Still using up stash junk, I started a "slick" hull using a mash of Tamiya and Acedemy parts a few months ago, wanting to see if it was feasible to correct the upper front glacis. It came out okay, so I moved the front return rollers on each side and went ahead, still grabbing parts out of the goodies box when possible. That got me here:
IMG_2133 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
And here:
IMG_2281 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I then did the suspension, pirating lots of parts from the Academy M60A2 kit which happens to have a nice set of newly tooled road wheels but still uses the yucky old swing arms. A little bit of plastic stock and I had sometjing passable.
So for the 'dozer: Academy released a kit of it a few years ago, but it's pretty simple and has nothing but the basic blade and mechanism, no hydraulic resevoir, pump or lines. Bummer. The Verlinden kit is of the IDF version which has all the lines inside the hull, with a different resevoir. Along comes Takom, and pow, a very nice M9 Dozer in a very nice M60A1 kit. So I've wanted to build the tank pictured in David Doyle's M60 book, pg 34, for a long time, and now I had the basics. Then I scored an old Commander's Models turret, so it was time. First off, get the Takom hydraulics on, and to my relief, it wasn't bad, Even the spacing or the suspension stations was correct, meaning the long one-piece under the hull hydraulic lines part went on without mods. I did have to make up two shorter lines, no problem really, and do some minor fiddling with the line covers at the front, but that's all on, shown here without the blade mounts or hydraulics:
IMG_2691 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
And the resevoir and pump, tight fit of the lines around the sprocket:
IMG_2690 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
With the deozer stuff on, blade is the last bit anong with the driver's release on the glacis.
IMG_2694 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
Some more hull detailing done, more parts box stuff and a little plastic stock.
IMG_2696 by Russel Baer, on Flickr
I think this could be almost the last of the old Tamiya/Academy/Esci bashes I do, not because they're not fun, but because I'm almost out of parts. Finally. The next one will be on an AFV Club hull. I think.
Oh, wait, there's theat Academy Magach with the mine roller I just picked up.......
Squirrel!