Hello everybody!

Movin' on with the turret! Takom has a quite strange build sequence in its instructions - they recommend to detail the top half of the turret and just then to put it on the lower half. For one all those details may get damaged in progress. the other thing is the top half has a slight tendency to warp, and this warp might get reinforced by glueing in all the hatches, reinforcements and so on. This is why I decided to first join the halves, do the filling and sanding, and just then to start detailing. To do this I first painted the parts that might be hard to do afterwards and then put it all together. Now my turret looks like this:

And the underside:

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

Hello everybody!

Ben - thanks a lot for the details! I bet that "parts" track would make a very interesting model!

Cap'n - yeah, those more exotic color variants would be cool to do, but I'm going for a more conservative winter verdant here...

Gamera - and here's more for you, I have finally put the fenders on:

And I started working on the turret, here's the guns' elevation mechanism:

Thanks for lookin' and have a nice day!

Paweł

HeavyArty

At least one was in MERDC.

I still think a Verdant Arctic version would be cool, if only for its rarity in the wild :)

White, green and sand are just one of those combos :)

It looks cool in either green or MERDC. 

Looking forward to more Pawel!

I tried to reply to your thread twice but the forum deleted one before I could post it and the second one never updated (forum problems with Safari?) 

In 1985 while at Ft. Bliss, there were two M247 Sgt. York vehicles that I saw. One was painted in the period desert camouflage (like our 3rd ACR vehicles). While the other was two tone. The chassis was in the desert scheme but the turret was part part Army Green on the front ammo covers and mast antenna and one road wheel on the left side (forgot which one though).

I was only at the range a couple different days, not the whole time, and not all day on those days either. I figured they pretty one was used for "show" while the other one could've been a "parts vehicle" in case they couldn't get stuff into the range fast enough and that represented the multi color parts. 

The support vehicles used in group testing were M60 A3 MBT's along with some M113 Cav Scout vehicles. There were also some 2 1/2 ton trucks pulling water trailers to haul the support and range crews, a couple GMC Jimmy Army versions in desert cammo. If I remember correctly, one of those days they also tested beside a vulcan M113 and Chapparal (think sidewinders on a single person turret bolted in the back of a M548). There were even some POV's entering control area, not on the test range. 

Hope this helps....

Well, there you go.  At least one was in MERDC.  All the proof you need.

'Cuz I absolutely HAVE to have mine in MERDC - and there's one in MERDC at Aberdeen I believe. There's a walk around of it on the Prime Portal:

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/david_lueck/m247_sgt_york_divad/index.php

They even painted camo under the fenders:

Pawel

Can you tell me what the test vehicles were painted like?

 Nothing fancy.  Most were overall forest green.  

Hello!

Thanks a lot for your comments!

Gamera - I might say that I even enjoyed building those tracks!

Ben - now that's a cool story!

Can you tell me what the test vehicles were painted like? And were they prepared "extra pretty" for the presentations since the brass were lookin' at 'em? I'm aiming to show such a presentation vehicle with my model.

Have a nice day!

Paweł

She's coming along great Pawel! Glad to hear the tracks aren't that much of a headache. 

Ben: Wow, I'd heard horror stories about the thing, but nothing that bad-wow! 

Looking really nice so far and the detail on this molding is amazing. I bought the Academy version many years ago, as soon as it was released (still to be built). It appears this kit is light years above it, am I wrong?

Short Story; I was in the 3rd Sqdrn. 3rd Armored Cavalry, stationed at Ft. Bliss TX when the development of the Sgt. York was going on in the early 80's (McGregor Test Area). I still remember some of the testing that we supported. During one test they were integrating it with the Armored Cavalry role ( like a ZSU-23-4 or Gepard would). Within 5 minutes of the demonstration it identified a friendly target drone as hostle, and it was not the first or last time that happened. As a matter of fact, one time when the system was turned on it systemically turned kind of back toward the spectator stand and made VIP's and Ft. Bliss ADA brass scatter. It also had tracking problems often taking too long to identify a target before they were out of range. Later in one demonstration the ADA electronics portion of the turret appeared to break down. So what happened next you ask (?), they shot off all the flares / smoke grenades and went in reverse at high speed with a dead turret.  Some of the Cav crews were not happy when the smoke and canisters bounced off thier vehicles. To make it worse, VIP's from Washington flew into watch the demonstration and nobody was impressed. I believe from what I remember during the time of the development of the Sgt. York, it was kind of doomed early on when they chose to mix multiple off the shelf technologies. The compatibility issues delayed and extended its development along with greatly increasing its costs. I remember around 1985 the Secretary of Defense cancelled the project. I think the Gepard and ZSU proved that it was a good concept, but the politics and parts  mix on a fixed budget doomed the Sgt. York project before it really started, and the rest they say is history.

Hello everybody!

Thanks a lot for your comments!

Gino - I believe my stance towards this kit comes through - I heartly recommend this kit, it's engineered very nicely and good value for the money.

Rob - that Tamiya M48A3 was a model of the year in the eighties, but the times have changed...

Cap'n - although it didn't really enter service, they have built about fifty of them so it's not all paper, it's definitely an iron tank! Like I wrote I just can't pass up the chance to paint this one MERDC.

Gamera - I know it sounds a little crazy, and I was also a little afraid of those tracks after my experience with the Broncos, but it's not that bad, the jig they give you, minimum cleanup required on the parts and the way they go together all make those tracks very buildable.

