I finally got around to building one of my favorite tanks of all time, the IDF Shot Kal. I obtained the AFV Club kit and went right at it. Three months later, I'm nearly finished!









The driver is done, just waiting to join the pieces. I have a commander in the works.



Not much bad to say about this kit. I throughly enjoyed the build. I made my own towcables from twisted copper wire, and some other bits and bobs from plastic and wire but everything else is from the box. Tracks are the aftermarket set by AFV as is the canvas mantlet. I also used the PE basket mesh by AFV.

Why these couldn't be part of the kit I dont understand. For a few dollars more I think most of us would gladly have them all in one box.

G

It looks great Wayne; already looks finished so will be interesting to see what you do. One question though, do you know what the bars between the road-wheels are? Never seen them on a Centurion so I assume they're exclusive to the Shot Kal.

They support the side skirts. Those are what's left!

G

Amazing grammar I've got... That does explain why I've never seen the bars. Thanks Wayne, looking forward to seeing the skirt go on your Centurion.

What's even more amazing is that I understood and responded!



Skirts are on and the driver is seated. More to come.

G

Very nice indeed Wayne!

Gary

Thank You All!

I'm calling this finished.

















Verlinden provided the crew, I added a few details to them as well. This is headed for a desert display base, which will necessitate additional weathering at that time.

G

Looks better with the skirts Wayne. Very impressed with the crews microphones, those parts must have been extremely fun to work with.

Yessir, with her skirts on she's a real beast!

Actually those mics were rather simple. I took .28 ga. wire and dipped the end in a puddle of super glue. Then I dipped that in a puddle of accelerator. I painted the wire dark gray and the mic portion black. The subtle difference makes the part stand out more, I think.



G

Awesome work.

I'd like to make my larger Tamiya kit into one of these.










~ Jeff

The biggest issue with a S'hot Kal is the engine deck. She's a Centurian updated with an American Diesel for compatibility with the M48's and M60's we sold them.
The plain old S'Hot is a Centurian with the original Meteor engine, thus it has the standard deck. You could convert the large scale Tamiya kit into a 1967 S'Hot fairly easily. Just pay attention to the tube.

G

Hi
Mouse House in Oz used to if not still do a 1/25 conversion kit with upgraded engine deck.

Hi guys
Mouse House does indeed do a 1/25 scale conversion set for the Tamiya 1/25 Centurion. The major components are:
engine deck
rear hul extension
105 mm barrel
new bins
air filter boxes glacis armour

have a look at
http://www.mheaust.com.au/MHE/Resin/MA/MA%20IDF%20Centurion.htm
we also do a set of accessories
IDF jerrycans
IDF ration packs
105mm ammo

These items are generally produced to order - some of the smaller items are in stcok at this time.
We can be contacted on [email protected]

John M

Nice trick there Wayne. I figured they were injection or resin parts. LIVE Resin has some extremely detailed helmets so you never know. I'll have to use that some time.

Very nice. It's always been my favorite tank as well. You may want to get a different head set for the figures though, as they did not wear that helmet in '73.

I know, that's a set of early 80's Brits. I just felt it was as close as I could get for now.

G

Thanks for the link and the reminder there John. I may have to jump in on that for the Shot Kal in IDF grey might be my ticket! Not that the stock 1/25th kit isn't neat all by itself.


Nice thread on an awesome project.










~ Jeff

Thanks for all the comments folks. This was a fun one for me.

Jeff, why is it I "rediscover" and develop an intense liking for a kit that is OOP or in some way unobtainable. I passed on the Tamiya Centurion the first time, Now I want one badly with the Mousehouse conversion.

G

Thats a fine job on the shot-kal Wayne. I think the mantlet cover looks great too. All round sweet build bud!

Gary

Thank You Sir!

G

Loved the "pitting" rust weathering on the tank. Well done. Could you explain how you did that? I live in the desert in the USA and the weathering you have done is very indictitive of the desert.
Well done.

Thank you for the compliments!

In regards to the chipping and such, I cheated. I live in Henderson Nevada at the extreme edge of the Las Vegas valley. I just took a look at construction equipment out this way and replicated what I saw.

How I did that was first map out what I felt would be high traffic areas on the tank. Then I took a 4 0 brush and randomly spotted these areas with Vallejo "Yellow Tan". Then I went back with some Vallejo German Camo Black/Brown,and spotted that inside/next to the yellow tan.

I chose areas and used just the tan and sometimes just the black/brown. It added some variety to the finish. Streaking was accomplished with minute dots of Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna oils. I put a dot of one of these in the area and used a brush to pull the color down into a streak.

When I finish the base I will dust up the tank.

G

LOL Tucson Arizona here. We know desert! The modelers in Europe or the east coast just don't know. The lack of mud and other kinds of heavy dirt as well as the paint fading is something they will never experience!
But your desert is even harsher than the Sonoran Desert.

The Mojave is very very rocky. Did I mention rocks, large rocks of volcanic origin?

This is typical high desert, sparse vegetation and rock. You cannot dig more than a few inches without a pick, and even then it's difficult. Construction can be a nightmare. Quartz deposits, known as kalichi run through the area like veins in a mine. You hit that and everything stops.

Fun place though! I love the weather too. 69 as I type this.

G

Guess we have the same desert but we have more trees and cactus. Lots of lava here nad the caliche! Dont get me started! Looking forward to more "desert" tanks. I have always wanted to do a knocked out Russian tank that has been in the desert a long time. (Probably the most common picture in the 20-21st century!)
Lots of great weathering techniques that could be done. Rust/blast effects/smoke/dust/and more rust.