Question regarding the skirts: Am I missing something? The instructions show the ID plates on each skirt but nothing is molded on mine. Are there ID plates on the PE or something? Or is this something to scratch?

Worked on the skirts the past couple of days. I used Grandt Line screws instead of the PE ones called for on the tops of the skirts. The PE ones are too flat. I made my own ID plates for the skirts with Plastruct 0.3mm x 1.0mm

I also fixed the rear light shrouds. The instructions have them backwards. I just pulled them off and switched them. I also did not like the look of the track tension on the right side as it went up to the idler wheel. Fixing that has turned into a small disaster. The mount broke. I was able to fix that with glue, but getting the track back on now is making me disgusted. Photos to follow on that when I am in the mood.

I feel your pain! At least a large enough project to move on to something else for a break from the track effort. Keep on keeping on as this looks like a special bit of historically correct art work! Some nice work here

I am working on the sideskirts while I also fix the tracks going around the idler I mentioned before. So, on the left side I needed to depict specific bullet strikes and on the right I needed to depict the scratches from the road accident.

The hairspray technique won't work for the above since it is too random. I only needed to show 5 impact marks from the bullets, so I first coated the skirts in Vallejo Steel. Then I cut out some bullet strike masks with Tamiya tape. I then sprayed the sand color over the steel and masks. On the right side I did the same but did not mask anything figuring I could carefully sand the scrape marks from the accident and that would look better than a mask.

As you can see, I also did the decaling.





Here you can see the bullet strikes a little better.

The AIM kit has no serial number tags on the skirts as when tanks went through the AIM rebuild, the skirts were removed, cleaned/repaired and not installed on the same tank.

3ID's tanks during the TR were "loaner" HA or HC tanks, drawn from prepositioned stocks in Qatar, so they woudl have the SN tags on the skirts... in the past, I have used slips of paper or .005 styrene to replicate the tags on Tamiya or DML M1/M1A1/M1A1AIM kits.

JC

Skirts on. It took a couple of tries on the right side as they did not want to stay straight for me. I will detail the connection points that have cotter pins, and I will detail the rear corner of the skirts with chains.

How are you going to make the cotter pins? Man, that's some small detail work.

Looks great!

Mike

Mike, it is not too difficult with different gauges of wire. I try to use solder since it is more malleable.Just a small straight pin and a ring to give the idea. I will post photos when I do it.

Bob

OK, I tackled the cotter pins for the skirts and I added PE chains from an Eduard set for the retaining pins at the end corners of the skirts. I also decided that the headlight was damaged from the accident and so left the lens off and showed the dangling wires on the inside. I don't think my photo show it too well.

The pins for the skirts have tapered ends, so I ran plastic rod over a spinning grinder bit in my Dremel tool and then cut the sharp ends to create the snub nose of the real pin. I then made the cotter pin rings from solder wire wrapped around a large paper clip. The punched out plastic circles are the 'nail head' end of the cotter pins.

The weathering and weld marks are above and beyond. I'm really enjoying following this one.

What base color are you using I started using Vallejo paints an I am stuck on what color to used there are so many its hard to pick so I thought since you wrote a book an are doing a museum price you would b the perfect person to ask. I want to use a sand color from Vallejo paints.

I am doing a tamiya M1A1 Abrams with mine plow if any were used I want to do one for my nephew who had a uncle in the thunder run. So he can see an have a piece of his uncle. Like some of us did for are grandfather's on doing a model for them so the history of there stories they told us will live on even when there gone respectfully so the younger generation wouldn't forget about what they did for are country.

What is the name of the book so I can get one.

Happy modeling
Bill

Bill, we are using Model Master FS33531 Sand, although you can use anything that is close since once you start to weather and such the final look will be different ever so slightly, depending on what you do. For instance, I will be using filters and streaking down the road, so the final will be different looking that what you see now. You can see what I mean by comparing my tan roadwheels to the sideskirts. The wheels have been filtered and weathered, but the skirts are the original color with some highlighting in the middle.

There were plow tanks in the front of the April 5 thunder run (two of them), and there was at least one in the rear of the column.

That is a nice idea to make something for a family member but if I read your note correctly it does not seem that he was actually in a plow tank. Do you know what kind of vehicle your family member was in? Why not build that vehicle?

I did a Concorde book called Thunder Run: The US 3rd Infantry Division's Drive To Baghdad.

Good luck with everything.

Bob

This is looking very Nice already Bob!! very nice details

looks like you're gonna finish this one even before i can finish mine, haha



Keep up the good work!!

