Ah, decisions, decisions. 

Amazing details, Russ. This thing looks fantastic without paint lol. I love seeing all of that work in the raw, but I know you have to paint it.

All work and no modeling makes Russ a grumpy boy.....

So I did add a few small details here, spare tracklinks and brackets, air cleaner service indicators, an empty shovel bracket (I broke the shovel, and didn't like it anyway) and something else, forgot.....

IMG_7717 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_7718 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I still haven't decided if I want to finish this one as a "demo" or in service.

One word: Blog.

I'll be right in the middle of "No" and "where", but I can look at this forum on my phone. I'll be watching.

Dang. Guess I should just get something done myself. 

I would have said Soon, Soon, Soon! but I just got a week's assignment to El Paso, not much gonna happen for a while.

Paint! Paint! Paint! 

Sorry, I'm getting impatient lol.

Ray, I strongly considered some kind of mantlet-mounted secondary weaponry, but just couldn't incorporate it once I comitted to the ERA I used. It would have been in character, but I skated.

G, it's a possibility, unless I finish it as a "demo/prototype", not sure yet.

Aaron, thank you, that's exactly what I was trying to do, create an evolutionary design, a "Magach6D" if you will. I really like doing this kind of what-ifs, sometimes for fun (like a Sherman I did a while ago with a shortened 155mm gun tube) or the Magach6 with a Merkava1 turret I did more recently. I have more fun thinking up stuff than building OOB, always.

This is really great. I'm luke warm on what ifs as a genre since many are more flights of fancy than practical. I do enjoy (real) prototypes, "almost weres", runners up and well thought out and implemented what ifs.

This really seems plausible, if you made up a good back story you could easily send people off to google to find out more about this "IDF upgrade M60 prototype". Good choice of services too, the IDF is probably the biggest 1-1 "kit basher" out there. Some of their real modified vehicles look like the result of a demented kit basher on a bender.  

Yeah, looks good! 

I dunno other than some storage for the bustle rack. 

Russ, that looks good! All you need now is a minigun mounted to the main gun.

Ray.

Back from Vegas, and FYI, the HobbyTown out Sahara is seriously "de-contented" now.....   anyway, some details are on, such as a jerry can, spare tracks, gun travel lock and turret rails. What else do I need?

IMG_7205 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_7206 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I was thinking about the big "commander's box" over the turret ventilator cover, but I'd have to move some ERA and I just don't want to. Picky, aren't I?

Thanks guys.

Mike, I need to see a build thread, naturally.

Beware the dreaded snit!

M. Brindos

Holy snit, that looks awesome!

... 

Uh-oh, better be careful taking the name "Snit" in vain, or else you might end up suffering from "Snit's Revenge" 

Yeah she looks ready for business!!!

Business of kicking  that is... 

Holy snit, that looks awesome!

Russ, I started my own M-60 build. I know I'm supposed to be finishing my wingy things, but I can't resist anymore. It's all you're fault, bud. Lol

Seriously, that looks so beastly with that 120! HARD CORE!!!

And this is when it all starts to come together for me:

IMG_7023 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_7024 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I got home this morning and had a couple of hours, but didn't feel like doing tiny turret details, so tracks it was.

I'll admit I too usually leave the underside as-is, but sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet, so to speak. I have also always been a little put-off by kit manufacturers ignoring the hull undersides, am I'm quite happy to see both AFV Club and Takom finally doing these tanks justice in kit form. By the way, I've got a few Takom kits in the stash now, and I'm out of Italeri hulls, so in a way that's agood thing, since one of my "goals" was to use up all the old kits and stuff I'd gathered (hoarded?) over the last few years.

Same. I don't worry about the bottom. Paint it up all dirty and forget about it lol.

But this is the extra bit that just leans into the fun category. I mean, just look at that extra detail!

That's HEAVY metal!

Oh wow! The turret looks great! The bottom of the hull, well I normally just bolt the thing to the base and don't even bother to detail the underside.

That will be fun to paint!! 

Thanks Mike. Still considering adding a droid, but in the meantime, I played with the lower hull, adding bolt heads, some access ports (somewhat fictionalized) belly armor for the driver, and a lower front supplemental armor plate.

IMG_7021 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I'm really using up hex rod, but it'll be fun to paint.

That is looking cool, Russ.

Not much modeling time lately, but I have managed to do some ERA modules on the turret top....

IMG_7020 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

I've actually been thinking about how to do that, and I don't have enough hair left to pull out.

oooooo! Please?!

I thought about it, and even noodled on it a while, but I want to be able to see the coold stuff. Now if I was really ambitious, some slat armor would be cool.....

Awwww. Dangit.

No skirts! I want all that suspension work to show.

Tell me you have skirts for this! It totally needs armored skirts!

"Different" is key here....

I think I'm done with the turret armor.

IMG_6814 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_6815 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

IMG_6816 by Russel Baer, on Flickr

Maybe a bit on the top of the nose, but the majority is done.