Good stuff here! One of these days I hope to build a model of each tank I was assigned to, so I'm interested in y'alls experiences/expertise in building these models. I had a "blade tank" M60A1 (RISE) the last year I spent with 3/77 Armor (5ID) at Ft Polk LA 1976-77. We never had a problem with the blade working, where the problem was was the extra weight on the front end. The extra weight caused the tank to be depressed in the front since the suspension was not modified and higher than normal in the rear. As a result, I think we spent as much time getting pulled out of the Ft Polk muck (high water table!), as digging emplacements. I don't recall the hydraulic lines going under the tank, but that was a long time ago, and probably of not much importance to me at the time. There seemed to be a push to add a blade tank to each Company starting in the mid-70s as I had never seen one before they starting modifying our tanks in '76. We didn't have them in Europe, which one would think would have priority at that time. Previously the only blades I had seen were on the M88s recovery vehicles (which, if I remember correctly, were mainly for stability when recovering tanks) and the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle (a modified M60).
My first assignment was with the 4/64 Armor (3ID) in Aschaffensburg Germany (1972). At that time the BN was a mix of M60s and A1s - all in OD with white and yellow lettering. The bore evacuators were painted Red (A Company), White (B CO) & Blue (C CO), with a tank name. I don't recall if anybody else did this. In Fall 1973, I understood, we were the first Armor BN (maybe the first unit) in Europe to camouflage our tanks. This was not the [later] common forest green pattern, but supposedly a modified desert pattern of sand, blacks, grays, etc. I never saw this pattern again. By the mid-70s all M60A1s would have been in green camouflage.
As for the track, the first time I saw the removable octagonal track was at Ft Polk where, as a re-activating unit, we were getting our vehicles straight off the assembly line about 5 at a time. Thus, I'd say the T142 wouldn't be appropriate for an O/D A1.
As for the paint, it really depends on what you want to portray. A tank just off the assembly line is going to have a darker O/D. One that's been in the field is going to be affected by it's specific environment. At Grafenwoehr Germany, where we'd go twice a year to fire, there was a fine dust/mud that covered the tanks in a dusty film we could never get off [and thus a lighter color]. At Ft Polk, the sandy soil wore out sprockets and wore off paint.
Bottom line is I believe an O/D A1 would have the old style track, and would not have a dozer blade. However, there are always exceptions to the rule - some tanks at Ft Knox, Aberdeen PG, with the National Guard, or with the Marines might have been different from what I experienced.
Now all I need is somebody to come out with parts for an AVLB. I sure don't look forward to scratchbuilding the bridge, launcher and other modifcations to the hull!
Well, I seem to have rambled a bit, but hopefully there's some useful info here
Andy