SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

The Official M1 Abrams Group Build 2011

92613 views
233 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 12:49 AM

Hi Ghostrider,

I have a couple of "niggles" for you, one of which is kind of significant, the rest of which you may take as suggestions rather than criticisms.

The significant issue is that your tracks appear to be reversed. When viewed from the front, the point of the "vee" shape of the track pads should be pointing down.

Minor points/suggestions for consideration:

As I mentioned above, these are suggestions only, should you wish to tweak your kit a little. Smile

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Beaverton, OR
Posted by Ghostrider114 on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 3:34 AM

Phil_H

Hi Ghostrider,

I have a couple of "niggles" for you, one of which is kind of significant, the rest of which you may take as suggestions rather than criticisms.

The significant issue is that your tracks appear to be reversed. When viewed from the front, the point of the "vee" shape of the track pads should be pointing down.

Minor points/suggestions for consideration:

As I mentioned above, these are suggestions only, should you wish to tweak your kit a little. Smile

 

Ok, that's just more proof that I need to do research before diving into a kit. Embarrassed

I didn't know about the APU, I could probably still remove it though, since it's not got much holding it on.  I've seen pictures of the road wheels looking both black and camo, so I thought it was just painted that way, that's good to know.  I was wondering about the exhaust grill, I noticed that some of you guys painted yours like that, I thought it was a camo thing too.  For the MCB cable, you mean the Vinyl tube, right?  the kit instructions made it look like that just goes down under the drivers hatch, which is how I had it, I suppose that's an easy fix though.   I just noticed the tracks, it looks like I installed the left hand track the right way around and the right track backwards.Bang Head

BTW, the spare track is T-156, you can't see the pads because it is mounted with them towards the tank, but they are the same style as the rest of the tracks.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Sydney, Australia
Posted by Phil_H on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 7:48 AM

Ahh ok, I can see the power cable (aka vinyl tube) peeking out from under the barrel.  Actually I was talking about what now appears to be fine chain draped on the front hull leading up beside the driver's hatch. 

PS: Remember to paint in the periscope windows on the commander's cupola Smile

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Beaverton, OR
Posted by Ghostrider114 on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 1:59 PM

oh, that, ok, I was just following the kit instructions there too, it said to drill a hole next to the filler cap and put the end of the wire in it.  I completely forgot about the TC periscopes, I'll have to try and "paint" those with a sharpie I guess

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Beaverton, OR
Posted by Ghostrider114 on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 1:37 AM

I'm going to leave the APU on for now, although I am pretty sure I put it on cleanly enough that I could remove it later if I wanted to.  I even went through the trouble of painting the tail light that's hidden under it before I installed the APU.Wink

I could probably weather it a bit, but that's not really my style.

Since I've fixed everything else that I can fix without tearing the whole tank apart, I'm going to declare this Pig done!

here's some pictures of the beast:

 

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 2:24 AM

Well done GR! I especially like the figure work, the "scene" it creates is busy and engaging. You have our second completion and I believe yours is the fiftieth model completed in group builds I've hosted.

Cheers, updating P1 now,

Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Beaverton, OR
Posted by Ghostrider114 on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 1:17 PM

thanks, I can't wait to see how the rest of these turn out

  • Member since
    October 2009
Posted by Kentucky Colonel on Saturday, August 6, 2011 7:24 PM

Guys,

Good work, everybody!!

I'm stil in it but I just haven't had any free time, it might be the middle of Sept before all this work slacks off some. My tank is build and painted but I wanted to wait on weathering before posting.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Fort Worth, TX
Posted by RESlusher on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 9:27 AM

Sorry guys!  I've been neglecting my modelling duties for a while but the smell of CA has brought me back.

I'm hoping to break the shrink wrap on the M1A2 SEP very shortly.

Great work so far everybody!  Bow Down

 

Richard S.

On the bench:  AFV Club M730A1 Chaparral

On deck:  Tamiya Marder 1A2

In the hole:  Who knows what's next!

 

  • Member since
    March 2003
Posted by cyeargin on Monday, August 29, 2011 4:28 PM

Ok, not the best photos in the world, but here a few progress shots of my DML M1A2 SEP/TUSK II, just to prove I actually am building something, LOL Stick out tongue

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Sunday, September 25, 2011 3:48 AM

This thread has been a bit neglected, I admit, but I'm only just getting back to doing some bench time after finally submitting my PhD last week and working all hours I can find into the bargain...

cyeargin -- that TUSK II is looking fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeing her in some paint!

I've finally made some progress on my Tamiya ODS -A1, here's the evidence:

I've been stalled at the stage op the tiny details for a long while. This kit is largely Tamiya's original moulding, and the mantlet does not feature the hinged protective flap at the back. As with my IP M1 build a few years back, I scratched this section. eEch hinge is composed of seven parts, being .010" plasticard and .020" styrene rod. Okay, they're a bit overscale, but half-millimetre resolution is not bad for someone with my eyesight. I went ahead and installed the coax MG, MRS and main gun. Note the lift lugs are drilled out too.

