Gloos coat? Future. And I only apply it where I need it, to avoid needlessly applying a gloss and then another flat coat over the entire model.

In selecting the rest of the markings I defaulted to the Dragon decals. For "D12" the USMC serial number is correct in the decals and it actually looks like overall the correct font, size, and colour. Markings on the 2nd Tank Battalion M103A2s originating in Camp Lejeune appear to be much more Spartan than the markings on the M103A2s from the 1st Tank Battalion in Camp Pendleton.

The star markings on the right side of the turret were crew commendations provided by the Platoon Commander during the deployment to Guantanamo Bay. In the kit Dragon provides the star decals for both sides of the turret. In all of the images I have been able to obtain for Guantanamo Bay deployed M103A2s I cannot confirm that the stars were applied to the left side of the turret. Therefore I left them off of the left side.

In preparation for the decals I spot applied Vallejo Air Gloss Varnish through the airbrush. Once it had dried overnight the decals were applied with the assistance of Micro Set. To finish off the decals an airbrushed coat of Vallejo Matt Varnish was applied to blend everything in.










Lots of work ahead still...

Initial weathering has begun.

The first weathering was a diluted "dusting" application of Tamiya XF-57 Buff. The key is to use a very thinned application at low pressure with the airbrush. Not only can you dust large areas but you can also apply thinner lines to replicate dust accumulation.

The second weathering application was washes of Raw Umber oil paint. Using this in the recesses really accentuates the details and adds a deeper level to the base paint. The opposite of the XF-57 Buff application, the Raw Umber washes create the look of "old" built up dirt on the tank.

The road wheels and return rollers have also been painted with a faded application of Tamiya NATO black XF-69.

To break up the monotone USMC green I repainted the searchlight with a darkened shade of Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab. I figured the searchlight was an addition to the M103A2s in the late 1960s so they would look a bit fresher than the tank itself.

Both the searchlight and the mantlet cover were giving heavier washes/filters of the Raw Umber to alter the colour and really make them stand out from the USMC green.

The washes will be cleaned up and reapplied to achieve deeper detail, some streaking, and to eliminate any "tide" marks as the weathering continues.

The next step will be to paint the small details on the hull and turret before reapplying washes.

OMG that looks freakin' amazing so far! Just beautiful!

Just worked my way through this. WOW!
Beautiful result. A pleasure to watch sir.

Thanks very much Mike and Paul! This continues to be a fun project and for me the key is to add realistic weathering depicting a used vehicle without going full on WWII "shabby" tank. Never go full shabby tank.

From what I have read and seen the Guantanamo Bay M103A2s were used for both base patrols and defensive tasks but may have suffered from a lack of consistent maintenance.

Great to see this again Jason!

That would be a false assumption. They had very good maintenance. You wouldn't see any chipping or badly damaged parts. Guantanamo was considered a front line base in those years.

I had the privilege of building this model for Ken Estes. I don't know if he's received it yet, however. Last I heard he was still on vacation in France and my Dad hasn't had an opportunity to deliver it to him.


I built my M-103 right out of the box with an Aber gun tube and some scratch building for the mantlet cover. If I had the chance to get into it like you have I'm afraid I still wouldn't have done as sweet a job on it as you have here.

Dust it up, dirty it up, but you shouldn't see any chipping or rust anywhere. That much I do know.

Thanks for your insight. I've been in touch with Ken as well as my build has progressed.

There is a very interesting personal account in the Osprey M103 Heavy Tank book by Ken Estes where a Maintenance Officer recounts arriving in Guantanamo Bay as the OIC of the Logistics Support Unit in 1968 only to be surprised with the very poor condition of the M103A2s' overall maintenance ranging from non-updated log books for the previous five years, only one tank being able to move under its own power, and failing gunnery systems. Having been a tank commander I would qualify that as a lack of consistent maintenance.

I agree with you that the M103A2s probably looked pretty good externally.

Do you have info on the Aber barrel you used? I didn't know they made a barrel for the kit.

Seems you've got a bit more info on it than I do lol. I was presented with a very different vision.

Possibly because it was after said maintenance was brought up to speed. Good to have more pieces to the puzzle!!

I used the same barrel you have used. Isn't that an Aber Barrel??

We are on the same page. I am sure the lagging maintenance was sorted out quickly moving forward into the rest of the late 1960s and into the early 1970s.

Although call sign D13 went into the drink after the LCM-8 pretty much sank due to the tank shifting. The tank took a beating while in the water and subsequent recovery onto the shore where it laid almost inverted.

The barrel I used is RB Model. I wish all metal barrel were as nice as that one.

AH! yes it is an RB barrel. My dad funded the build so I wasn't sure where the barrel came from. It sure was a heck of a lot nicer than the kit barrel, which was slightly warped in my kit.

The only flaw I found in building the kit was that the searchlight bracket on the back of the turret had to be re-centered as the kit locating marks had it sitting too far to the side and wouldn't have allowed the searchlight to clear the storage racks.