,Gijs

I wish I could build one of the vehicles my dad operated, but he did two tours in the EOD and their specific vehicle does not exist and is next to impossible to scratch build.

Work on the TC hatch. I painted the rubber seal on the inside edge of the hatch. On the front edge I depicted the worn off paint which was common in this area of the hatch. I based coated it in rust, then a thin coat of chocolate brown, then a wash of black, and finally I rubbed some graphite on it. Later I will pin wash and filter it with the rest of the model. DML did not provide the cloth pull handle at the top of the hatch so I made that with paper and Grandt Line bolts.

I used AFV Club stickers for the periscopes. They change color like the real thing depending on the viewing angle. One issue was that AFV Club did not size the front periscope correctly and so I used two stickers since there are plenty left over.

Did the driver hatch last night too but forgot to take a photo. The AFV Club lenses are nice.

I forget this: There seems to be two wires for the .50 mount. Where do they go? One wire comes out of the cupola where the support bar is located. I have that circled in yellow. Where does the other end go?
In the same photo I have an orange circle. A wire attaches there. Where does the other end go?

Finally found the answer. The other photos are illusions.

Good job on finding it... Its for the actuator to fire the .50

Finished cupola. I added the actuator that fires the MG remotely. I just cut some Evergreen rod to make the roller. I will later paint it a dark brown rust color. I have the beginnings of an orange civilian GPS. Solder wire was added around the post and plugged in under the actuator. And I added some PE retaining chains on the right side of the MG. The copper wire is the charging handle.

For the ammo belt chute I scraped off the solid molded chute and then I glued down the ammo belt. I then made my own guide chute out of paper and bent folded it like PE. To get the ammo box lid to lie correctly, I had to score the underside of the extended clasp and then slowly bent it just a bit so it would lie correctly over the ammo belt. The decal for the ammo box is incorrectly located in the instructions. I placed it on the correct side facing the TC.

I moved to the loader's hatch and MG. For the MG I added a charging handle using solder wire. Everything is very delicate to work with. A bit of a PIA. I also added PE chain for the retaining pins and I made a wire loop for the middle pin in the mount. I had to trim the provided ammo belt to get it to fit better in the can. I also put the decal on the correct side of the ammo can like I did with the TC one.

For the hatch I used some spare PE to make the lock mounts on both the hatch itself and the turret roof (they meet when the hatch is closed. I also used spare PE for the similar item towards the front of the hatch - on the turret roof between the ring mount and hatch hole.

Looks Great, but the charging handle is on the wrong side.

Thanks Mike, I will fix that.

More work on the turret. I will be depicting both tow cables mounted elsewhere on the front and rear hull. So, this leaves the traditional mounts empty. Dragon gives you the option to do this, but I do not like their PE. There are no fold lines for the rear portions of the mount and the real thing is essentially one piece, whereas Dragon depicts it in two separate pieces. I went with my Eduard part for this and the small 'U' shaped mounts - 5 of them each side.

I used paper to depict the MILES tape that was left on all the vehicles from the training in Kuwait.

For the CIPs on the glacis, I decided to use the stickers provided by Dragon, but only as a base. They are the correct size so that saves from measuring and cutting. But, MILES tape is on the four corners and of course it has some dimensionality to it. I used the same paper lengths for these. Many of the CIP started to delaminate as the campaign went on, so I took a new Xacto blade and lightly scored the lines into the CIP. I carefully removed the stickers from their backings and mounted them on the model. I then put the paper corners on as discussed above. After weathering, this will all stand out nicely.

I fixed the loader's MG charging handle. And I decided to put two PE locks on the TC hatch based on some photos I have seen. They are put on the ring for storage by the crew. I think at least one would go on the loader's hatch lock mount when used for their intended purpose.

The racks:
The extended bustle rack on the left. Another Episode had an accident in which the rack was pulled apart. I used the kit PE for the mesh on the bottom and on the side. I built Evergreen square rod over the kit PE part for the sizing. I scored the kit PE to remove the parts I did not use.

NOTE THAT THE KIT PE EXTENDED RACK HAS THE FOLD LINES INCORRECTLY MOLDED ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE SEAM LINES. You should fold the kit parts in the opposite direction in order to the seam lines to show on the outside.

The kit provided jerrycan rack is on the right. They only give you one. Crews were mostly provided two racks. They are hard to see in many photos. Sometimes they are behind a CIP. Anyway, mine did have two and one was bent from an accident. The Eduard racks are in the middle. They correctly provide the mesh in the rear of the rack. DML does not provide the rear mesh. No big deal if your stowage will hide the rear, but on at least one rack the rear can be seen, so I will be going with the Eduard stuff.