I LOVE IT!!!!!      

Nice kit-bashing and scratch!  I am really looking forward to see the final product!

 

Mannn..... this really looks interesting.

I'm looking forward to seeing this right through to completion.

Cool, but is it "Panzer 46" enough?  (You'll laugh if you get the reference..!)

Well it's certainly different..man, the Israeli's come up with some BEE-zarre stuff for sure! I can't decide if the lines work, artistically, though because you haven't done a full-body shot yet. Can you get one up? 

Aside from that, the work you're doing on it is certainly commendable and very well-executed!  I too am looking forward to seeing the end result!

looks good, there's probably enough reasonable upgrades there to make this a fantasy kit that probably could pass for a real vehicle.

Wow that's just awesome! And frankly doesn't seem any more crazy to me than a Sherman with a 105!

Gentlemen, thanks one and all.

Karl, I got it, I think....     I've got a profile shot with the turret, and keeping in mind that there will be a bunch more stuff on the turret top (raised commander's cupola with vision blocks, remote weapons stations, "droid"), view it with a grain of salt......

Rob, I'm really trying to model something here that is well within the realm of possibility, and that could truly be be functional in every way. The 120mm gun is something that has been swapped into several turret designs that were previously equipped with 105's, and the M60 hull itself is the subject on many engine  and suspension upgrades, and ammo storage for the 120mm rounds has already been accomplished in the real world. Most of the other stuff I'm doing has already been done by the IDF on the Magach6B series and Magach7's, so I'm not really reaching.

R---first of all, remind me---is it "Robert"? I'm awful with remembering names, I apologize!

Anyway, I think you're 100% correct about the"what if" possibility. I think they could easily put turrets on old hulls if they had to. And I don't know the technical aspects of that gun, but hey, why not? It's a fantasy tank after all, and you should have fun with it!

The "artistic lines" are my proclivity, I'll admit. I was wondering how the sleek "Sci-Fi" turret would go along with the older hull. It seems like it dresses it up enough without making it too "Jetsons". :) Thanks for the photo!

"Russ"....

Thanks, wanted to do something that looked "right". That's what struck me about the pic I saw that started all this, it just looked "right".  Thing is, it's been a while since I saw the pic, and I can't for the life of me remember if it  was a Merk1 or -2 turret, or maybe a Merk3 turret, which is much more slab-sided, without the added armor anyway.  In all probability, if I'd had the Academy Merk3 in the stash, I probably would have used it's turret instead, but since this is an out-of-the-stash build (mostly), Merk2 it is. And, by the time I get done adding all the goodies and such on this turret, it'll be considerable bulkier, which should help with aesthetics considerably.

'Preciate the comments, how's the Czech Republic?

Ah yes, Russ! Thanks!

The CzR was great! A sold-out show, a wild crowd. Wasn't too thrilled about the pollution of Ostrava, but not my power to do anything about that.

I'll be looking in to se what you do with this! :)

Cool! Prague has been on our list of places to go, maybe next year.

I'm having so much fun with this one, it'll probably go pretty fast. Plus, I have everything on hand, except for the droid, which is on the way, and the 120mm gun tube, also on the way.

I'm not exactly being slowed down by research either.....   :)

T/C's cupola:

There's a lot of different bits in there, but this is the basic shape. I may add some kind of RWS, have to see what I can come up with.

That's sharp work!!!

Thank you, Karl.

Having this much fun on a "what-if" is making my feel guilty....

A wee update: commander's and loader's periscopes/vision devices, and tail lights are done.

I have an AFV Club RWS on the way, should be interesting to see if I can fit it on here and still have it be fully functional.

Lookin' sharp!

Fascinating idea and superb execution so far. I'll be keeping an eye on this build. :)

Thanks, G.

Mailman brought a couple of boxes of goodies today....    whee!

Goodies:

I'm having to modify the mantlet here, goal being to make something like the Merkava2B, to accept the 120mm gun tube.

Because of all the stuff already on the turret roof, I'm placing the RWS mount high on the new cupola, which means bracing will be added at the "front" of the mount, down to the turret roof. Rolled-up sandpaper is holding the whole mess on now, can't attach all this until I'm almost done with painting.

Looking wild, Russ! Cool stuff!

Thanks, Karl.  I'm a little concerned about how high the RWS actually is. I may have to build up a cable-cutter for the turret roof, for stuff like power lines.  I actually have a couple, came in the extras that AFV Club packs in the RWS kit, from one of their Stryker kits.

ET Models droid built up and installed:

And mantlet and gun recoil shield in final form and installed:

More small stuff to do here, but I think my larger, technical hurdles are behind me, unless I decide the mount for the RWS needs to be modified to lower the weapon somewhat.

Turret's about done, less the ball and chain RPG screen.

Hatches are both workable, haven't decided on figs yet.

Also added were some Blazer packs on both sides and next to the driver's hatch.

I'm starting to run out of things to do, or at least things that I KNOW I need to do....

Wow, that's toally wild, Russ! It's cool with all the different colored plastic on it too! I'm really dying to see what it looks like when the paint brings itall together!

Thanks, Karl.

It's starting to look like a "Johnny Cash car".......

It's amazingly awesome is what it is. I've never seen anything like it, but I want one. lol

Thanks Mike.

I have pics of the thing ready for paint, and one of the primed turret, but P-bucket is broken today, gotta wait till after work. Hope they'll have it working by then.....

Hmmm, paint!

Friuls are mostly assembled, am I'm almost settled on using the primer as the actual base color, rather than IDF sand-gray, for a number of reasons, primarily since this is supposed to be a theoretical LIC-type AFV, it would be in a different color than other IDF tanks, and secondly because I kind of like it. I think normal urban dust and Middle Eastern dirt would really work, and I have to admit, I'm tired of people telling me my IDF sand-gray is "too sand" or "too green" or "too whatever". If it's gray, it's gray.

I decided to go with the gray, but as if it was a hasty overspray of the normal IDF sand-gray, so I took some Humbrol buff and a couple of old brushes, and worked the Humbrol into the nooks and crannies that might have remained unpainted or poorly covered during a re-spray. I then used a thin black acrylic wash on everything, and pin-washed bolt heads and such.

Tracks are temporarily fitted, next is a gloss coat, then decals and detail painting, and I'll finish with dust. Pics so far:

Brutal, just brutal-looking!

I'm digging its' groove!