There's not much to do now. I can close up the main hull, set up the return rollers (it doesn't matter that they're inacurate, they'reinvisible behind the skirts) and add the various bits and pieces to get her ready for painting. There's one more small mod to do, the NBC unit is missing the heater drain hole, which will need a fillet of plasticard adding and a hole introduced.

I'm thinking of doing the periscopes after painting, by introducing some styrne from the back, possibly with metallic decal for the optics. I'll make up the Z-springs from wire, and see if I can scratch convincing antenna bases.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Thursday, September 29, 2011 1:52 PM

Looks good!

I'm thinking I may get back on mine in a bit, just got a little burned out on it.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Friday, September 30, 2011 8:13 AM

I made some more progress on the Tamiya -A1 in the last couple of days. I sprayed the wheels (template method, using MM Acryl Army/Marine ODS Sand). Tamiya  molded the kit in a plastic very close to the correct shade for the period so it's a bit hard to tell what's painted and what's not.

I've added the flank grab handle, lift lugs around the cuppola, skate ring for the loader's MG, plus the NBC unit, and am presently scratching rhe missing fillet with the heater drain. Then I can add the APU on the rear hull and some missing bolt heads on a couple of plates previously added to the transom above the engine grills. Tact board also being scratched at this time...

Photos soon, I like to get an Abrams mostly built up and take some shots with the tracks temporarily mounted but the skirts off, she has a very "MBT-70" look at that stage.

I've been inspecting the Trumpeter -HA, and I think I can knock that one off before the end of the year as well...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Friday, October 7, 2011 7:31 AM

Here she is, the stage she's been at for a few days (busy on a couple of others so still not got to the Z-springs, maybe this weekend...)

I love an Abrams at this stage, she looks so sleek!

Some of the bits are just balanced, as you can tell by the eraser supporting the barrel.

Given how much of the wheels are visible, it may be totally AMS to template-spray both sides of both ranks, but I know there's paint everywhere it gets at the factory.

Besides the Z-springs to scratch and fit, there's not much to do. The bracket that holds the crosswind  sensor in the stowed position needs to be added, and I'll decide if the stowage cans and tact board are going on before or after painting... The periscopes all get done after main painting, as do the radio masts, so any time now she can come apart again to get her overall ODS sand coat; the tracks will be painted separately, of course, and there'll be the usual shade and fade tints, then a thorough dirt and rust job. Topside MGs are somewhere in this process too.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 9:35 AM

Looks good! I'm still un-motivated on mine, plus picked up the M60 for the IDF GB I'm also neglecting. Too many irons in the fire right now, I guess.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    October 2011
Posted by GooglyDoogly on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 2:45 PM

Just saw this group build while browsing online, and I thought I'd join, since I love the Abrams. I am going to build Dragon's 1/35 M1A1 AIM kit, as one of the Abrams that participated in OIF's Thunder Run.

Here's my kit and one of Echelon's decal sheet.

  • Member since
    October 2011
Posted by GooglyDoogly on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 2:51 PM

Started the kit last night by building the sprockets and road wheels.

Also start work on the hull, and the suspension system. The suspension is well engineered, although a little bit fiddly to work with. And the instruction manual can be confusing.

The suspensions are not actually glued in yet. I wanted to make sure that all the wheels are gonna be touching the ground, plus I want to make sure they're in the right height.

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 3:56 PM

Welcome aboard GD! It's great to have a new joiner at this late stage -- the build finishes in a couple of months. I'll add you to p1 right away.

I have that kit in my stash and can vouch for Echelon decals, I'm using them too. This'll be a great project!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    October 2011
Posted by GooglyDoogly on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 6:48 PM

Thanks for the welcome. :) After building planes for a year, building armor again is a nice change of scenery. :)

Here's the main gun assembly. If I ever build this kit again (or the M1A2 SEP version), I think I'd go use the plastic gun tube next time. Fit is excellent, much better than Tamiya.

Here is the turret and the hull, with the suspensions finally glued in place. I test-fitted part of the non-ballistic side armor, as reference how low or how high the suspensions should be.

I'm really enjoying this kit a lot. A little over-engineered, but the quality and accuracy of each piece is wonderful.

  • Member since
    October 2011
Posted by GooglyDoogly on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 3:46 PM

More work on the hull, with PE parts installed.

Rear hull done, with the lights off. I'm gonna install them after I paint and weather and sealed the hull.

Front hull done!

 

During all this time, I'm building the tracks little by little. It's a tedious job because each track has two prominent flash marks that has to be sanded well. Hopefully I could have it finished by tonight.

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Sunday, October 30, 2011 6:56 PM

Looks like you're moving along nicely. I've never built one of Dragon's M1s, but heard they build into good replicas.

I got some pics of mine as it sits now, looks like I need to re-do or fix the smoke dischargers, since I have the "barrels" oriented incorrectly. Dumb mistake on my part......I may cover them with tarps.

Skirts and CIP's(?) are painted, awaiting application of pastels and pigments on running gear and tracks and turret before I install them. Stowage will come from Tamiya's accesory set. I'm on the lookout for a couple of resin crew figs, watching the "sale" section of the Squadron monthly....

