I believe the original Tamiya boxing of the M1 had "Bill the Cat" decals too.

I have the Verlinden sheet somewhere in my stash. It is very old and I am not sure dry transfers deteriorate over time. You can have them, as long as you actually use them. As noted, the Squadron book is your best bet for reference on the tanks that had this.

Let me know.

Bob

Since we are talking about Tamiya's orginal M1-I know a guy that has this kit in shrinkwrap and was wondering if it has any value due to it's rarity and being still shrinkwrapped. Does anyone have any ideas?

I've just came across some interesting stuff :
Some pics ( from www.3ad.com and www.3ad.org ) :




A few more here : http://www.tankmastergunner.com/images/military/cat87/index.htm

A video of CAT 1987 at Grafenwoehr (too bad it really shows its age )

And last but not least some nice 4-view color drawings by Barry Beldam (on page 3) :
http://www.armouredacorn.com/Reference/CVM/NCVMs/NCVM%20015/NCVM%20Part%2015%20(Cat87).pdf

HTH
Frenchy

Phil,
The Academy M1A1 kit did include a "Bill the Cat" decal. I almost finished mine, but gave up when i saw what needed to be done to actually make it an M1A1 (there are a TON of problems.). Anyway, I'll look around and see if I still have them. If I've got them, they are yours (I'll PM you to let you know).
Now, how many of you would want to be a part of coming up with a decal sheet of early M1's, M1 IP's and perhaps early M1A1's? I don't primarily build modern stuff, but if there is enough info and interest, I'd be happy to produce a sheet. My company Decalocmaniacs! makes decals for small armies and subjects that are too small (or obscure) for a major manufacturer to tackle. Send me a PMif you are interested.
Regards,
Georg Eyerman
Decalcomaniacs!

would you know if the Turret has two or three blow out panels?, I assume it is the 105mm gun. This is so I can source the correct turret.

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would you know if the Turret has two or three blow out panels?, I assume it is the 105mm gun. This is so I can source the correct turret.

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The Abrams that won CAT 1987 were IP M1s with 105mm gun and the bustle rack. The turret has 3 blowout panels.

HTH
Frenchy

Any recommendations on a 1/35 Turret for the IP M1?

Phil,
The Academy M1A1 kit did include a "Bill the Cat" decal. I almost finished mine, but gave up when i saw what needed to be done to actually make it an M1A1 (there are a TON of problems.). Anyway, I'll look around and see if I still have them. If I've got them, they are yours (I'll PM you to let you know).
Now, how many of you would want to be a part of coming up with a decal sheet of early M1's, M1 IP's and perhaps early M1A1's? I don't primarily build modern stuff, but if there is enough info and interest, I'd be happy to produce a sheet. My company Decalocmaniacs! makes decals for small armies and subjects that are too small (or obscure) for a major manufacturer to tackle. Send me a PMif you are interested.
Regards,
Georg Eyerman
Decalcomaniacs!

You'll need an original M1 kit for the hull, the track retainer rings, and the 105mm gun since there's no aftermarket that i know of that properly reflects the thermal shroud setup of the M1.

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You'll need an original M1 kit for the hull, the track retainer rings, and the 105mm gun since there's no aftermarket that i know of that properly reflects the thermal shroud setup of the M1.

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All true, but it is important to note that M1 IP with enlarged turrets had different 105mm gun mantlets than earlier small turret tanks. These mantlets were in fact closer in shape to later M1A1 120mm gun mantlets, except of course for a smaller gun barrel opening. So it would probably be the best idea to use later type mantlet from M1A1 kit and modify it for thinner 105mm barrel.

Pawel