Last picture really shows what nice col  or you achieved.

I liked the shadows and the nice clean build.

Your painting process is looking good,awaiting the next steps.

Gloss followed by decals and detail painting. Another coat of gloss ready for washes and filters. Karl was suggesting satin rather than gloss, so I may do my runny pin washes on the gloss, then satin clear, then filters and pigments.

I really do want to smudge the thing up some.

I will back Karl up on the satin or semi-gloss. I use a "Matte" varnish which is more like a semi-gloss than a gloss.

So far, this is amazing work G. All of it. Have fun with the filters  :D:D

The Tiran looks good.

I like a flat clear to do washes on, gives me a stronger effect than satin, but before that I like to do pin washes over gloss, keeps my dark wash in the cracks and crevasses, just where I want it.

Thanks! Yes, that seems to be the order of things.

You've got me rethinking my order of business as well. :)

I am going to have to buy AM tracks. No I'm not rich, but the Tammy rubber bands just don't have the oomph of the heavy look of the real thing.

Friul, Spade Ace, Modelcasten seem to be the choices. All about the same price. No plastic ones I can find.

So my question is, which is the easiest to put together?

I assume that is a company thing, not a subject specific thing.

Are Friuls even possible to assemble?

Friuls and SpadeAce are both easy to assemble, especially when the links are the size these will be.

I've taken a liking to SpadeAce lately, but the Friuls are also very nice. Both are about $30 from Lucky Model (or Hobby Easy, I always forget which) and shipping is very reasonable.

Friul's wire is a little soft for my liking, SpadeAce's stiffer but still cuts and files easy. I sometimes use steel piano wire from the hardware store but it's hard steel and more difficult to clean up the cut. Brass wire works also, easy to find too. I always try to cut the wire short enough that the end is inside the link, not protruding, and then fix it in place with cryo glue.

Also, all the SpadeAce tracks I've used so far have had the holes all the way through the link, and Friuls do not, having the appropriate bolt,nut,cap, whatever, on one end. Works great if the tracks are not "directional" like a T-34, enabling you to hide the "open" side of the links on the inside of the model.

My take on MK: tedious, because there are two pins for each link, and you have to be gentle when painting and weathering because they're plastic. Trumpeter also makes some plastic MK-type T-55 tracks, never used them though.

Here's random stores made from Sculpey.

Went for the Friuls. $ 40.00. But those Tamiya rubber bands just defeated the whole program.

Tuna fish and hot dogs for a week.

First lightened coat.

I skip meals for Friuls, and I LIKE tuna fish.....  :)

Stowage looks good!

Sorry, don't know much about aftermarket tracks but love how the painting of the hull and turret is going. Plus neat storage, I've heard of people molding them but never tried it myself- love your results.

Looking good, mmm...Im also looking to add lots of stowage to my kit, but haven't found a kit a like with it. maybe I will do the same as you, but I want to do boxes, crates, wepons, etc.. also...so.....not sure where to go now....plus with the super dollar....exchange rate has gone crazy.

I've just got my hands on some Sculpy and it's a really forgiving medium. I've been thinking of molding my own gear too.

I've seen the stuff used to make zombie heads for 1/35th figures as well. Just be sure to get the Air Dry.

Finished today. What a fun kit to build. I love the Friul tracks.

The dang thing looks almost real. Love those tracks and how they turned out. Nice finish!

The one color painting really looks good,you bought it to life for sure,a nice inspiration for the one I just picked up.

Mike Brindos is right. It almost looks real. And it almost looks real with the close up pics. Truly impressive work!

Thank you all so much. I have one more IDF build in the works, an M51.

After that, I will be back building my sailboat models over in "Ships".

The barrel decals were really a fight. As they were fairly translucent, I had to cut rather than overlap them.

The metal tracks made the model. It took me two tries after install to get the lengths right- luckily shortening. Cutting assembled F tracks took some thought...

She's a real gunship with all of those MG's.

War of Attrition.

Well done Bill. Kudos on the tracks. This is indeed a nicely done build. I don't know anything about the subject  to fairly critique it.

Very well done amigo! The Fruils are a definite improvement 

Thank you, guys.

In 1967 the Egyptians made a series of tactical errors in the months of April and May. They kicked the UN out of Sinai, which ultimately opened the door for Israels counterattack and subsequent occupation. And they abandoned the Russian three-lines-of-defense war plan for Sinai and positioned their armor east of the passes and close to the border. Because they were in a war in Yemen at the time as well, (what else is new?), their lines of supply and replenishment were meager at best and the armored units were hung out to dry in eastern Sinai.

Israels attack on June 6-9 so quickly overan the Egyptian Army that Israel had over 400 T-54 and T-55 tanks suddenly in possession. Unusually for captured armor, this solved the parts supply problem that usually accompanies reuse.

These were modified through a series of programs and exchanged main guns, AA guns and other fittings over the period 1967- 1973, the so-called "War of Attrition".

T-54 and T-55 became Tiran 4, 4sh, 5 and 5sh. I think this model is of an sh with the 105 mm gun.

Some captured T-62s became Tiran 6, but weren't operational as Israel was then using the M-60.

Wow, now that's some fine work!

Thank you all.

Excellent results!

Friuls are pretty neat, aren't they.....