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CM-11 'Brave Tiger' (M48H) (Takom 1/35th)

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  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
CM-11 'Brave Tiger' (M48H) (Takom 1/35th)
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, April 18, 2021 4:19 PM

Gee, is this the first thing I've finished this year? 

CM-11 'Brave Tiger' is a General Dynamics tank designed for the Republic of China/Taiwan. It consists of the turret of a M48 mated with the hull of a M60 and outfitted with 2000 era fire control systems. A 2015 refit adds ERA bricks. 

https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=219

The US Army applied the designation M48H - H for Hybrid. 

The kit goes together without any major issues, I've gotten to be a big fan of Takom products. The base did give me fits, this is the second one I assembled. Still not totally happy though, I got the glue I used on the static grass everywhere, tried to remove it and then put down another coat of varnish and just ended up with varnish covered static grass everywhere. 

Hopefully I'll be starting on the M48 and A-39 Tortoise in my 'What's Next' thread just before Christmas after this.

 

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

 

  • Member since
    March 2019
  • From: Tacoma, Washington
Posted by Coffeepoweredprof on Sunday, April 18, 2021 6:10 PM

Looks great! Glad to know about the kit, I've had my eye on Takom's Brave Tiger for a while, and I've got at least one or two other Takom kits in the stash. After coming off a couple kits with...shall we say, "rough" quality, it'll be nice to get back into some better engineering.

I feel you on the flock! I used to base Warhammer 40k figures with grass flock and no matter how much or what glue I used, some of the grass always fluttered away. I would up putting the model over a sheet of newspaper after I'd glued on the first round of flock, then giving it a good rap so the loose bits landed on the paper rather than blowing away with the varnish. 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, April 18, 2021 6:58 PM

Thanks!!! 

The last few Takom kits I've built have been really well engineered. Or at least I haven't hit a bad one yet. 

I've been using flocking for years. This is the first time I've tried the long stuff- about a cm long. I do the same with the stuff, the short isn't too bad but the long seems to get everywhere despite getting most of it on paper and recycling it. 

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

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Monday, April 19, 2021 12:40 AM

It looks like a good build. I've always wondered about the pairing of the older M48 turret to the M60 hull as in why there were all the excess turrets? Or was it because there were excess -60 hulls?

I'm just guessing here; maybe extra turrets that used to be on hulls that became Sgt Yorks with excess hulls that used to be M60A2s?

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, April 19, 2021 7:21 AM

Thanks Rob!

I have no idea why they went with M48 turrets and M60 hulls. The ROC still use M48s so they apparently wanted an updated version. But I'd think they'd still go with M48 hulls simply from a commonality of repair parts. Your theory of left-over Sgt. Yorks make about as much sense as anything I've read. I really do need to read a little deeper- so far I've only went though the shortest articles on the subject. 

I forgot to mention- only real issue I had was the tracks. Takom supplies nicely detailed rubber band ones that fit really well- neither too short or long. But instead of the overlay you'd expect on most they give you a simple butt joint. I cemented them several times with epoxy and they didn't want to stay joined. So I just epoxied them to the rear drive sprocket and they seem to hold fine. There is a small seam running around them that would be really hard to get rid of but it's hard to notice unless you're looking for it. It'd kill me in any competition but hell I've probably got enough small issues here and there that they'd knock me out of a contest anyway. 

And Rob, do you have any idea what the yellow flag represents? The figures are from ModelFan, I built them right out of the box. They're made for AFV Club's CM-11 but they fit fine here. Only other kit of ROC tankers is the Freedom Model kit. Which is nice but the figures are sorta puffy and bloated looking without fine detail- they remind me of '70s era Tamiya figures.

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

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Monday, April 19, 2021 8:38 AM

Each tank comes with a three flag set, red, green and yellow. In the US, we only really use them for gunnery, the yellow is never flown alone. Red means the weapons are armed and ready to go, green means the weapons are safe and unloaded. The yellow is to signify a misfire or malfunction, but always flown with a red (weapons still armed) or green (weapons now safe).

