I] your left track is on backwards, that’d cost you a case of beer when you got back to the motor pool.[:p]
Left looking from the front or back?? I followed the kit instructions, never seen a real one.
You used to own one! Where did you park it?
Thanks for the replies.
Nice job Dave, I’m thinking of getting that kit, can you recommend it?
I can highly recommend this kit, however the later Tamiya M1A2 is in the model shops and although the same kit with a few extras, it will be at the front of the display.
You may have to look round for the M1A1.
Great work, Dave. Definitely impressive. And dirty! LOL.
Dave, left and right are described in the US Army as if one were sitting in the driver’s seat with the gun over the front, therefore it’s the one on the right as you are looking at the front. Easy way to keep it in mind is that US tanks with chevron style track would look like a “V” on the front and an upside down “V” when looked at from the rear. Oh, I parked it in the motor pool with the rest of the battalion’s tanks.
Looks good I to love a filthy afv
So the M1A2 is just basically the same kit with all the bedrolls and such?
Yup new tracks CIPs and some of their modern equipment set and the “few” other things that make it the M1A2…the kit I built was the dragon DML “Iraqi Freedom”
kit which was 28$ with minor fit problems with the turret and it also includes interior in the turret section also has the anti slip on the hull and turret the Tamiya kit does not and is 45 to 50 $.
Thanks for the info Thundergod.