Hi Damon. Good blog so far. Nice clean building. I especailly like your tips about the tyres and the damage they have.
The only thing that can improve on your blog so far is to have bigger photographs ... 800dpi would be perfect!

you got it on the bigger pics. I have been trying not to kill the bandwidth here, but if you all are into it, no worries.

So latest update. I spend most of Friday teaching my self to solder, and after several attempts (and MANY choice words) I was able to get the bottom of the basket done, no small feat mind you. I will post some pictures later. Saturday was my birthday and I had "hoped" to spend the day playing with my kit. But my wife thought that, even though I had been saying (every time she asked) for weeks that all I really wanted to do was have Saturday to build, we should go out and do "family" stuff . . . .so THAT day was wasted.
Today I worked half the day and was able to bang out a paint shelf that I had been wanting to build for some time. Took me a few hours, but now I can have my pints quickly within reach and will know exactly what I have and what I do and more importantly DO NOT need (the closest hobby shop, Hobby Town, is 1 hr away). So pictures to follow later on. Cheers.

Here are the pictures I promised and at greater resolution so you can see how much I suck at soldering. . . .enjoy.

The beginning of the NEW bustle rack. . .


and from the bottom . . . here you can really feel the suckiness.


These are the other two "rungs". All of the piece were "hand made", as in no tools were used, except wire cutters. The onlny exception being the 90 bends on the bottom bustle rack piece. I used the new Grab Handler I got for those. Handy.


The old "brackets" that I salvaged for sizing and in the hopes that I might find some one who wants to donate a spare bustle rack . . . hint, hint.


and again. . . .


This was my first attempt at brackets. These need to be a few millimeters longer at the base and thicker too.


The turret top and bottom glued together. There is some filling of gaps that will need to be done along the seam. Serious filling. . . .woo hoo.

So, that is the latest. Work will be busy this week so I am hoping that I have a few hours this week to work on the turret details. I really am trying not to turn this into the project from hell, but that bustle rack that is supplied with the kits is just crap! Way to flimsy and if you follow the guides on the pieces the parts DO NOT line up correctly. Wed is my trip to the hobby store so I am going to try to find some card stock of the right size and well see how it goes. Cheers for now.

Put together the commanders cupola last night and filled some gaps on the turret seams with some really old Tamiya putty. I am amazed that the tube was not completely dried out. I will hopefully be sanding that tonight. I have put my new paint holder up on the desk and now need a new place for all of my reference material, so we'll see how far I get tonight. I am leaving the commander hatch off and I am still considering leaving it open and thus it might need some detail (so much for OOB!). Oh well. I think what I will end up doing is cleaning up the part and adding a handle, nothing too major. I will post pics later when I take some. I am loathe to add too much detail on to the turret just yet as I still want to get the bustle rack finished and installed before I start going nuts on it. I am hoping that I can get some sheet this week and tackle it next after the craziness winds down after this weekend. Cheers.

But unfortunately not of an M60A1. Regardless, it's a great kit.
My standard "fixes" for this kit are to fill in the depressions in the fender bins (every one of these kits I've ever built has them) and to fill in the mounting holes for the fender braces with Evergreen, and thin the fender braces by sanding them on a flat surface.

Yours is looking good.

How is it not an M60A1? Elaborate please...just the box art, or the kit itself?

Jim

I am going to second Jim's question (I was never a Dino rider so I know very little about the 60's).
But WOO HOO!! Two Pages!

Could it be because with the Israeli mods it's no longer an M60A1 but a Magach what ever? I was a Dino rider so I know my 60s.

Tom

I know the original Magach 6's were based upon the M60A1 and later the A3. I am not sure what Robert is referring to, but I would LOVE to know. I have been a fan of IDF armour since I was 14, but know really very little technically about the variants and such. Cheers.

They have done some very interesting things up armoring the M60.

Tom

Ding Ding Ding Ding!!! We have a winner! Sort of.

