Hello all.

I am thinking about building a diorama with M1A1 and want to make it as a scene of maintenace kind of like this picture.


By abarth003 at 2011-12-14

My question is about the yellow power lines for tools. Looks like those are comming out from drivers hatch but I am not sure. And ideas?
Also any advice for building this diorama will be greatly aprreciated!

Thank you very much for your time.
abarth

Hi Abarth,

If they're anything like the rattle guns we used on the M113 then they are 24V electric rattle guns powered from the Slave Socket in the drivers compartment.

But I'll leave this up to the M1 Gurus and maybe learn something myself.

Cheers, John

Hello John,

Thank you a lot for your info!
So most likely those are comming out from driver's hatch.

thank you.
Abarth

John is correct. They are 24v impact wrenches that attach to the slave cable receptacle inside the driver's hatch.

Hello Gino.

Thank you a lot for your input.
Now I'm sure the about where those are from and start building.

Thank you.
Abarth

Hi Ichiro,

I think you've stumbled across one of the most under-rated crew positions on the Abrams. I was looking for some photos or reference on the drivers compartment to satisfy my own curiosity on where the slave socket receptacle actually is inside the drivers hole and can't find one decent picture anywhere.

Lots on the turret and gunners position but nothing of use for the real business end of the tank. Without a driver a tank is just a pill box with radios and a great big gun.

Must be the most secret part of the vehicle lol .

Hope you have some luck and I'd be interested to see the model as you progress.

Cheers, John

Some pics :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62788535@N00/5778311526/sizes/o/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62788535@N00/5778312034/sizes/o/in/photostream/

http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m1a1driver2.jpg

http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/pics/m1a1driver1.jpg[/url]

For comparison :
M1A2 SEP :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/us_army_rolling_along/5787118729/sizes/o/in/photostream/

HTH

Frenchy

Hello John

I know what you mean. I can't find decent pics of driver's seat or compartment.
May be I'm not looking at right places. I should start collecting books or referemces I guess.

I'm trying to enter a contest at local model shop here. Deadline is middle of February so I better get cooking! I'll try to update as much as possible once
I start building.

Thank you for your help.
Abarth.

Hello Frenchy,

Thank you very much for your links!
Very helpfull for painting the interior too.
Now I have to find where are the sockets are.

Thank you.
Abarth

I wonder if that's the olive-drab item just beside the driver's seat ? It looks like a NATO In Vehicle Power Port Receptacle to me... I guess the two superposed items behind (one of them has a length of small chain attached) are communication connectors....

http://data3.primeportal.net/tanks/rob_mccune/m1a1/images/m1a1_032_of_586.jpg

From Rob McCune's M1A1 extensive walkaround on PrimePortal

Frenchy

Hello Frenchy,

Wow,
great find, thank you a lot!!!

http://www.tacticaleng.com/NATO-In-Vehicle-Receptacle-Assembly-p77.html

That must be it.
Thank you.
Abarth

Thanks Frenchy,

I looked on Prime Portal but I couldn't tell the difference between the turret photos and the drivers compartment. Must say the cover looks a lot different to what I'm used to. The position would have to be the best being directly under the hatch and next to the driver for quick plug in and goes.

Note to self remember Flickr next time.

Cheers, John

You're welcome guys. The link in Ishiro's last post is where I had found the item designation ...I agree that the some of the close-up shots in the PrimePortal walkaround are really close, maybe too close for someone like me who doesn't know the Abrams inside out : I must say many have left me uncertain as to what I was seeing

Frenchy

Boy must be nice in my day we only had 3/4 drive ratchets and breaker bars. These new tankers must be a bunch of weaklings. The only power tool was on the M88 powered by the little joe. My crew and I changed all the end connectors on my M60A1 in one day using muscle power, and it was up hill both ways.



Tom

See now I would have stopped there. . . ; P

But agreed that we only had breaker bars and it was a 15mm socket that opened the first Armored skirt, just in case you were wondering. Cheers to all.