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Academy M1A1 - Complete

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  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 7:35 AM

Nice! So it might not be up to current standards but you've got the kit so you might as well build it while correcting the most obvious issues, thanks for letting us follow along. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    February 2014
  • From: Michigan
Posted by silentbob33 on Monday, January 11, 2016 6:05 PM
Glad to have you along Bruce! That's one thing I love about the forums, there are so many people here that are willing to share their knowledge. I can't begin to describe everything I've learned since I joined up.

On my bench: Academy 1/35 UH-60L Black Hawk

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: From the Mit, but live in Mason, O high ho
Posted by hogfanfs on Monday, January 11, 2016 9:34 AM

SB,

 

I'll be following along! Looking forward to this build!

And isn't it awesome having Gino around for all the technical information!

 

 Bruce

 

 On the bench:  1/48 Eduard MiG-21MF

                        1/35 Takom Merkava Mk.I

 

  • Member since
    February 2014
  • From: Michigan
Posted by silentbob33 on Monday, January 11, 2016 9:29 AM
Awesome, that sounds a lot easier. Thanks for the tip.

On my bench: Academy 1/35 UH-60L Black Hawk

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Monday, January 11, 2016 8:54 AM

GMorrison

Don't bother with clear plastic. Fill the vision ports in with styrene and paint them black.

 

Agreed.  Then paint a couple coats of clear red and a couple coats of clear gloss over them and they will look like the correct anti-laser film coated optics that the real tank has.  The optics should not be clear.

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

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Sunday, January 10, 2016 9:21 PM

Don't bother with clear plastic. Fill the vision ports in with styrene and paint them black.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    February 2014
  • From: Michigan
Posted by silentbob33 on Sunday, January 10, 2016 9:15 PM
Thanks for the heads up, I'll look into getting a barrel.

On my bench: Academy 1/35 UH-60L Black Hawk

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Sunday, January 10, 2016 9:05 PM

The worst part of the kit is the barrel.  It is way too short and hugely exagerated in its diameter, esp. the bore evacuator.  You should really get an AM barrel for it.  You need to look for an M256 barrel.  With the kit barrel it will look very toy-like.

By the way, there is no hyphen in the name.  It is simply an M1A1.

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

  • Member since
    February 2014
  • From: Michigan
Academy M1A1 - Complete
Posted by silentbob33 on Sunday, January 10, 2016 8:39 PM

Hi everyone, 

My brother has been asking me to build an Abrams for him for quite some time, and I had the Academy kit in the stash for a few years so I figured there's no time like the present.  I'm not much of an armor modeler and I've read a few reviews of the kit and from what I've seen it's not too accurate.  That's fine because I'm not a rivet counter and neither is he.  Plus, this is a good chance for me to get in some practice with armor before I tackle the more complex armor kits in the stash.  Here's the box art:

I also found some decals for a Desert Storm tank from the 2nd Armored Division.

And here's where I am so far; the wheels are assembled, holes in the bottom hull are filled, and the back of the lower hull is together.  There is a hole in the back above the exhaust, I'll probably put a sheet of styrene in there to blank it out.

Unfortunately the instructions aren't all that great, and I'm not sure how these rings should look on the drive wheels, any suggestions?

Lastly, there are no clear pieces in this kit so I'll probably have to cut some out of clear plastic for all the hatches and viewports.

On my bench: Academy 1/35 UH-60L Black Hawk

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