Carmen,
There are 25 M1's in the fleet that have the sprocket ring (according to my last bit of information). It's not really a mod. The only modifications to the M1 was the addition of the fridge.
In the SWBTA, the grass can get quite high, and can foul the tracks. So the crew will remove the guard to make it a bit easier to clean out the sprocket. The AS Leopard had the same part of their tack guard removed for the same reason.

Cheers Jason

Thanks guys! The comments are greatly appreciated!

Jason - That's good to know! Thanks for the information!!

Friends from down under - I need to confirm a few facts....

The Australian Army received 59 M1 tanks, 2 in the HQ Regiment and 13 tanks per three squadrons totalling 41... so 59 minus 41 equals 18 tanks.... I know a few were purchased for spare parts.... but where did the rest of them go???

Also, the original purchase agreement had 59 M1 tanks, 5 M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicles.... were there any other vehicles purchased in the agreement?? I thought I read about heavy transporters?? Also was the C17 Globemaster jet part of this agreement or was it a subsequent purchase??

Thanks in advance!!

No problem Carmen,
I can’t help you with the specifics, but some of the ones missing would have ended up in the School of Armour and the RAEME schools as well. 1 Armoured Regiment probably has a couple in holding that are not on the official list as back ups.

Cheers Jason

Not sure about the spare Abrams Carmen, but the C-17 deal was separate. Was atleast a year or so prior. Strategic airlift capability for the upcoming Army's order of Abrams did influence the purchase decision, but that's about the only relation between the two. Still, what a comedy it'll be to watch the 4 workhorses fly out our 1 Armoured Regiment's Abrams if they were ever to be deployed for war. It'd be like China's PLA paratroopers being able to boast having so many men but barely any planes to drop them lol

Got the four of them for a discounted AU$1 billion (that's about what, ~US$780 million I think?). Good deal if you ask me lol Got em straight off the Boeing production line before Congress forced them to shut down production. Obama helped keep it alive to make eight more, but after that it's done & dusted =/

I have another question...

The lenses in the doghouse.... are they both the same colored glass? It appears they have a green tinge, or is just the lens on the right, in front of the optics?? I've seen on other Abrams build logs that modellers have only painted the one on the right, but honestly I can't tell from real pictures.

Please refer to the images I posted on Page 2 of this build log.... Thanks in advance!

just a quick note about optics! i use a gift wrapping bow that is clear but refract's like a cd. so then all i do is check refs and use a translusant paint and bingo!!!! sorry i couldn't help out any though.

From the pics I normally look at, (from the front of the tank) the right side is mostly a purply-blue, but sometimes under different weather they look light green. Other times, it's just as dark, empty and non-reflective as the left side. And the lil' circle thing on the right is gold. Sometimes when the sun is dull it looks white xD

Here's the latest installment...

I wasn't happy with the way I tried to fade the BFT lid... I didn't think there was enough contrast, so I re-painted it


Before I can put on the side skirts, I had to finish the wheels. Since the cap for each road wheel is clear to check the oil lubricant levels I first tried Tamiya Smoke by applying it to the back of the cap.... it wasn't strong enough for my liking. I then tried Mig Oil and Grease Stain which did the trick, I only applied it to the back of the cap


Front

Back

Here's the road wheel, I applied a light pin wash using MIGs Abteilung Wash Brown. It applied alot lighter then the color on the tube.

Next was the doghouse lense. I first applied Tamiya Clear Green, then using my good friend's Historex round punch and die set, I punched small lenses from my reflective confetti I picked up at the dollar store. The dark lense which isn't very visible in the final shot was punched from old camera film (unexposed) to provide some contrast between the optic lenses.

I can't in any way take credit for this technique as I first saw it in the M1A1 Abrams "Boom Stick" build log here on Armorama by Matthew Sinclaire. Thanks for the inspiration!!! He's got 11 pages for his build log and I know it's in there somewhere...

