Okay, the only reason you haven't seen it in the ML tweaks list is because I haven't finished the article yet. There are a number of innaccuracies in the hull that the TL doesn't address because they would never be seen in an average kit. The reason I cut the sides off is because of the torsion bar plates (the squares of raised plastic behind the road arms). The are molded so that they are offset right to left, with the left leading and the right trailing. There is an offset, but it is vey slight, and the left side road arms mount to the torsion bar through the rear of the torsion bar plate, not the front, this accounts for the offset roadarms. What you don't see in the kit plates is that the torsion bar from the other side is mounted in the back of the plate. So the plates line up more or less, the actual offset isn't very great. There are also problems with an additional piece of inch thick armor mounted to the forward hull sides from behind the idler wheel mount to just in front of the turret ring. The kits either don't have it or show it going the entire length of the hull. They also don't show the area at the upper rear (the big cutout in the styrene sides) that has been extended outward to accomodate the engine. There are other things, but you will see them in the TL when I am done. I wouldn't worry about them too much if you are doing the kit with closed side skirts, as you would never see this stuff. But I have vowed to do a completely accurate Abrams, and this is necessary fo it.

Rob