But the flags can be used to signal formations. We normally used the radio, but it's not unheard of to use colored signal flags to represent what formation to move into, sort of like a football audible. The various movement formations are column, line, vee, wedge and echelon.

Flags can also signal enemy contact with green for friendly, red for enemy and yellow of unknown. So perhaps he's signaling that he sees unknown elements ahead?

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Valrico, FL
Posted by HeavyArty on Monday, April 19, 2021 9:32 AM

Looking good.  I used the CM-11 hull on my M60 AVLB a few years ago.  It goes together great.  I had no issues with it.

I've always wondered about the pairing of the older M48 turret to the M60 hull as in why there were all the excess turrets? Or was it because there were excess -60 hulls?

 

The combining of the M48 turret w/an M60 hull, and Abrams fire control system was to get around restrictions put on Tiawan by a US/China agreement on advanced weapons development.

"The development of the tank has two main purposes, first was to avoid the limitations set by the US-PRC Joint Communique (17 August Communique), and second was to allow the ROCA to acquire Second Generation MBTs."  Jane's Tank Encyplopedia

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
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, April 19, 2021 11:13 AM

Big thanks guys!!!

Rob: Thanks for the explanation! The box the figures came in showed the flag yellow so I painted it that way. And it matches the flowers (God help me I'm starting to sound like a friggin' interior decorator...)

Gino: Thanks! I'd just assumed it were a cost issue, politics never crossed my mind.

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

 

  • Member since
    November 2020
Posted by Also known as Rob on Monday, April 19, 2021 4:27 PM

Great job. Looks really good.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Monday, April 19, 2021 5:13 PM
Great job on this one

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, April 19, 2021 7:44 PM

Rob & Tojo: Thanks guys!!! 

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

 

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Tumwater, WA.
Posted by M. Brindos on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 5:00 PM

That's a great kit and a fantastic job on those figures!

- Mike Brindos "Lost Boy"

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 9:55 AM

Thanks Mike!

ModelFan makes great figures. Seems like they're really short-run though, they're hard to find.

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

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA
Posted by RBaer on Thursday, April 22, 2021 4:41 PM

Well done G. I like those Takom kits myself, both becasue they're well engineered and detailed, and I can pick one up for around $40 to get a good hull for something IDF.

Apprentice rivet counter.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, April 23, 2021 8:59 AM

RBaer

Well done G. I like those Takom kits myself, both becasue they're well engineered and detailed, and I can pick one up for around $40 to get a good hull for something IDF.

 

Thanks! I've built a few of the Takom kits and haven't found a bad one yet (cross your fingers)

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

 

  • Member since
    May 2020
Posted by Keyserj on Saturday, April 24, 2021 5:44 PM

Nice job and congrats on getting your first build of the year done. Good to hear the takom kits are well engineered. I have been looking at buying one of their tank transporter kits.

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves?"- Oddball

 

John

On the bench:

 

                     

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Formerly Bryan, now Arlington, Texas
Posted by CapnMac82 on Saturday, April 24, 2021 5:52 PM

You know, it occurs to me that Firing Range dioramas are under-used for display of armor kits.

It's a formalized setting,  An opportunity to display figures (and Range flags), no need to show the vehicle hull down in a prepared position under piles of camo nets or tarps or the like.

Also, there's less need to show all the personal gear piled so deep on the track, too.

Options, we have so many options.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Saturday, April 24, 2021 7:44 PM

CapnMac82

Also, there's less need to show all the personal gear piled so deep on the track, too.

In Germany, our tanks always looked like gypsy wagons with all sorts of standard gear (camo net bags, tentage, etc.) along with crew duffle bags stuffed in the bustle rack, even during tank gunnery. And a cooler was almost always present in warmer weather.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, April 25, 2021 6:31 PM

Thanks John! 

I have some rolled up camo nets for the bustle rack, I just forgot to put them in before taking the photo. Guess I should have added some storage but I wasn't sure what would work on a Taiwanise tank. And most of what I do have is all Second World War stuff.  

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

 

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