Can’t help myself. While I realize “what-ifs” aren’t particularly popular here, I’m having too much fun not to share. Starting with the Academy Magach7 I stripped for parts recently, I realized I still have a metric ton of spares, partial kits and boxes of AM stuff that unless I get started on using soon, will end up in my stash forever. With that in mind, I started adding detail lost when I stripped the hull, and detail Academy didn’t try to do. I’m using the inaccurate swing arms, adding some better shocks and tensiioner linkage, and Abrams road wheels.
I did a whif a little while ago using a Merk1 turret on an M60 hull, so I’m kind of leaning towards staying with the M60A1/3 turret this time, but for sure IDF.
Unless anyone out there has an Academy Merk3 kit they wanna get rid of…
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk… I did some more today, not enough to take ppics of though. And I found some air filter housings in a Dragon M60 parts kit that would have been perfect for Gimel, dang it.
I’ve got most of a Magach6Gal Batash kit (Academy) that I might use the turret armor out of, but thinking more likely something else at this point. Turret is an ESCI part, basket from the Gal Batash. I used swimming pool skimmer mest for the floor. It’s really too coarse, but it’s flexible and tough, glues easy.
More on what I guess I’ll call a Magach6D Gal. On the turret, I hogged out enough plastic to fit the Academy gunner’s sight, from the batash kit, got the AFV Club mantlet on and started the IDF-specific cover. On the nose, I have the access poet for the Gal FCS started, For the hull, I’ve got the fender extensions and brackets on (Dragon parts, tow lugs (DEF) and cleaned up some unnecessary holes.
Lower hull/suspension is closer, final drives done and sprockets ready. I’m using old Tamiya T-62 sprockets and Friul Merkava4 tracks, which fit perfectly. Also on are bump stops from a Dragon M48.
Well, to pick the nit, 125 is a Russian gun. I am however in the process of adapting a 120mm gun (from a Trumpeter Abrams) to this one, reason being the Merkava 3 and 4 both use it, so ammunition would be shared. I think it’ll work.
So, here’s a question: which of the three following gun tubes look like they belong? Each is a 120mm tube, two from an Abrams, one from a Leo2, main differences being the length and composition of the bellows/dust cover. The Leo tube has my attempt at duplication the rough finish of the fiberglass cover on the evacuator, other two are pretty much straight out of the Trump box, except for the bellows and different additional dust cover. Let 'er rip!
Remember, I’m asking for opinions, no logic or reason needed. Of course, I’d like to know any reasons for a particular opinion, but it’s not required. So cast your chicken bones and post up.
I like the Leopard tube. It just looks like it belongs more than the Abrams gun tubes. It looks a bit more rough and I think that lends itself to the build.
Okay. I’m off to glamp for a few days, got time to ponder. I my self kind of like the shorter of the two Abrams tubes, only because I did a nice job (I think) on the bellows extension, but the Leo tube is a strong second, with its irregular bellows. I chucked the tube up in my cordless drill and used a #11 blade as a bit, and it worked, looking more realistic then the others. Okay, off to the RV park for me!
I went with the Leo tube, after adding a collar on the mantlet, partly for visual interest and partly because I thought something would have to be done to adapt the 120mm tube. Mounted:
I was looking through the stash, thinking about supplemental armor, and I realized I have a considerable amount of the ERA tiles from the Academy and Tamiya M60A1 Rise/Passive kits, got me to thinkin’…
IMG_6569 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
IMG_6568 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