This is what you see on the kit's box artwork:



This is what you actually get:



The first is an M60 that I cobbled together a loooong time ago. It has since become a donor kit for MG's and other small parts I needed for other builds.

The second is an M60A1, which is what they advertise on the box. I sort of beat Academy to the punch by putting my own twin fitties on it before their kit came out. (The Esci kit is the better kit by the way, so be glad you have one)
This one has become a donor as well.

If it's not too late, here's the fender supports thinned out:



Now, stop wasting time on the interweb, and let's see that thing finished.

Damn if thats not a slick 60 on the box top. Sharp eyes sir.

Tom

Sooo, the box art in NOT an M60A1 but the KIT is? Is that a correct statement?

You are correct sir! I have had the kit in my stash since it was new and never noticed.

Tom

Found some time tonight to work on the Magach. I am still waiting on the turret bustle rack issue, and we'll see what we come up with for a good solution. In the mean time I figured I would work on the other turrets elements of step 4. This includes the commander and loaders hatch, which as I mentioned preciously, I was contemplating leaving open. Decided that although the loaders hatch has some interior details, it is pretty weak and the mounting looks a bit goofy in the open position, so it will be closed. The commanders hatch does not require much for detail so it will be open.


the commanders hatch before cleaning up. . .


and after. . . .

The two side range finders(?) were added as well as the antenna mast. other bits were also added to the turret roof, one of which is a lifting lug. This was the most interesting part of tonight as the hole that it is supposed to fit into was mis-drilled some how. see here:



So I needed to bust out the pin vise and drill a new hole. Here:


The lifting lug was then added without incident. Another note to mention for those that might be building this kit soon, the dog house has a thin strip on the underside in the back that needs to be removed for proper fitting. For some reason there are two pre drilled holes there that will need to be filled as well..



On the right side of the turret the lifting lug should (i believe) fit into the forward groove. The instructions are a bit vague on that side and you are kind of left to figure it out for yourself. Hopefully I figured it out correctly. . . . .
The other MAJOR item I tackled tonight was the gun tube. I had really been dreading this as I am very rusty. (I think I previously mentioned this is my first real build in like 20yrs?) So I cleaned up the tree marks as best I could and then busted out the mini clamps. Added a bit of glue to one side of the assembly and went for it. Added the clamps and then glued along the seam in sections. Turned out pretty well and then after it dried for a while I began cleanup on it. I have some very fine sanding paper that I have been using and was able to clean up most of the seam easily. Some 220 grit (much coarser than my "fine" stuff) was used to clean up the seams against the raised areas and in between the muzzle brake.





All in all I think it came out pretty well. Once it is primed there might be some more cleanup required, but that bridge has yet to be reached.
Lastly I added the mantlet cover and glued it in place.



There will be some seam filling:



as you can plainly see.

So I am hoping that over the next two weeks I can fix the bustle rack and get it mounted, fill the seams on the turret and get the Blazer kit mounted. I know the that tricky parts are going to be the crew service weapons and the 50 cal. and its mounting. I am considering scratching a ram for the kit as I am hoping to model this after a picture that I have loved since 1989. We'll see.
I did manage to pick up some plastic card this week and might still scratch some mounting brackets for the bustle, again not yet sure. I have picked up a second ESCI Blazer kit and might steal the bustle out of that and use it for this to complete the OOB build that I had "hoped" to do. I would then need to scratch a new bustle for that, but I am considering turning that one into a Magach 6B Gal. Who knows.
The real point of this for me was to complete a kit and paint it to completion. There are a host of new (to me) techniques that I have been reading about here for the past few months and am eager to try. BUT, I really want to make this kit look good in the build so that if I somehow manage to pull out a dweet paint job, it won't look like complete crap. How's THAT for optimism? Cheers.