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/105400&page=1








Stay tuned as I'll be using those confetti pieces for my periscopes. Next steps: Pin Wash, Tracks, Side Skirts, Periscopes, then Pigments... Hopefully won't be long.... Cheers!!

Here's a pictures off the ADF website I used as reference and inspiration. Enjoy!

The shading on the BFT looks perfect. Excellent job. On the BFT and and the whole tank.

matt

Thanks Matt! Thanks for posting your step by step build pictures of Boom Stick, without I don't think I would have known how to replicate your Doghouse optic lense idea. Absolutely a great build!

I really like your little procedure for creating the sight lenses. WELL DONE!

Here is a Gunner's Sight doghouse on an US Army M1A1 Abrams in Iraq (from Prime Portal). The angle of the light changes the "mirroring" and color, so the sights look different in almost every picture. [the left "window" is actually a mirror image reflecting the turret armor with the lifting bolts]

And Denmark - they have a platoon of Leopard 2A5 DK deployed and have been used extensively in support of the British (1 KIA to date from an IED * ). They too now have bar armour and Barracuda MCS.

Carmen,

Great build, look forward to seeing it finished.

Greg

Hey Everyone

I've completed two things I've been dreading the most. The sequin periscopes and the pin wash. I've been stressing about these for the past 2-3 weeks because in my opinion these are the two things that will make or break this model. Well... after a long day I can easily say I'm extremely happy with the results. They didn't come easy but with some patience and a cold beer I was able to get through them. Enjoy!

Pin wash - I previously put a light coat of gloss coat on the model for decal application, I sealed the deals with another light coat of gloss just over the decals. In the past I've always had issues with tide marks but I had the opportunity to sit with Gary Edmounston and he showed me his trick "in the flesh". This isn't an uncommon procedure but it definately cure me of my tide mark problem.

I set up two dishes, 1 with my wash and 1 of pure thinner (two dedicated brushes as well). I applied to an entire panel a light coat of thinner then using the other brush I apply the wash around detail and maybe some patches here and there. I let it sit for a few minutes to allow most of the thinner to evaporate, then using the clean brush (just damp with clean thinner) I stroked the wash forward. This does two things, 1 it creates subtle rain streaks and it lightens the wash around the detail to help blend it in.


After the first application of the wash.


Streaking it forward


The turret has not been touched yet. Note how subtle the effect is. On a light colored vehicle it is important to be subtle as it will stain or ruin the finish quality. I used MIG's Abteilung Oil wash brown as it has a hint of red/orange which will fit in nicely when I start to apply pigments (Think Cultana training area).


Here's with the turret done as well.

Periscopes - I used The Chopper II to properly cut squared pieces from the confetti to fit the individual periscopes. I used liquid mask to cover the area where they would be placed then painted the periscopes Sand Yellow/Sand to match the tank. I used liquid mask so there would be more of a recess for the confetti pieces. I don't like it when people use this method and the final product looks like they put stickers on... i.e. they are clearly above the surface. I glued them on with Micro Kristal Klear which is great for clear parts and "dissimilar materials" as the bottle states. I used red for all the periscopes and a light blue for the frontal commanders periscope for a bit of contrast.

I also painted the rubber seals around the hatches. The drivers wind shield wipers were cut off then shaved pieces of styrene were glue on top then painted.











Enjoy!

Carmen,

Its hard to tell from your photos, but did you install a small vertical oval of "sight glass" in the vertical tube to the left of the CDR's .50 cal HB Machine Gun Mount? [images from Prime Portal]


Also, the CDR's sight you made a blue color is actually a prismic glass sight the is "see through" from the back side. I'm making an educated guess that this allows the CDR to see directly through the glass with the hatch partially open and use the aiming rings that are under the .50 cal Mount. You should be able to add a smaller rectangular blue "sight" glass on the hatch side to replicate this.



EXCELLENT Work so far!!

