I hope that AFV Club would ease up on the "casting" on the hull and turret, but I'm not holding my breath on that one issue... Any tips for a beginner on how to lighten up the molded casting that doesn't take too much time or advanced skills??

TankSGT, you're right about mounting the M85!! Man was it a pain!! To be honest, I liked the M85 . You just had to keep it clean and oil it from time to time.

Ted to tone down the casting effects just use some fine grade wet & dry sandpaper. Just wet the sandpaper in some water, work on a small area at a time using a circular motion. If you want to practise, use a bit of the inside of the hull, just to get your technique going.

I'm currently building the old ESCI Magach 6B as I type this. The old kit still is great!

First tank I ever road on was an M60A3 during mech week at Ft. Benning in 1987...it's been my favorite ever since. Caught the last of them in Germany that same year.

This new kit from AFV club looks impressive. I'm buying it the day it comes out!

I spent 3 days on the wash line after Team Spirit 89 scrubbing M60's so they could be sent back stateside. Unless you have to wash one of those things you never really appreciate how much dirt and other garbage they can collect. Not to mention all the nooks and crannies where said dirt can collect. They damn near had to be sterile to pass the agro inspection. We did the outsides while the crews did the insides. Made me glad we just had humvees, not so big compared to a tank. This kit is now on my "gonna buy" list.

& M728

Thread bump

I have the AFV Club M60A3 Patton kit in my hands right now.

Anything you want to know about the kit?

I am sure the glass half full, doomsday, and grapes are probably sour folks will chime in.

If you ask nicely I can confirm exactly what is or what is not included in the kit as optional parts/versions.

Jason thanks for the offer. I am certainly interested in your opinion/evaluation of the kit and look forward to your comments.

I only have the kit until tomorrow morning then it will hit the silent auction table at the Alberta Military Modellers Show...unless I win it of course during the auction. A big thanks to AFV Club for sending the kit to support the show.

So...ask your questions now...short and sweet and to the point please.

To help you out a bit...

Lighting holes in the drive sprockets- Yes

Cast texture on the hull and turret like the M60A1 kit- Yes

Driver hatch detail- Yes...includes the night driving sight that can be mounted in lieu of the day periscope.

Road wheels- Yes...includes both steel and aluminum sets of road wheels.

Lower hull- Includes a separate crew escape hatch with interior detail. Parts are also included for a well detailed driver's compartment.

Upper hull- Includes separate engine access hatches and separate lifting handles. Tank telephone and bracket included. Snorkel optional.

Main Gun- M68A1 Early and Late type barrels included...plastic standard two piece assembly. Muzzle cover included.

Mantlet- Bare or covered mantlets included. Coaxial machine gun included.

Gunner's sight- TTS and non-TTS sight housings included. Two options for the right rangefinder blister.

Cupola- Well detailed with interior parts. M19 blank firing adaptor included.

AN/VSS-3 searchlight with cable provided for non-TTS version.

Grenade dischargers- PE brackets included. PE inserts to simulate loaded grenades included.

Hoffman gun simulator (inserts provide to show the simulator loaded included) and "Kill" light with guard provided.

Black nylon string provided for tow cables...looks too thin.

Markings for Egyptian, Taiwanese, and 3 x U.S. Army M60A3s included.

The tracks are single piece vinyl...but they connect together at the join with a single long pin...no gluing and no melting and a seamless track.

That should help you M60A3 fans out a bit.

How do they depict the crosswind sensor mast on the turret roof? The globular wire cage that surrounds it would seem to be impossible to pull off in styrene or photoetch.

Very good question and a piece I looked at right away to see how it was created and if they provided an option to show it folded over and stowed.

It is moulded as a solid piece. There is some visible detail of the outer cage but it is solid. It looks like a soft ball on the mast. The mast is very nicely detailed and delicate. There is no optional stowed version.

To stow it one removed the globe and put it in a foam covered box on the inside turret roof. There was a little flip cover that hid the port on the exterior mast. I was told never to fold over the mast as that could damage the leads inside. It was springy but don't fold it over.

Great first hand info. I could have sworn that I saw a pic of the sensor head removed and the mast bent over and stowed horizontally.

Maybe the sensor head would best be represented by 3D printing?

Interesting as Warmachines No.3 shows the Crosswind Sensor Mast bent over and stowed by a simple vertical bracket [probably with a notch on the opposite side as the photographer] on page 17. Just goes to show us modelers the "proper" way by the books isn't necessarily what is done in the field.

James Bilbrey
LaVergne, TN

As an addendum; visible inside the spring base of the mast were several wires that lead to the ballistic computer. If it rained with the mast bent over water might get in. It was better to keep it upright and maybe even hang a helmet over it to keep the rain out. Not that it ever worked well to begin with.

Ditto on the 728!

Just so you guys know- There are a few Asian vendors on ebay that supposedly have them in stock- Lucky Models has them on pre-order; look to spend about $65-$75 bucks, including shipping. I'll wait til prices come down a bit...

Yes, please.

Mike, I replied to your PM. The sensor head is located inside the protective cage. The sensor is the minor part...the cage is the really delicate part. I'm not sure that 3D printing has the capabilities to create such a fine component. Give it a shot though.

...and...I am now the owner of the AFV Club M60A3 kit as the winning silent auction bidder. I'll be able to look at in more detail over the next while.

Jason, could you sent over the diameter of the cage surrounding the crosswind sensor?

Sweet

I can do my best. I don't have a micrometer for a perfect diameter.

The cage on the crosswind sensor looks almost identical to the crosswind sensor cage on the Leopard AS1 and Leopard C1.

You can see in the Leopard AS1 image below that the cage is very fine with both vertical and horizontal bars forming the cage.

Can that even be created with 3D printing? In 1/35 the cage bars would be no bigger than finely stretched sprue.



M60A3 with the crosswind sensor mounted.

In the photo above it looks like the cage might best be represented using an injection molded clear glass (plastic) globe? (Just a thought)

Looks like we might be one step closer to having a M728 in 1/35th.

a.k.a. AFV Club - Tokyo Show


(Photo by Hyun Jin Kim of DEF Models via Hisham Haikal)