So I have been making "some" progress this week, but its one step forward two steps back. The hole I drilled for the lifting lug on the turret roof, turns out was in the WRONG place. The correct place was not drilled through, but found it by accident the other day. Shave off part, drill holes, re-glue part to NEW location. fun.
I have filled in most of the seams around the mantlet cover and that looks "better". Better is a relative term as this build is getting more difficult with each step.

The turret seams to be THE pain in the a$$ for this build. Parts are not lining up correctly and fitting things is becoming a problem. Not to mention that the instructions are a bit vague (to say the least) on where things go. Thank God I have plenty of reference material to help.

So all in all, going is slow right now. I am trying to take my time and really look at each application of a part BEFORE it gets glued on for real. I have added the three front blazer pieces that mount above the mantlet and next to the dog house, THAT was fun (can you feel the sarcasm yet?). To say that they do not line up correctly is being kind. I can see now why the Magach 6B had only two blazer elements there. . . .

I have built the blazer frame (trimmed really) that goes over the mantlet and build the 50 cal mount. I am waiting until there is a base coat on before adding these parts as I think painting the mantlet with them on will be a pain. I have trimmed up the grenade launcher but not mounted it yet. Again I am a tad gun shy here as the blazer elements on the right side could effect where it will end up. I have mounted the smoke grenade launchers to the left and right of the mantlet, those again, some difficulty with the fit, but I made it work and will fill the gaps later.

On the happier side I found a wireless keyboard that is making my life at the desk easier as I do not have to fight with the keyboard cable anymore. WOO HOO! When I have some time this weekend I will snap come pics and post them here so you can see what I am screwing up. . . .cheers.

I have the Esci M60A3 haf done in the box. I'm building on of the ones I TCed in the late 80s before we swapped them for M1s. It is a bit of a bear. It may be the most accurate M60 but not the easiest build. I have been having trouble on my gun barrel turning the early thermal shroud into he M1 style the late model A3s had.

Your build is going well though, Can't wait to see the beast with some paint on it. We dino riders never called it a dog house, its not as big as the M1s by any means. Major plus for the 60 over the M1, no b*tch plate.

Tom

Tom,
I have have to show my ignorance here, what the hell is a bi**h plate?? I have never heard that term before. Cheers.

Engine access panel on the top of the rear deck, right next to the turret ring in the center.

It covers the turbine dip stick. It slides into place up aganst the turret ring and its a B*tch to get into place. I usually would sit on the back deck and attempt to slide it into place with a kick or 2.

Tom

That is funny. We never had a problem with it after basic. It was one of those things that only went in ONE WAY, but if you knew where the sweet spot was, it was never an issue. The thing I used to always hate was putting away the pioneering tools. That shovel only went in 1 way and it was a pain if you didn't have everything else set up just so. Hope all you guys are well, will try to post some pictures tomorrow. Cheers.

We picked that name up in transition school. The instructors called it that so we just adopted it. It was all about lining it up right. It really sucked with the gun tube over the back deck. In 93 we had a 2 week course in Boise Idaho to transition from M60A3s to M1s.
You want Dinos, The NJ Guard had 48A5s when I joined. On time in 86 or 87 I drove a 1954 Studibaker Duece and a half up to Fort Drum on convoy. Cool thing about NG duty was parades, how many people can say they TCed a tank through New Brunswick NJ.

Tom

WOW A5's?! Never did any time state side it was either Germany (tank company rolling through rush hour traffic between Frankfurt and Hanau) and GW1 (where we OWNED the roads). You gotta post some pics from the parades. Cheers.

