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                        1/35 Tamiya M-48A3 (E1?)

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                        GMorrison
                        • Member since
                          September 2012
                        Posted by GMorrison on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 12:21 PM

                        I don't know if the Legends kit has them, but there's a very visible set of clips that run around the outside of the frame at the back of the mantlet cover, where it mates to the turret.

                         Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

                         

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                        HeavyArty
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Valrico, FL
                        Posted by HeavyArty on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 11:23 AM

                        I used the mantlet from Legend Productions...
                        I had to build up some Bondo to meet the sides of the mantlet cover. I'm not sure if the slope is wrong or if the mantlet cover is wrong, but it was far easier to match the slope to the cover than to modify and carve the mantlet cover to match the turret slope..

                         
                        Which Legend mantlet did you use?  The reason I ask is if you used the one from set #1268, that set is for the new Dragon M48A3s.  Set #1033 is the older set for the Tamiya kit.  The Dragon and Tamiya kits have slightly different shaped turrets.  The Dragon one is more correct. 

                         

                        Gino P. Quintiliani - Field Artillery - The KING of BATTLE!!!

                        Check out my Gallery: https://app.photobucket.com/u/HeavyArty

                        "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

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                        RBaer
                        • Member since
                          September 2006
                        • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
                        Posted by RBaer on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 10:41 AM

                        Following too.

                        A word: US castings are pretty good as a rule and cast texturing is generally relatively fine and uniform. I normally use some Mr.Surfacer over all the turret and hull castings, and only do light stippling, with maybe even some sanding after that. Your choice of course, but at this point it would be fairly easy to add some more of the bondo and even things out.

                        Apprentice rivet counter.

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                        Pawel
                        • Member since
                          May 2009
                        • From: Poland
                        Posted by Pawel on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 3:25 PM

                        Hello Mike!

                        I'm going to watch this one, too! I like what you did to the gun shield and its cover - this is a necessary modification to the Tamiya kit. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

                        Paweł

                        All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

                        www.vietnam.net.pl

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                        M. Brindos
                        • Member since
                          January 2015
                        • From: Tumwater, WA.
                        1/35 Tamiya M-48A3 (E1?)
                        Posted by M. Brindos on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 1:02 PM

                        I believe its time to begin my build log on this kit. I've got a few things accomplished so far and I've been spending time building on this kit while I wait for things on the M-60A1 to get finished.

                        So here is my work thus far on this old Tamiya offering.  :)

                        ******************************************

                        If you've been following my M-60A1 thread then you already know where this build began. I started with the figures and the TC's cupola. I did a little updating and fabrication to the M2, adding a shield and changing the mount location.

                        I used the mantlet from Legend Productions and the gun tube base from Verlinden to extend the 90mm cannon by 5mm in length. I know a few of you think the turret is too squat, but I think the gun tube is too short and that's what I decided to change.

                        I had to build up some Bondo to meet the sides of the mantlet cover. I'm not sure if the slope is wrong or if the mantlet cover is wrong, but it was far easier to match the slope to the cover than to modify and carve the mantlet cover to match the turret slope.

                        Since the turret is cast I decided to embelish and beef it up some. The cast texture on the kit is soft like most of the other details and I wanted it to be more pronounced. I will be repeating this method on the hull as well. I simple smudged on some Bondo with my finger and then rubbed it down after it dried to reduce any high spots or protrusions.

                        I added some turret cast numbers from the Verlinden M-48/M-60 upgrade set.

                        It shouldn't take much for this effect to be noticable under some paint.

                        This morning I began constructing the TC's cupola dust cover. I started buy trimming a piece of sticky note paper and attached it with super glue.

                        That made a base for the packing paper I used next to stick to. I glued the back edge down, again with super glue, to hold the back in place.

                        Using some white glue thinned with water I liberally brushed it under and over the packing paper to soften it up.

                        After a couple of minutes I gently moved the packing paper into position, making sure to leave wrinkles but also leaving a bit to overhang the front of the MG mantlet.

                        After that dried I trimmed off the overhanging paper. Its a tad rough at the moment but I'll clean up the edges later and it'll be fine. When I took this last picture the super glue was still setting to hold it permanently in place.

                        That's my progress so far. Not nearly as glorious as some of the other builds also taking place on this very same kit right now, but I'm just beginning so please be patient with my progress.

                        My main concern is building the M-60 for now.  :)

                        - Mike Brindos "Lost Boy"

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