Jeff - you can't see it in any of my pictures but I did add the same light blue colored confetti piece to the back of the CDR's scope. I absolutely love the images! Thanks for posting.... Also Yes I am going to put a small piece in the sight to the left, I just haven't done it yet. Cheers!

Carmen
Thought you'd like to see these.
http://www.defence.gov.au/opEx/exercises/ts09/gallery/20090720o/index.htm
Bill

Thanks for the weblink Bill! Them Aussie Abrams blend in pretty good with a nice coat of dust eh??

Here's my next batch of progress shots... I hope everyone enjoys them!

I added the confetti to the little sight in the commanders station



I finally finished the call sign boards/placards



I built the tracks a long time ago... I prepare the ground work well in advance so I can use the tracks to make inprints so I can clean them prior to paint. I worry about ruining the paint finish trying to detail the groundwork.... pre planning pays off... I'll have ground work pictures soon...

I painted the tracks burnt umber then painted the rubber pads and did a bit of silvering on the guide horns and edges.... just simple stuff.. pigments will contribute soon!




I use a variety of colors to simulate the red clay of the Cultana training area... I lean heavily on African Earth... and use Vietnam (very potent red!) and European Dust to give some contrast lighter or darker red. I was going to use the pigments at the back as back up if the colors weren't to my liking



I first apply a layer of pigment with a brush moistened with thinner, and let it dry. I then take Cosmetic Q-tips (basically Q-tips with finer points and tighter bound... highly recommended... you can get them at any drug or cosmetic store for cheap!) moistened with thinner and start removing the pigment ina vertical manner to give more variation and to simulate streaks.







I'm going to give the road wheels another pin wash of wash brown to bring out the details now that the pigments are on. I gave the rear a coat of pigment, and the front to a certain degree, then very mildly blended very little onto the top . I focused around the turret ring and edges of panels but very very lightly as I don't want to hide all my paint detail.

I also wrote on "AS32" tot he rear right fender as I've observe this on many of the tanks when they first arrived... pretty hard writing in 1/35 scale!





I still have to do the turret a bit to blend it across the whole tank, and the side skirt armour. I'm going on vacation for a week so I might not post for a few weeks. Hope everyone enjoys!! Cheers!!

Oh and another note!! I had to cut two track links out of the track to give it a good fit. there was way too much slack on the tracks, removing two links made it fit very very nicely!

I have never read this thread until now. Great research and build. Looking very good. How did you rejoin the track once you shortened it? I am a newbie still learning.

Thanks,
Tony

Hey Tony

The Dragon Tracks had an interlocking part which you can easily cut down and still lock together. It's almost like a belt (like the back of an adjustable ball cap/hat)... per se... I used Superglue only because it was a tight fit and I wanted to ensure it wasn't going to come apart after I put on the side skirt armour. Unfortunately I don't have any pictrues to show you what I mean. I hope that makes sense!
Cheers!

TOP WORK MATE

I am Abrams commander in the Australian army & this looks spot on just like that exact tank that you are replicating in the flesh.

If you need Reference pics give me a PM and i can arrange to take some for you of that vehicle.

Brenton,

You are about to become a very popular guy if you aren't already. I am sure lots of guys would love to pick your brain about the Abrams.

I would love to hear more about your 1:1 stuff too....lucky fella.

If you had time on the AS1 I would very much like to chat with you.

I'm sorry I've been away from this blog for so long. Cause this is beautiful! And thank you for the kind words a while back. I'm looking forward to see how this one finishes up. And with the base to boot.

Not only is this fun to watch but I'm learning too. And of course I'm saving all those glorious reference pics. Can't wait for more!!

Matt

Well, isn't this my lucky day!

Brenton - I'll send you a PM soon, I'd love to see more pictures of this guy up close in the flesh. Yes, you will probably become my new best friend after today...

Matthew and Others - I've been busy with work and have a few more things accomplished I'll post pictures soon. I'm just on the finishing touches before the base, then later the figures.