Dear fellow modellers, I have a question for you...

I am about to finish my Abrams kit and I would like to depict some muddy footprints on it (as the crew get in). So I need to know which way they climb into it.

Please help me, if you can.

I also would like to know which surfaces are rubbed and "worn" most.

Thanks a lot,

Adam

as far as getting on and in the M1A1, they could climb up on the right front fender, if the gun is over the back, and then up on to the turret, unlock the loaders hatch, then climb in, open the TC hatch, then slide into the driver compartment.

Ric

You should always climb on from the left front fender. There is a hand hold there, but it is for safety reasons. The coax port is on the right side of the gun, so you climb up on the left side in case the gun is fired when you climb on. That way you don't get hit. You make it a habit to climb up on the right side regardless of the position of the turret. That way you don't forget the habit when the gun is loaded and pointed over the front of the tank.

also during gunnery it is SOP that you mount from the right rear of the tank, after you have gotten the tank commanders attention. That way they dont traverse or have the tank drive off while you are climbing up. it also keeps you away from the business end of the gun. This is of course with the gun over the front. However when the gun is stored over the back, it is not directly centered over the back due to the way the turret is designed and the driver needing to get out. So it is actually more towards the right rear lifting eyelet, so if the gun is over the back, you can only climb up on either side of the rear, or the right front.
Ric

There are many ways crew members can get into thier Abrams . My dad loaded and unloaded them onto railcars in the 80s- and he shows me how he gets on them every time i show him a pic, model, real tank, etc. Anywho, one way to mount the tank is to put your foot on the towing shake, and swing the oher leg onto the nose of the tank. (just dont miss and slam your knee into that sharp edge in the front- my dad is missing a hunk of knee-cap and the damn thing still hurts.) There are also cable foot-loops in the front side-skirts used to mount the vehicle. Also of note is that the driver can only enter the vehicle if the turret is facing the rear.

HTH!

The driver can also enter the vehicle through his hatch from the exterior of the vehicle if the hatch is already open. Since this is usually only done out in the field I think it would be useful for you to know. It's a tight fit but is often done to save time. Lots of mud and dirt can pile up on that front slope right in front of the hatch..

Hey Adam,

After being in a Army Armor Battalion for 20 years, there is no set way a crew would mount their stead.

If the Abrams was locked up, the Drivers and TC hatch was locked from the inside and the loaders hatch was locked for the outside with a standard key lock. Crews would climb up the front left and right fenders since that is where the foot holds are placed. Drivers would unlock the hatch since they were in charge of dispatching the tanks from the motor pools, and would enter and unlock everything before the rest of the crew showed up, (in a garrison type environment)

Now in combat its totally different, the vehicle was never left unmanned someone was always on it, so if anything happened the tank was fired up and ready for combat.

If the crew was dismounted it was for maintenance in a containment area and if need be, could be mounted in less than 2 mins and ready for combat in less than 4 mins. The Loader, Gunner and TC would enter the hatches on top of the turret and the driver would crawl backward into the drivers hatch, that way he could start the tank in less than a minute. (Just love the Crew Drills).

Hope this helped.

Mike

Thanks a lot guys!

By the way, don't you have any detailed photos on the TWMP? I am especially interested on how the "black tube" enters via the driver's hatch.

I don't want to start a new topic for this.

Thanks,

Adam