With the decals,as you have seen yourself, the "D12" is misprinted as "O12" and had to be fixed with a little paint. Also there are supposed to be 7 stars on the side and not six, but for the life of me I couldn't find a way to add the 7th star lol. I'm pretty good with the hairy sticks, but a star that small is beyond my skills without a mask or decal.

A few weeks ago I received the Legends mantlet set, but retrofitting it after making the older style mantlet cover from scratch would've damaged the paint and would've required a lot of repairs. Since reading your blog I now know that the accordion cover wouldn't fit the gun tube anyways as it was made to fit the stock gun tube that came in the kit.

I seriously admire the level of detail and work you have put into this kit. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty and it really shows.

I love what you've done.

My thought process was that the crew commendation stars weren't added all at the same time and they were added during the deployment as they were warranted by the Platoon Commander.

The only images I can find truly showing the stars is of D13 and it definitely has 7 stars on the right side of the turret.

I have a good pic of D12 showing the right side of the turret but by Murphy's Law the exact location of the stars forward of the D12 marking is covered by what looks like a field jacket.

The weathering continues with washes and some additional airbrushing.

I am waiting for some additional information regarding the crew commendation star placement on the left side of the turret and external stowage details for tanks in Guantanamo Bay.

I've fixed the headlights and IR lights in place. For the headlights I used EK Success / Sticko brand silver shimmering epoxy dots. These are great little pieces and on par with the much more expensive MV Product lenses. There is nothing wrong with the kit headlights. They are clear plastic but I feel they don't give the realistic appearance of a glass headlight lens.

For the Infrared lenses I used the kit lenses. I painted them black and then gloss coated them. A touch of white glue set everything in place.

This is a rreally impressive piece of Work Jason and will make for a great feature.

Its obviously too late for you now, but I have a tip to share on the headlight lenses.

You can cheaply and quite accurately reproduce the lenses with some clear sprue and this is my more preferred method these days.

Simply stretch some clear sprue, cut one of the thick ends off, and hold the sprue to a heat source till it "mushrooms" into the size of lens you need to replicate.







Once you have the size you need you just set the lenses in clear acrylic and let them cure overnight.





They look really good when you're done.



Its really easy and works for any scale.

I hope this information is welcome here.

Very nicely done Mike...great tip!

I am glad it is warmly received.

I first got the idea by using it to actually make mushrooms for a figurine base.



Using the clear sprue just made logical sense for clear lenses and I was very pleasantly surprised that it worked out really well. Now, as I stated, its my preferred method.

I hope more people can get some millage out of this trick.

I've managed to complete the left set of tracks. The construction of the tracks is very finicky and tedious.

As I had constructed the tracks post painting the tank I needed to paint the tracks and then attach them.

I primed and then base coated the tracks I purposely left the tracks in two sections. The breaks were before and after the idler wheels. I attached the track sections together with unpainted track components and then touch them up with the airbrush. The result was a seamless run of tracks.

Oil paint washes there applied to give the look of worn tracks with surface rust and wear.

More weathering will be added to the lower hull and tracks once the right set of tracks is attached.

Weathering was also done to the searchlight cover and the mantlet cover. I want to portray a well used but maintained tank.

I am pushing on with the construction and finishing of the right set of tracks. Proper cleanup, sanding, dry fitting, and deep breaths for sure assist with getting these little beauties build, painted and installed.

For the right set of tracks I changed my approach. I started with the bottom run on the tracks. This ensured they sat flat, the road wheels were properly situated, and it created the basis for the curved runs around the drive sprocket and idler wheel.



I next built the track sections running around the drive sprocket. The Bronco tracks fit great on the Dragon sprocket teeth.





I moved on the upper run of the tracks.



Mid construction I changed my mind. I decided to change approach to the track construction. As I would have to remove the tracks for proper painting I repositioned the break in the tracks to between the last road wheel and the drive sprocket. This way I can base coat the tracks, install them, connect the tracks with unpainted track pads, and repaint the connecting parts.



The tracks have now been base coated with Tamiya XF-69 NATO black. The next step will be re-installation and connection.

Questions have come up by other modellers about the markings included in the kit, in particular the turret stars.

The kit provides sets of stars for both sides of the turret.

I have been very fortunate to have been in contact with a former M103A2 Platoon Leader who did a tour at Guantanamo Bay.

The stars were awarded by the Platoon Leader as crew commendations for proficiency in gunnery and major inspections.

The Platoon Leader I conversed with stated the stars were only on the right side of the turret. Whew!...my markings are correct!

The right track assembly is completed. As stated in my previous post...I constructed the tracks leaving a break. The tracks were base coated and then re-positioned on the suspension.

Once in place unpainted track components were used to connect the sections. Care was taken to bring the sections together and not make a mess with glue. A couple of missing centre guides were also glued on.





With the track assembly completed the tracks were evened out with Tamiya NATO black paint. The right set of tracks is now ready for weathering.

Beautiful build. Great attention to detail.Enjoyed your blog Jason. Nice one.

Thanks very much Frank, much appreciated!

I really like these big old Cold War monsters!