A new project begins! So Cal AMPS has been doing a Patton family GB of all AFVs in the Patton family, and this is my first build for the project, DML’s (now known as Dragon) 1/35 M46.
I will be building mine in the markings of the US Army 6th Tank Battalion with their famous “tiger faces” worn during the counteroffensive of Winter/Spring 1951 to push the Chicom forces back across the 38th parallel after their devastating entry into the Korean War. This period saw what are without a doubt some of the most colorful looking tanks ever fielded by the US Army, and especially in combat.
Anyways, this afternoon I was able to complete steps 1 & 2, building all of the wheels and the transmission housing. I have built two previous related kits, DML’s T26E3 and M26A1 Pershing’s, which share many common parts, as all three tanks are very similar to one another. Each type is an evolutionary development from the previous model. So there are no real surprises for me to watch out for now.
Step 3, adding the road wheel arms, shock absorbers, and the transmission housing to the hull… there was a LOT of mold line clean up on all those parts, then making sure that the alignment is good getting all of them level and straight… note to self for the next Patton build, do the corner arms, then work inwards…
Step 4, adding all of the wheels and the plate under the engine… again making sure alignment is proper. I left the sprocket wheels loose to aid in getting the tracks on. That’s one thing that I’ve learned for doing indy link non workable tracks…
Next steps are to get this area all pre painted in black and start on the tracks… tracks are gonna take a few days I’m sure…
Each sprue has 44 track links and 44 Center guide teeth…
Here are 44 links assembled into lengths of sixes and fives… no center guide teeth added
After about 90+ minutes of needle file swipes and gluing I had 88 links completed into two runs of 24 and two runs of twenty, none with center guide teeth…
and that was enough for today… I find indy track links tedious and not enjoyable, just like the real damn things, so I guess they get an A for results there…
Next update… more tracks… I completed the upper and lower flat run lengths… without center guide teeth. I figure at least another two days bench sessions before these tracks are completed…
Adding the center guides is gonna be the tedious part…
Tony, they are indeed as tedious as the look. And with still having to add the center guide teeth, I can’t even claim to be halfway done with them yet…
Tankboy 26 years since you have built this kit? Yes that is awhile. That’s about the same time as I built their M26A1 Pershing, since that was the first one that I scored.
Gamera, they will look good once completed. I’m not worried about that. In the long run, worth the effort.
Carlos, I was going to ask if you paint your road wheels separate from the hull, but I can see what you’re doing. So do you primer and paint the lower hull and wheels, or just prime before gluing the upper and lower hulls together?
Sarge, this is more a weathering technique than a primer. I painted it back now to insure better coverage rather than after all the fenders and tracks are on. If this kit was not molded in light gray it would not be such a necessity now.
It’s pretty much all gonna be earth tones when this is done.
I follow your thinking and it makes sense. I was planning to paint the road wheels and tracks separate from the hull on my new project. On the ONTOS I used light grey primer because that was what I used in the earlier paint tests to get USMC green. But it was difficult to cover in tight places with dark paint after the road wheels and drive sprockets were installed. I had to switch from using my spray gun to an air brush for the area under the fenders and under the 106mm guns. That caused a small amount of overspray on the rest of the paint.
