M60 slick w/ dozer kit bash

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Still using up stash junk, I started a “slick” hull using a mash of Tamiya and Acedemy parts a few months ago, wanting to see if it was feasible to correct the upper front glacis. It came out okay, so I moved the front return rollers on each side and went ahead, still grabbing parts out of the goodies box when possible. That got me here:

IMG_2133 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

And here:

IMG_2281 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I then did the suspension, pirating lots of parts from the Academy M60A2 kit which happens to have a nice set of newly tooled road wheels but still uses the yucky old swing arms. A little bit of plastic stock and I had sometjing passable.

So for the 'dozer: Academy released a kit of it a few years ago, but it’s pretty simple and has nothing but the basic blade and mechanism, no hydraulic resevoir, pump or lines. Bummer. The Verlinden kit is of the IDF version which has all the lines inside the hull, with a different resevoir. Along comes Takom, and pow, a very nice M9 Dozer in a very nice M60A1 kit. So I’ve wanted to build the tank pictured in David Doyle’s M60 book, pg 34, for a long time, and now I had the basics. Then I scored an old Commander’s Models turret, so it was time. First off, get the Takom hydraulics on, and to my relief, it wasn’t bad, Even the spacing or the suspension stations was correct, meaning the long one-piece under the hull hydraulic lines part went on without mods. I did have to make up two shorter lines, no problem really, and do some minor fiddling with the line covers at the front, but that’s all on, shown here without the blade mounts or hydraulics:

IMG_2691 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

And the resevoir and pump, tight fit of the lines around the sprocket:

IMG_2690 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

With the deozer stuff on, blade is the last bit anong with the driver’s release on the glacis.

IMG_2694 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

Some more hull detailing done, more parts box stuff and a little plastic stock.

IMG_2696 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I think this could be almost the last of the old Tamiya/Academy/Esci bashes I do, not because they’re not fun, but because I’m almost out of parts. Finally. The next one will be on an AFV Club hull. I think.

Oh, wait, there’s theat Academy Magach with the mine roller I just picked up…

Squirrel!

2

Looking nice. The Takom blade and hydraulic parts are really nice. I really like how they turn out.

3

Thanks, and me too. I’m still pretty fresh from building the Verlinden 'dozer for an IDF build, and that was a pain. This is much better, goes together well and has nice detail too. I’ve left all the joints flexible too, should have a fair amount of movement, at least from “up and locked” to “on the ground”. The only thing that won’t move is the release arm and shaft the hooks are on, but I’ve left the hooks loose on the shaft too.

4

Tanks are cool. Constuction equipment is cool. Mixing them together is twice as cool!

5

Musta been a glitch, I’ve been “denied access” the last couple of days. Anyhootch, hull is about done, turret time is next.

Underside access ports done, enough of that. Next one is gonna be on an AFV Club hull, dug through the stash box last night and I have one that’s almost all there.

IMG_2729 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

Glacis bits all on:

IMG_2728 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

Blade is done, leaving it off until after I paint.

And the infantry phone box and gun travel lock w/ scratched mount:

IMG_2727 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

6

Seems a lot of people have had issues with the site lately. Thankfully my problems with the address bar have been fixed!

Love how she’s going! The hydraulics for lifting the blade look really cool!

7

Thanks G. Turret stuff started today, amd btw, it’s a “Chesapeake Model Designs” conversion, not “Commander’s” as I had earlier. Anyway, it’s pretty nice stuff, old but still going together well. It even came with a jig to align the brackets for the bustle rack, very nice.

IMG_2731 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

8

Been away for a while, but did get the turret finished up, using various kit parts and a lot of imagineering on the spotlight. I wanted to use an AFV Club lamp assy but not surprisingly the CMD mantlet had the tabs set up for the really old Tamiya brackets which are “off”. So, using the AFV Club assy as a guide, I scratched and adapted, and that’s done. It’s probably ready for paint now but it’s still cold and windy here, so I’ll wait. As it sits now:

IMG_2844 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_2845 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

9

Looks good. A real Frankentank, but it is coming along well.

10

Looks cool! Again I love the different colours of all the parts you used from varied kits!

11

There is no need to kit bash the AFV club hull as AFV Club beat you to it with the M728 CEV kit just do up the lower hull slap on a turret and rig the hydraulic’s any your pretty much set. Too bad they didn’t do a Rise version for AFV club. I think that would put the TAKOM kit to shame.

12

Another one in green, finally.

IMG_3285 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I need to use a green wash/filter, too gray now. If I could find some Krylon green instead of this Rustoleum…

13

Your M-60 looks fantastic! I have long felt that the Patton series *I know, the M-60 tanks were not officiallt named Patton), had more pinache than the M-1 Abrams.

Bill Morrison

14

Looking good. The color looks spot on. Keep up the great work.

15

Thanks all.

I was just thinking, it’s been years since I built an M1… matter of fact, I have a started hull and turret, leftover parts from something I didn’t like, maybe I ought to dust it off.

16

Yeah, she’s coming along very nicely!

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I painted the tires on the road wheels today, woo hoo!

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More tieing up loose threads (ha ha, pun not intended) by finishing all the stuff I started early this year. Again, I kept weathering to an absolute minimum, in this case because the pic I was working from shows a tank on a road march in Germany, clean as a whistle.

IMG_3636 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_3638 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_3637 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_3639 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_3640 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

My bench is actually clean right now. Hmmm…

19

It looks nice. Great job on it.

20

Thanks Gino.