Okay gents, this one is for kit info. I like a good ribbing, but I need info on the kits more than the fun right now. My wife is giving me serious dirty looks as the stash is invading her closet. I have to get building so I can move them back to the room. Info on kits only please! Ribbing and taunts see the other forum. Thanks.
Good deal, what other questions do you have?
hey steelrudi, not too sure if i’m too late about your periscope question. but what i have done in the past for modern armor perisocpes, the ones with the colorful anti laser reflecting coat on them, i buy a bag of plastic confetti disc, and cut them to size, and just glue them on. i’m not 100% positive on the colors, and i’m sure arty can clarify this, but i have found that most vision blocks are a green color, and the sights i have seen are either a pinkish color or blue. here is how my bradley turned out with the confetti. 
you can use the tamiya clear series if you prefer, and this can be done over a light silver color, but i find that the clear series dries and “gums” up too fast, and it has to be highly diluted. i only use the clear colors on clear “plastic” parts like the tail lights and blinkers. HTH.
rooster
The confetti is a good idea. The anti-laser coating is actually red though. It does vary in color when viewed from different angles from purple to violet to blue to red, etc. It isn’t really green though.
I like to use Testors Model Master clear red, over black, and then a couple coats of clear gloss. It changes colors from different angles as well and looks pretty good to me.
you know another neat M1 tank build would be of the first two prototypes instead of one of the first five (most people call these tanks XM-1’s). One has a gas turbine and is very similar to the M-1 we know of today, and the other was deisel powered. Both used the same tracks and sprockets and final drives. Gear boxes are very similar (X1100-1’s). Main guns are the same as well as the sighting system. Turrets differ vastly with one looking closer to the one on the West German Leopard.
Might add here that if the deisel powered one had been accepted the IDF Merkava would never have been built. After driving the deisel powered one they said they wanted to buy them (the drive took place at Warren Michigan in 1979). Always wondered what happened to that one tank?
gary
Back in the mid-80’s I went to Aberdeen and wrote beforehand, asking if I could get a tour through some of their warehouses where the kept some of the other tanks that weren’t on display, and they had an XM-1 there–I believe it was one with the wierd (hydo-pnuematic?!) suspension; I got some pictures of it, but I lack a darned scanner here to show you guys. It kinda has that “Leopard-look” to the turret, and I think it’s somewhat smaller than the standardized Abrams. Little did I know that I was looking at the progenitor of the greatest tank ever to dominate a battlefield! Back then, the Abrams was still a relative “noob”, untested in battle, and stil undergoing its “teething problems”.
I agree; I think it’d be cool to see an XM-1 prototype model; its really unique, and if they can sell the prototype German stuff, they can sell the XM-1 too! I’d also like to see the prototype “future tank” that was on Pop. Mech’s cover years back; I think it was made by Cadillac-Gage, and had an auto-loader, and was designed to be an air-droppable tank. I seem to remember it had a gun on a “rail”-type-looking mount and resembled the Swiss STRV-103…it was cool, too!
I think you’ve found the long lost pre XM-1!! I also suspect that the M46 there is the one we kept around for almost forty years! It maybe had three miles on it, and had never fired a round. We asked the folks down at FT. Knox if they’d like to have it in their museum, and they actually showed no interest. So we decided to just sell it (Ropkey was hot for it). A few days later TACOM came in and gave it a two minute look see, and asked what we wanted for it? All we said was you move it, and it’s yours. The next day a locomotive brought in a real flatbed car, and they loaded it the following morning. We had already driven it outside (this track had never been in anykind of weather).
Back to the prototype M1; That tank was built for almost nothing but cross country travel. Had a true “hull down” capability. As I remember the hulls in both tanks are not made of Chabom armor, but plain jane hot roll steel (maybe wrong on this) as they still hadn’t got the machining of the ceramic layered steel plate figured out yet. It also had a somewhat lighter ground pressure than the standard M1. I might add here that it probably would have been built by Cadillac being as they already had a large tank assemby plant in Ohio. There was also another called the XTBM 70 that used the M60 power pack, but it never went anywhere. Had a huge turret with a 105 gun like the the early M1’s.
There is a new MBT in the works, and the drive train is finished. No one really knows what it looks like (the hull may not even be built yet). When we did the transmission they tested it with three different gas turbines. I think the winner will be a Garret, but there was also a Rolls Royce turbine in the mix as well. The competitor wants to use a Renk transmission and some Euro built engine. The Renk leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to drivability. There’s also one from David Brown that’s even worse. The Brits use this one, and loath it. But the government made them buy it. The Cadillac gauge stuff is not what you want your kid to be in. But there has been an on again and off again medium tank for the Army and Marines. The Marines want a standard Rhine Metal 90mm low recoil gun, and TACOM wants a high velocity 75mm smooth bore rifle in it. Track must also be air dropable, and they can’t do that with a 90mm gun. Auto loaders are too prone to failure at the worst time, so don’t expect to see one anytime too soon.
gary
The other two kits I have coming,(mentioned in the old forum), are the Shanghai Dragon M1A1 HA, and the Tamiya with mine plow. What do the kits need to be brought up to current OIF specs? The Shanghai kit is the one with the M1A1 driving on the beach for boxart. This M1 project of mine, is taking on a life of it’s own. I will need to start buying crews, and grunts next, then aavp7’s, and …Also what is the best method for applying the non-skid surface, and what do most people use. The easiest and cheapest would be best. I also want good results.
So this is not a place for inter service jokes? Just kidding guys… Seriously, do the vision blocks/optics on all current US AFV’s have the anti laser coating? My time in mech was before that stuff and the vision blocks/periscopes usually had a blue green glass sahde back then. except for the thermal sites on our TOWs which had that silver mirror looking lens.
