Tamiya Merk1 WIP, Finished 9/9

Brings back some memories. I built that Tamiya Merkava a very long time ago. So long ago I never even painted the tank because it was molded in sand.

It's an old kit for sure, but still pretty good. The one I'm cutting apart for the upper hull segment was built at the kitchen table and painted with a brush, so that makes it at least 15 years ago for me.

Looks like a great fix/match up on

                  that upper hull.....

Hello!

I like this project a lot - and I also hate throwing away old models. Those bolt heads really add to the look, don't they? Good luck here and have a nice day

Paweł

D-Master, thanks.  The biggest issue there was that the plastic was surprisingly brittle.

Pawel, thanks, and I too hate to throw something away. You just never know.....

Girlie shows on TV last night, no honey-do's, so guess who went to the bench?

Me. It's kind of nice having my model "room" in the same basic area as the family room.

I got some detail work done on the upper hull, some texture on the lower hull sides and final drive/bow, and then did the drive sprockets and idlers. Sprockets had the mud clean holes cut and shaped, and each idler had 40 holes drilled and cleaned (ouch) and the over-sized back centers shaped. I also cut the indexing tabs and rotated the halves to make the inner and outer spokes line up instead of alternate, as Tamiya and Academy do. The hull is actually getting pretty close to finished, about all that's left is the tear area, and unless I decide to re-do a bunch of stuff back there, it's pretty basic.

Da pics:

i1236.photobucket.com/.../IMG_0496_zps11219820.jpg

i1236.photobucket.com/.../IMG_0495_zps6db2354d.jpg

i1236.photobucket.com/.../IMG_0492_zps88704406.jpg

Thanks for peeking, as always!

Edit: Whoops, forgot to use correct reply, but clicking on p-bucket links should still work.

Nice start. They certainly did make a cracking job of opening that panel.

Perfect......

Someone else's disaster was my boon.

Always a bonus, and nice to see someone who can make it good

RBaer

Perfect......Someone else's disaster was my boon.

Not mine..... 

disastermaster

RBaer

Perfect......Someone else's disaster was my boon.

Not mine..... 

So says the "master".......   nyuk, nyuk.

I spent last evening doing what I do best: abusing tires. I wanted a beat-up look the the roadwheels, and most of the pics I have of Merks in service show the rubber to be in rough condition, so I went to work with a new #11 blade, files and 100 grit snad paper. I also opened up the drainage holes in the wheels themselves. Tamiya has very small holes represented by little raised circles, which in the Merks I've built get totally covered up by even light weathering, and I wanted them to be visible when I'm done.  The pics I have show them to be more like what I've opened them up to also. Tracks are test fitted, and some more bits added as well.

Pics:

It may be time to start the turret soon. In the meantime, if anyone has any idea what the part is in the next pic  that I've arrowed on the instructions, sound off. I have no idea what it is, and the box it goes on top of is open. Surely that can't be right....

Thanks!

Nice work on the road wheel rubber. That's something I have never done but should do really. It doesn't take long for chunks to get taken out of the rubber even in good conditions.

Thanks, Bish.

Pics of M60 Magachs that still have rubber pad tracks are pretty interesting: it looks like the links are so torn up where the pads go in it would be near to impossible to replace the pad. I've got a couple of pics of Merkavas in service depots in which the tire portions look like wadded up...   well, I really don't have the words to adequately describe how bad they get, put I don't see how they're still bonded to the wheel.

The desert environment is certainly harsher on tracks and roadwheels than Europe. If I recall right, we could expect to get 5,000km out of our warriors tracks in the UK but only 3,000 in the desert. I can just imagine trying to replace those pads in those conditions.

We did go through a stage where we were losing huge chunks of rubber from our road wheels, to the point where only half the wheel might have some on. It turned out we had a falty batch of wheels and there had been an issue with the glue used to bond the rubber to the wheel.

We had similar road wheel issues. When I was the battalion maintenance officer I figured out that it was probably the extreme heating and subsequent cooling that caused the rubber to separate from metal. Even when tanks were at rest, the metal was very hot to the touch. After riding around the rough, hard desert surface (more similar to concrete than to the soft sands you see in the Sahara Desert or a beach), the road wheels were all tore up.

I don't think most Israeli tanks put the same amount of miles on them, but I imagine they went through the same harsh environment.

Sounds right, and it gets pretty cool at night there, so I could see the big temperature differential too.

Well, I wasn't happy at all with the kit infantry phone box and the "bracket" Tamiya molded, so after some inquiries and picture searching on my own, here's what I came up with:

I used some scrap .020" plastic card and strip, and more slices of hex rod. Now I'm happy, happy, happy!

Some nice added detail there.

Thank you.

RBaer

"Will work for Sherman parts......"

OK......   I've read it enough.

       I'm a calln'  ya out this time........

   Could anyone really work hard enough

      for a beautifully detailed set of tracks like these? 

           I know I really like them track shoes too.

             Just click on 'em to see 'em better.

All of your extra work is certainly paying off,looking good

Nice tracks, D-man.

And Tony, thanks.

So after doing the phone box mounts, I took another look at the pics and guess what? The tabs should have faced out.....    so.....

i1236.photobucket.com/.../IMG_0514_zps2949cfdd.jpg

Click on the link above and the pic comes up, sorry.

I'm really happy now.

wow looks amazing

Thank you.

Hey, I also have a Merkava I on stash, and looking forward to build it....maybe this year. But since Im already in the FSM GB with an SDKFZ165, with lots of PE, not even sure I will have time for the second one.

I like the details you are adding.

Wish to see what color would you use....

I'm simply amazed that you've taken on this project! I can't believe you would actually go in for a kit that had the hull saw in pieces!

"Bully" for your pluck, courage, and skill thus far demonstrated!

Garzonh, Doog: Thanks. It's just modeling.

Okay, on to the turret. Tamiya (and Academy for that matter) got pretty loose with the same areas (no surprise there) so I'm spending some time making welds, showing different textures and filling big holes. I also realized my cheapie kit was missing the gun tube also. Maybe I should have looked this "gift horse" in the mouth....  but I'm okay.

^ Left side, lots of work here to show the big piece that's welded to the front of the basic turret shell, and the pieces that goes on IT that covers the co-ax opening, something else not shown in the kit.

^ Orange horseshoe is where I still need to add the right trunnion access cover, still looking for a good pic.

^ Bit and pieces. Mesh in basket is from an old pool skimmer basket, It's a little large, but adheres to styrene with MEK or acetone. Works for me.

^ My favorite view of a Merkava.

More on the turret last night, time to do some smaller details soon, I think.

Gun barrel and mantlet are done, basket added, co-ax in, and trunnion access plug done. I had to do a little guess-work on the trunnion plug, only pic I had wasn't very good, but I think I'm pretty close.

Pics:

^ Plug, barrel, mantlet.

^ Left side. Barrel is from an ESCI Magach that I used a different part on.

^ Turret rear. Basket is now ready to have all the locating tabs inside it cleaned up, should be strong enough mounted to the turret. Mesh is from my old pool strainer basket.

Love this tank and you are doing a great job.

Terry