And I'm movin' on with the build. I have completed the rear hull, installed the first kit-supplied PE part and started assemblying the rather busy fenders. Here's how it all looks like now:

I hope soon to be done with the hull and to move on to the gun mount. Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

Paweł

Looks great Pawel, nice work! 

Though those track links, six parts per link!?!?! Get me a straitjacket and a rubber room! 

HeavyArty

I may have to get one of these. I had been on the fence about it, but am leaning toward getting one now.

Yep, 100% understand that--it's a bit of a "paper Tiger" for having the sort of Service History as an MBT70 in its way.

That Takom kit, though, is swaying my feelings.  As are temptations to a "fantasy" MERDEC paint scheme.  Or, perhaps a Red Dawn 2.0ß.  Or, just maybe the Army's experimental "digital" camo of the era, as those surfaces would be condusive to the task.

The temptations are endless.

I agree, the Takom kit looks great! Keep up the good work.

HeavyArty

Tamiya totally screwed it up on their old dog of a kit.

To be fair, times were different in the 1970s when the kit came out; models were motorized, they used an empty tank (probably one from Vietnam) as a guide, and the only other M48 in 1/35 scale was the ancient Monogram model.

And compared to the Dragon kit, their's isn't forty years better than the old Tamiya kit.

That Takom kit looks like a winner though.

Looking good.  Takom did as really nice job capturing the new rear area on the hull.  Tamiya totally screwed it up on their old dog of a kit.  Tracks looks good too.

I may have to get one of these.  I had been on the fence about it, but am leaning toward getting one now.

Hello everybody!

Thanks a lot for your comments! I'm glad you like my jig idea.

Bill - the height of the jig is not the actual ground clearance, as the bottoms of the torsion bar bearing tubes - that rest on the jig - are somewhat higher than the lowest point on the hull. And you are right, the tracks are pretty thick when you measure them.

As for the tracks - I managed to assemble them, that was a little lika a meditation. There are six parts for every link, and the instructions list 78 links per side. Luckily the tracks are made very nicely, with parts needing only minimal cleanup. The secret to keeping them movable it to use only minimal amount of glue. I only put glue to the pins joining the link halves, using a small paintbrush, and I managed to keep the track fully articulated. These tracks use similar system to the Bronco tracks, but I have found the Takom tracks to be much easier and enjoyable to build than the Bronco tracks.

And so after dry fitting them - everything is still removable for painting - it looks like this:

On the rear hull there's some nice detail, I was especially impressed with the casting of those really thin lifting rings. I had to fill and sand some joints here and added some welds in process:

I have also added some more welds on the underside of the rear hull:

Now I'll probably paint the tracks... Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Very cool Pawel, the jig is really clever idea to keep things straight.

There's a Sgt York at a local musuem, I've got photos but I'm not sure where they got to. 

Most excellent little jig there! I guess it would be worth subtracting the thickness of the tread from the clearance, but no big deal.

Bill

Nice idea Pawel. It's coming along very well.

Its coming along nicely.  Good method for setting the height of the hull.

Gino, Rob - thanks a lot for your comments!

I'm movin' on with the build. I'm tackling the "working" torsion bar suspension. Takom put a lot of work into it, but it's still pretty hard to get it right. What I did was to file the torsion bar ends slightly round (the ones that should be glued on the hull centerline), and the I glued them with sprue goo. I have also made a special tool/jig:

By the way my tool is 12mm high. All the documents say the ground clearance of an M48 should be 16 inches.

I have put the road wheels on their arms and put my model on my jig. I have left it like this for about 50 hours, to let the solvent evaporate completely:

Now the model sits nicely and evenly and I can move on with the assembly and detailling the hull.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel

Rob, Gino, Bill - thanks a lot for your comments! I would actually feel bad if I didn't have you on my thread, especially one like that!

Rob - I didn't put the back on for the photos, but I'm working on it right now. I found it fascinating

So did any one of you got a chance to have a contact with Sgt. York when it was tested back then? Or maybe as a target at the range?

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

The York was cancelled when I was still in college (1985).

One time when I was a part of Readiness Group Redstone, I had to do an evaluation of a Guard unit up north (Michigan or Minnesota). The fort had a military museum and there was a York on display.

That's the closest I've ever been to one. It was before I had a digital camera and I didn't take a camera with me. So, no pictures.

Redstone did have one of the Bradley Linebackers there when I was an instructor for the Ordnance Muntions and Missile Maintenance Center and School.

Mobile ground based anti-aircraft weaponry have always seemed to be the red headed stepchild of the US Army.

Pawel

So did any one of you got a chance to have a contact with Sgt. York when it was tested back then? Or maybe as a target at the range?

I have never seen an actual one.  They were before my time.  I haven't run across any as range targets either.

Rob, Gino, Bill - thanks a lot for your comments! I would actually feel bad if I didn't have you on my thread, especially one like that!

Rob - I didn't put the back on for the photos, but I'm working on it right now. I found it fascinating

So did any one of you got a chance to have a contact with Sgt. York when it was tested back then? Or maybe as a target at the range?

Thanks again and have a nice day!

Paweł

Pawel

You got this one right, Gino! How did you know?

 

M48 hull but not an M48, gotta be a SGT York.

He knows everything!

Bill

You got this one right, Gino! How did you know?

Takom M247 Sergeant York?