M60A1 w/ RA and Merkava II

I like the M60A1; I have an affinity for the series. Your tail lights are painted incorrectly though. Only the upper left lens should be red. The others should be painted black.

Your tail lights are painted incorrectly though. Only the upper left lens should be red. The others should be painted black.

That is the least of the issues.  They are incorrect on the Merkava as well.  They should be the same on both.  Some other issues: Tracks are way too loose on both, floating spare wheels on M60, upside down tow pintle, sloppy painting of smoke launchers and vision blocks, etc., etc., etc...... All easy fixes by even a basic skill level modeler.  I guess ol' Art Instructor is too busy to worry about those little details.

More mediocrity as usual.

WOW, but i don't understand the red in the tracks, again wow

Denis

...i don't understand the red in the tracks...

Yeah, either rust or mud, neither of which is consistent with a desert tank.  More lack of details and no attention to what environment the tank would be operating in.  Like I said before, more of the same mediocrity.

I did notice the M60's tow pintle mount is installed upside down. The mount should be parallel to the ground, but upside down it points in a downward angle. I figured that would cause too much damage to remove and repair, but the tail lights are an easy fix; just a few dabs of the right color paint.

I just didn't want to seem nit-picky.

Hi Gino,

I hate to disagree, but although the region is predominantly arid, there are lots of environmental variations in Israel. It's not all desert terrain, and it even snows in some regions. Plenty of opportunities to get muddy/rusty, though I will concede that red mud would be most unusual.

http://dover.idf.il/NR/rdonlyres/30AF0C75-AB8D-4A74-88BC-4DD2210A797B/0/06s_cropped_big.jpg

(oops. Pic is huge so I'll just post the link rather than post the actual pic because it fouls up the formatting of this page and would require scrolling sideways to read the posts.)

Phil, I agree that desert environs can and do get quite muddy.  I have slogged through Iraqi mud a few times.  However, it isn't usually Alabama clay red or Vietnam dust red.  Desert mud is usually a sandy gray-brown color as in your pic.  The color is mainly what I was refering to.

Rob, I don't think pointing out obvious construction errors is being nit-picky.  I would rather others see all that is wrong with these "professionally-built" models so they don't think that is how they should look.  At best, Art Instructor's models (as usual) are good examples of what happens when you don't care about details nor research your builds.  They look good from 6 feet away, but have all sorts of errors when you actually look at them.

Hi Model Manic,

   I got the chance upon to purchase a combine set of MiniHobby M60A with reactive armour just like you have and the T-72M1 also from mini hobby for only USD 22 bucks.

  After seeing your Minihobby M60 with reactive armour turn out so well. I am confident of minihobby product. But do you have experience with their T-72 M1???

MiniHobby is reboxed Trumpeter kits.  If you look up Trumpeter kits, you should be able to find them.  The M60A1 and T72 M1 are poor copies of Tamiya kits and are so, so.  They are some of Trumpeter's older models that were soft on detail and have some simplified assemblies form the original Tamiya kits they copied.  When you look at the modle above closely, you can see some of the soft details, esp. in the roadwheel area.  I recommend staying away from them and getting the Tamiya originals for better builds.

Pretty pointless asking Model Maniac's opinion.  I'm sure he has no real clue on building them or their quality since he didn't build them.  He is simply a collector.  I'm sure he will tell you that all the models he has built are great (as usual), but thats about it.

Many thanks for your kind comments, Rob, Denis and Harshman II. When I have free time I'll make corrections myself. M-60 is not my favorite tank, so I have just a few. This is old builds from AI:

Jan 2001 : Academy's USMC M-60 A1 with M9 Dozer Blade - by Art Instructor:





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Sep 2007 : Mini Hobby's IDF M-60 A1 with RKM Mine Roller - by Art Instructor:





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Phil, I think the red on the tracks represent rust, not mud.

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Harshman II, both tanks for $22 is a good deal. They cost about the same here. My main modeler has built both T-72M1 and T-72A1 from Mini Hobby:

Jan 2009 : Mini Hobby's T-72 M1:













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Sep 2007 : Mini Hobby's T-72 A1:





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They are among a thousand or so tanks in my collection and I'm no ordinary collector. On Sunday 7 March I and my collection was shown on  Thai TV Channel 7 which is one of the most popular channels.
It was my fourth time on TV in 8 years. I think when I get the clip from the producer I'll put it on Youtube and I'll name it "Military Model Museum : Got anything like this in your country?"

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They are among a thousand or so tanks in my collection and I'm no ordinary collector. On Sunday 7 March I and my collection was shown on  Thai TV Channel 7 which is one of the most popular channels.
It was my fourth time on TV in 8 years. I think when I get the clip from the producer I'll put it on Youtube and I'll name it "Military Model Museum : Got anything like this in your country?"

Big deal.  We have collectors in our country and they get TV spots too.  I would have no more respect for them if they came on a modeling webste expecting oohs and aahhs for their purchased models too.  So get over yourself, you are not special. 

The rust on the tracks is not correct for a desert environ either.  Accept it, its just wrong.

The rest of the tanks you posted have many issues as well.  I guess Art Instructor or whoever built them for you doesn't know how to tighten tracks.

Phil_H

Hi Gino,

I hate to disagree, but although the region is predominantly arid, there are lots of environmental variations in Israel. It's not all desert terrain, and it even snows in some regions. Plenty of opportunities to get muddy/rusty, though I will concede that red mud would be most unusual.

http://dover.idf.il/NR/rdonlyres/30AF0C75-AB8D-4A74-88BC-4DD2210A797B/0/06s_cropped_big.jpg

(oops. Pic is huge so I'll just post the link rather than post the actual pic because it fouls up the formatting of this page and would require scrolling sideways to read the posts.)

Phil....  that's an awesome photo! May i ask where you found it or if you have any others like it?

Boomer...

Hey Boomer,

Found the pic here: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?138987-Merkava-MK4 Theres a few nice pics there.

Phil_H

Hey Boomer,

Found the pic here: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?138987-Merkava-MK4 Theres a few nice pics there.

SWEEEEEEEEEEET!!

Thanks mate! There are some great photos in there. Awesome stuff.

Boomer...

Model Maniac

Harshman II, both tanks for $22 is a good deal. They cost about the same here. My main modeler has built both T-72M1 and T-72A1 from Mini Hobby:

Jan 2009 : Mini Hobby's T-72 M1:













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Thanks model manic, I think for USD22 buck for these 2 kits are good price price. The Minihobby T-72 turn out quite well.  I know Tamiya T-72M 1 kit is the best, but the price is way too much..  I am not a accurate or fussy freak.  USD 22 bucks can't even afford a single Tamiya 1/35 T-72M1