Ok, so I promised some updates and pictures and so here we go. Firstly I need to give some serious props and generous thank yous to Richard, who sent (at his own expense and without ANY compensation) me pieces from the Verlinden M60 Update set including almost the entire photo etch fret, just so I could have the brackets. Well, after looking at the brackets, I decided that I was going to forge ahead with the OOB build and I cannibalized my other ESCI Blazer kit I picked up recently and started on the kit bustle rack. I will be using my scratch built brass one on THAT kit at a later date. I really cannot thank Richard enough for sending that, as there are some other items on that fret that are going to come in handy later. This is where I started the day today:



I have been waiting to progress on the turret until after the bustle rack issue was settled. Once I received the Verlinden parts in the post I decided that I should just continue with the OOB, as that really is what this is about for me, trying to complete a kit (no seriously completing a kit) with minimal add ons. I was really NOT looking forwatd to building another bustle rack from the kit as it really is a serious pain. The parts are small and VERY flimsy. In fact I actually broke on of the parts (the first rung) while cleaning it up. I thought "GREAT NOW THIS!" But, regrouped and just glued the two pieces together and it was no worse for wear.
Having learned my lessons last time I figured out that the best solution to the alignment issues was to take this in slow steps and to only glue bits at a time, rather than glue one whole part down. I built the bottom of the bustle rack and the first rung, carefully. I left in some of the sprue guides intact to give it more strength during assembly, knowing that I would remove these at the end of assembly. I started adding the brackets one at a time and only glued the first rung to the bracket and NOT the bottom. I did this with each successive bracket until all four were connected to the first rung. I then lined this up with the slots in the back of the turret. marked the alignment with a fine sharpie on the fist bottom piece closest to the turret back. Then all I needed to do was go back and line up the brackets along those guides and glue in place. Once that was done the other two rungs were added and glued. next came the mesh, cut sized and glued.



The the bustle was attached to the support on the right side of the turret, which had previously been glued in place. Rungs were connected to their holes and then the left side was lined up. Each was glued and then the brackets were glued in place.


This was a moment of great success and happiness for me. The rest of the turret could now be moved ahead. I began by laying out all of the pieces for one sides blazer kit. Sanded everything down and then with a piece of drafting tape began to place everything onto the turret to see what placement was going to look like. The very first piece of blazer (G13) dies NOT fit in place. What you have to do to make it fit, I do not know, and really do not care right now. The blazer configuration has changed many times and I have several references and even within the same time frame there are differences. We'll call it poetic license. . . .



So working from the BACK of the turret towards the front I began installing the left side blazer kit. Just prior to starting I realized that I should install the crew bustle rung along the left and right sides otherwise there might now be a place to put them after the blazer kits were installed.

This is the left side after installation.


This is the area where the forward most blazer piece is "supposed" to go. . .

The right side was done the same way and really once you do this for one side, you know what to expect.



I had previously positioned the smoke dischargers but moved them today and this is where they ended up:


So most of my issues with this build so far, have been with the instructions. To say that they are "vague" is a bit of an understatement. Most pieces are shown where they go, but others there is just an arrow pointing in the general direction of that side. This can be very frustrating at times, so anyone who is NOT a seasoned modeler and is attempting to build this kit, pre-fit EVERYTHING, twice even.
I am holding off adding the blazer frame and 50cal over the main gun until the mantlet has a first coast of paint. I am worried the if it is installed it would be next to impossible to paint.
I have however decided that the kit supplied commanders MG mount is just too sad to allow and to my pleasant surprise the photo etch fret from RIchard has the commanders MG mount still on the tree. Now I just need to find someone who can scan me a copy of the M48 M60 Update set instructions from Verlinden, and I am in business. SO I have some turret details to add, the mg's and a couple of other hull details that I have chosen to leave off till now so that things do not get damaged.After that it is painting time. Looking forward to having this kit done and painted in the coming weeks. I am already planning on some serious gear stowage for this beast. That is it for now, cheers.

Damon send me a PM with an e-mail I have 1 or 2 of those sets around I can scan the instructions for you.Also don't forget that the wire mesh on the bustle rack stops at the middle rail so you have to trim it down a bit. looking good so far. I don't have a day off until Tuesday so give me a few days. No parade pictures that I remeber but if you don't mind I could post one or 2 60 pics in you thread.

Tom