Rudi,
The mods required to update the Dragon and Tamiya kits are listed in this thread: /forums/779296/ShowPost.aspx Unfortunately, following the recent demise of Tanxheaven, some of the pic links are broken. I have found some alternate pics linked below.
As mentioned in your earlier thread, neither the Dragon nor the older Tamiya kit includes the connector for the bustle rack APU. If I recall correctly, in another earlier thread you mentioned that you have the Tamiya M1A2 kit? If so, you have one to use as a pattern to scratch one.
You will also need to add an angle strip for the wiring conduit, which runs along the side of the blow-out panel to a junction box connecting with the existing cross-turret wiring conduit between the loader’s hatch and left blow-out panel. It looks like this: http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/marc_peters/m1a1/images/m1a1_25_of_71.jpg
This pic http://svsm.org/gallery/m1a1abramsjh2/DSC08885 shows the location of the EPLRS antenna at the rear right corner of the turret. This is the antenna mount, which protrudes from the side of the turret, in the centre of the pic. (viewed from directly behind the right rear corner of the turret, looking forward)
This is the power connector between the “manhole cover” and the smoke grenade launcher mounting: http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/marc_peters/m1a1/images/m1a1_29_of_71.jpg
This is the mounting flange for the Deep Water Fording Kit: http://svsm.org/gallery/m1a1abramsjh2/DSC08875
If you look at this detail pic of the smoke grenade launcher, http://svsm.org/gallery/m1a1abramsjh2/DSC08864 you will see an open space behind the “face” of the launcher. This is represented as a solid block on the Dragon kit, which can easily be cut away.
The kit instructions also tell you not to glue the gunsight doors so they can open and close. I would recommend gluing these in position - The mounting holes in the turret roof are far too big and the pivots will just fall in, allowing the doors to flop. Also, if you choose to use the turret interior, you will need to trim the interior wall liners to (a) get them to fit and (b) get the turret shell to fit cleanly. The bustle rack assembly is challenging and it helps to have 3 hands. For reasons best known to Dragon, the rim around the edge of “floor” of the bustle rack is moulded in two parts requiring careful gluing and filling afterwards.
For the anti-laser coating, yes, pretty much all current vehicle optics have it.
For anti-slip coating, I use spray-on texture paint from rust-oleum. Here is a link to how I do it.
Phil has you pretty much covered on the needed changes. Too bad Tanx-Heaven is gone. There were some nice pics there.
Very cool post there, Gino. And I was just thinking how the heck I would have done that on my few Abrams kits here…what an easy, novel solution!
Great! Thank you for the replies. Will continue with questions:
Easiest way to scratch USMC style smoke launchers? Been looking at pic’s but cannot figure which way to go. I am working on the Dragon M1A2, and need to know about the Box type unit on the manhole cover. (Not up to spec’s on current termonology yet) Gotta build a couple of these too. I am using the Academy Bustle rack ext, as a pattern for the other kits also. After market tracks are needed for a few of the kits. Which are the best, and cheapest? I’m on a budget here. Wife is getting annoyed, at my going over budget on a regular basis. One trip to the local watering hole should cure that. LOL[#toast]…[D)]…[soapbox]…[B)]…[zzz]…
The USMC-style 8-shot smoke launchers are simply two 4-shot launchers stacked on top of eachother. They are the same 4-shot style found on most other vehicles: M113, LAV, AAVP7A1, HMMWV, etc. The easiest way to scratch them is to cut a 1cm x 1cm x .5cm block and then cut 1/16 tubing into about 1cm lengths as the launch tubes. Arrange the tubes so that the top 2 angle out at about a 45 degree arc; the lower 2 at a larger arc. Make 8 sets and you are good. They mount using the same base as the Army-style launcher.
The box on top of the man-hole cover on USMC M1A1s is an MCD (Missile Countermeasure Device). It uses directed laser energy to confuse and defeat optically-guided AT missiles. It should be overall sand or green with a golden-colored reflective glass front. The wire for it goes from the plug on the left rear and diappears under the forward cable connector on the roof next to the man-hole cover. It is only used on USMC M1A1s.
If you are talking about the drum-like piece on the M1A2, it is a CITV (Commander’s Independant Thermal Viewer). It allows the tank commander to select targets and send them to the tank’s targeting computer while the gunner focuses on servicing the current target. The tank will slue to the next target (that the commander selected) after the gunner has completed the target he is locked-on to.
AFV Club’s AM T-158 plastic tracks are great and only run about $10-$15 a set.
Started making bustle extentions last night. I need four of them, so I got to business. Will start on the MCD’s tomorrow. Will need to buy AM accessories for stowage. Lots of stowage. Not only do I have all these M1 projects, but I have the GB I am parenting, and helping other people with info. This is alot like work! Plus my other projects. It helps to fill out the day. Gotta go mow thw lawn. Later Gents.
okay, I had a link to building a APU, but cant find the darn thing. (I need to clean up this thing.) Any clues where I can find a link to this type of subject? Thank You.
Found it.
My method for the periscopes was to just use a red sharpie over a gloss black paint. Darkened it up quite a bit and the reflection changes with the light. Maybe not 100% but it’s simple, cheap, and effective. Gotten many compliments on it.
Michael
How about A silver metalic with clear red? Or would the gloss black be a better base? Opinions?
My guess from the description is he was looking at an MBT-70.
The GM contender for the M1 which lost to Chrysler is sitting in a rather dilapidated state in the San Francisco area. I strongly doubt it is restorable though they might be able to at least stick all the right pieces back on the outside and give it a coat of paint.
NTM