Anyway, the pics:

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Sunday, October 30, 2011 7:10 PM

Good lookin' beastie! SWEET! I'm just shoprt of this stage myself, I got a few more items done but no chance to post the pics. She's masked up ready for overall paint at this time.

I love the M1 minus skirts, she looks amazing this way...

M/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Sunday, October 30, 2011 10:11 PM

Definitely has a different look, doesn't it.......

I think it was here, someone made the comment about a resembleance to the MBT 70. There's pics floating around somewhere of M1's without skirts at the NTC, maybe as VISMOD-type units? Might be a nice modeling subject.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Monday, October 31, 2011 3:13 AM

That would have been me -- yep, the resemblance to the dynamics of the MBT-70 really flash out!

M/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Saturday, November 26, 2011 1:08 AM

Hi all,

Back again -- I spent the middle two weeks of this month in England and have just managed to get my head around a project. I just put the main ODS sand onto my M1A1 and it looks pretty good. I used MM Acryl and hosed on three mixings before I started to encounter tip drying, which is not bad. But for a couple of touchups, the main colour is now done.

Before I headed off to the UK I made a bit of progress, scratching the Z-springs and the crew heater drain, and masking the turret rotation ring, here are the pics:

From this point, I dismounted the wheels and tracks (which latter will be sprayed separately), and hosed on the main shade, which as it happens Tamiya matched near-perfectly with the colour of their plastic. The Acryl went on evenly and seems to have laid down very nicely.

Next, oil pin-wash all details, mask and spray the mudflaps, work up the stowage, paint the topside MGs, work up the periscopes, attach the skirts and accessories... WIP pics soon.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Monday, November 28, 2011 10:22 AM

Watching still......

Gonna hit some hobby shops in the UK? Bovington? I had an opportunity to spend a day at Bovington two years ago, had to be sweet-talked out of the place by my wife and her English cousins, something about pubs in Poole......

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    April 2005
Posted by Thunderbolt379 on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 1:26 AM

Hope you find what you want at a decent price, RBaer.

A bit more progress to report -- the tracks are done, they took some days as the repetitive nature of the process is somewhat tedious. See my blog (address in my sig line) for a workshop on the method -- suffice to say it takes six stages and was done mostly in Tamiya Acrylics...

The dusty look of the rubber is a bit more pronounced in real life than it appears here, and was done with an overspray of well-thinned Buff. Next, the state of play as of this morning:

The next major job was to attach the skirts, and this was a PITA -- for some reason the parts fit perfectly when you dry-fit them, and as soon as you add glue they don't want to know about it. I tried fitting them before painting but they wouldn't have it and I lost patience. This time I cleaned up mating areas with a knife and used gel superglue as well as liquid cement and they seem to have accepted that their new home is on the sides of this beast. Here's the job as it stands right now:

Next, check for needed reinforcement of the skirts while I have access from underneath. Yes, the idler wheels are in place behind the skirts, and yes, I had to pry the front ends free to mount them, on both sides (real ability to hold onto details, eh...) Next step, fade coat on the top surfaces, subtly done, and maybe a shade coat on the underworks, to the same degree, then I can get to the pinwash. The MGs are underway as well.

I considered doing a dust coat on the roadwheels to match the track pads and blocks, but photographs suggest the roadhweel tires retain a darker appearance than the rubber they are in contact with, so I'll let a little Mig powder suffice on that score.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

http://worldinminiature.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 8:13 AM

Looking good, Mike. I like the tracks, and I too have had issues with M1 side skirts.  I'm still wrapped up in the IDF project, M1 is close by.....

Re: the UK, I wanted to ask what YOU had in  mind - I was there a couple of years ago.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Fort Worth, TX
Posted by RESlusher on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 8:59 AM

Great work on the Abrams, Mike!  Bow Down  I really like the look of your tracks!

I've got the Dragon M1A2 SEP on my To-Do List.  I'm working on the Trumpy up-armored BMP-3 right now and have the Tamiya M2A2 Bradley ODS awaiting detail work once HobbyTown gets more Tamiya acrylics!

 

Richard S.

On the bench:  AFV Club M730A1 Chaparral

On deck:  Tamiya Marder 1A2

In the hole:  Who knows what's next!

 

  • Member since
    October 2009
  • From: Long Island, New York
Posted by Chris2504 on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 7:55 PM

Thunderbolt379

Hope you find what you want at a decent price, RBaer.

A bit more progress to report -- the tracks are done, they took some days as the repetitive nature of the process is somewhat tedious. See my blog (address in my sig line) for a workshop on the method -- suffice to say it takes six stages and was done mostly in Tamiya Acrylics...

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/MikeTheModeller/Tamiya%20M1A1/DSCF3036a.jpg

The dusty look of the rubber is a bit more pronounced in real life than it appears here, and was done with an overspray of well-thinned Buff. Next, the state of play as of this morning:

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn48/MikeTheModeller/Tamiya%20M1A1/DSCF3038a.jpg

Those tracks are beautiful, I'm inspired to take mine off and redo them.  Would your method work for indy links?

In Progress:

Revell F-15I

Accurate Miniatures A-36

 

 

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.