Hi, I've been working on Tamiya's Abrams w/mine plow the past couple of days and have reached the area of the smoke dischargers on the turret sides. Now I was just wondering if these are molded 'full' or 'empty' by Tamiya. Can't seem to locate any really clear photos of this area of the tank, but I seem to remember seeing someplace or other that the 'candles' sort of stick out of these openings when they are loaded up. At least I think I saw it! The mind sometimes plays funny tricks on you as you get older. Ha! Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody out there who is familiar with modeling modern AFVs can shed some light on this subject for me.

I also am just finishing up a Bradley, also by Tamiya, and I saw in a photo at the local book store of a Bradley with the smoke candles on it's turret front in both black and a very light green. So I assume that the different colors represent different types of smoke used in combat operations. Would this also be the case for the smoke candles on the tanks as well? Just curious.

Thanks folks, take care and have a wonderful New Year. Sgirty

sgirty,
I can't help with the color thing but I do believe that the Tamiya smoke dischargers are molded empty. Hopefully someone else can clear up the color thing and verify if I'm right or wrong on the other count.

for what it's worth,
Mike

Tamiya molded them empty. Here is how they look when loaded (three are damaged, but the top three are fine):



Rgds,
Pawel

Howdy,

Aren't there also two different kinds of smoke/grenade discharger's??

Tread.

Yes, there is the US Army version, originally developed by the British, and the USMC version, which has the grenade tubes molded or attached separately to the launcher unit.

Yes, the Marine Corps uses the smaller 4-tubed type but have a pair stacked on each side (giving 8 grenades total per side). The Army uses the above picture type, M250, and they are standard on tanks and M88s and Fox NBC recon vehicles. The 4-bangers are also used by the Army and are M243, M257 or M259 and are used on Bradleys, M113 FOV, and other smaller AFVs. These were Army developed items, I don't know why the USMC uses them on the Abrams vice the 6-banger types. Perhaps for the extra salvo the 2 grenades per side gives them?

The tubes are bare aluminum inside. Tamiya molds them empty, but not totally hollowed out, just as shallow depressions. In US terms, the items inside the tubes are called grenades and not candles.

Hi. Thanks guys, esp. to Vodnik for the picture. The saying comes to mind here of 'a picture being worth a 1000 words' when looking at this photo. This is most definitely what the 'modeling doctor' order in order to see EXACTLY what I'm dealing with here. This, being the first Abrams vehicle I've ever built, I can't get over just how big these things are comapared to some of the the W.W II stuff that I'm used to building. Very interesting vehicles, to be sure.

Take care, Sgirty

Sgirty......
Getting hooked on Abrams is DANGEROUS!!! (ask arround...)
hehehe...