Armorama :: M48A1 Berlin BDE

Armor/AFV: Modern - USA
Modern Armor, AFVs, and Support vehicles.

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M48A1 Berlin BDE

210cav

Virginia, United States
Joined: February 05, 2002
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 04:32 AM UTC

Gino-- impressive as always, great job
DJ

GTDeath13

Attica, Greece / Ελλάδα
Joined: June 12, 2015
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 11:40 AM UTC

A very well looking model. Subtle weathering, nice paint and the markings do stand out.

GazzaS

#424

Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 12:53 PM UTC

Gino,
Very nice! Glad you didn't o over the top with weathering.

Gaz

M4A1Sherman

New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 03:45 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I have finally finished the M48A1. I painted it with Rustoleum Camo Colors Olive, which is a dark olive drab. It looks right to me for post WWII OD. I only applied a light weathering since these tanks were kept pretty clean. Also, looking at pictures, there wasn't really any stowage on them except extra ammo cans and a tarp or two.

Here she is:

Inner hatch details.

Ammo cans and tarps.

Rear deck.

This was a fun build and I hope to eventually put it in a dio with some figures and possibly the Checkpoint Charlie sign.

Next up is the dragon M60 (Slick 60) kit. Keep an eye out for a build review of it soon.

Looks VERY NICE, Gino!

I remember seeing US Army National Guard Vehicles, Trucks full of Troops, Engineering Vehicles and Armor en route to Summer Maneuvers at Fort Drum during the 1960s when I was a kid- Back then, we lived in New York City, and we would see these vehicles on the New York State Thruway, when Dad was driving us up to spend the Summer at a little resort called "Wagon Wheel Cabins", which was located just outside of East Branch, N.Y, on the old Rt. 17, before the new 4-lane Rt.17 was constructed. It was fun to see all the different equipment that the Army was using, even back in those days. We were all very impressed! We used to wave at the National Guardsmen aboard the 6-bys, and they ALWAYS smiled and waved back!

HeavyArty

Contributor's Award - This member has contributed content to Armorama in the past year.

Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 09:45 PM UTC

Thanks guys. It was a fun build and I like the way it turned out.

Dennis - glad I could bring back some memories with this one.

Kenaicop

#384

Nevada, United States
Joined: August 23, 2005
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 11:03 PM UTC

Looks great Gino, look forward to your M60, my favorite series of tanks.

HeavyArty

Florida, United States
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Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 11:06 PM UTC

Thanks James. I plan to get started on the M60 this weekend.

M4A1Sherman

New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 12:30 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks guys. It was a fun build and I like the way it turned out.

Dennis - glad I could bring back some memories with this one.

Thanks, Gino! I read all of your reviews, articles, and posts! You never fail to satisfy!

M4A1Sherman

New York, United States
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 12:32 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Gino,
Very nice! Glad you didn't o over the top with weathering.

Gaz

AGREE- There is always such a thing as "too much"...

Personally, I like to go easy on the weathering with my models, as I rarely build a dio- No ROOM!!!

Besides, too much weathering tends to cover up all that extra detail that I've spent hours and hours on in creating it. Just when I start to think that maybe I need to apply a bit more weathering, that's when I STOP!!!

GeraldOwens

Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 05:51 AM UTC

Really nice work, Gino, with subtle weathering suitable for a well-maintained, peacetime, Cold War era vehicle.

I am so tired of seeing bizarre "paint modulation" effects on models, so that every panel has a bright center and dark edges. Your model may not offer as much "eye candy," but it's much more real.

HeavyArty

Florida, United States
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 07:05 AM UTC

Thanks Dennis and Gerald. I agree, I can't stand the latest trendy fad finishing such as color modulation, pre-shading, post-shading, covering in chips and rust, heavy mud covering all details, etc., etc., etc... I like to build them how they actually look based on my experiences with over 20 years on active duty seeing/dealing with armored vehicles.

cheswickthecat

Washington, United States
Joined: October 13, 2007
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 09:00 AM UTC

Gino, that's a sweet looking build. Looking forward to seeing your dio when you finish it off.

One possible stupid question; what does the 21 marking on the jerry cans indicate?
Terry

Bravo1102

New Jersey, United States
Joined: December 08, 2003
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 09:16 AM UTC

And that is what a real tank looks like. Well done Gino.

The Berlin Brigade stuff was kept immaculate unlike the 7th Army training center M48A2 I did. No mud puddles in downtown Berlin.

acebatau

Colorado, United States
Joined: February 10, 2008
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 09:46 AM UTC

Great built, mate, now you should build T-55 opposing it to complete the story

M4A1Sherman

New York, United States
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 01:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Dennis and Gerald. I agree, I can't stand the latest trendy fad finishing such as color modulation, pre-shading, post-shading, covering in chips and rust, heavy mud covering all details, etc., etc., etc... I like to build them how they actually look based on my experiences with over 20 years on active duty seeing/dealing with armored vehicles.

Gino & Gerald- I AGREE, most emphatically! There is NO reason on earth why so many modellers do depict their models with "over-done" weathering, applying a dozen filters, with POUNDS of filth, especially RUST, covering them, until the original color and details are completely obscured- Maybe they just want want to show off their "crud-creating skills"!

The trick to pre- and post-shading is that these effects should be very subtle; some of these effects are not quite convincing, in that they show too much contrast between the shades. There again, it's possible that SOME of the modellers that are doing this just want to show that they actually DID pre- and post-shade their models!!!

Then again, some modellers have carried off pre- and post-shading quite admirably...

Bravo1102

New Jersey, United States
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 02:04 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Quoted Text

Thanks Dennis and Gerald. I agree, I can't stand the latest trendy fad finishing such as color modulation, pre-shading, post-shading, covering in chips and rust, heavy mud covering all details, etc., etc., etc... I like to build them how they actually look based on my experiences with over 20 years on active duty seeing/dealing with armored vehicles.

Gino & Gerald- I AGREE, most emphatically! There is NO reason on earth why so many modellers do depict their models with POUNDS of filth covering them, except that maybe they just want want to show off their "crud-creating skills"!

As the poor sot tasked with shoveling the pounds of crud from out of the suspension every once in a while I like to put it there just to remind myself of how it was. I know that mud relief holes don't mean you still won't have to shovel thirty pounds of impacted mud from out of the drive sprocket. Or that just because you drew the vehicle "clean" doesn't mean there isn't a huge clod of dried gunk hiding behind the idler wheel ready to fall on your freshly shined boots when checking the suspension.

Or finishing a road march and looking at your sand colored tank and swearing it was NATO three color when you started out.

HeavyArty

Florida, United States
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Posted: Friday, September 09, 2016 - 05:28 PM UTC

Thanks all. It came out just how I wanted it. Clean, but still looking like it is in-service. Hopefully I can get to a dio for it soon. We'll see.

I hear you on the over weathering. I too have seen plenty of AFVs covered in mud and crud and had to clean them up too, fun stuff. There is a time and place for the mud, but I like to actually see my models, not a mud-covered chunk of plastic. If it is going to be in a dio with lots of mud and such, fine. Short of that, I see no reason to cover them in crud.

Quoted Text

One possible stupid question; what does the 21 marking on the jerry cans indicate?

Terry - I believe they "borrowed" the jerry cans from their buddies on the F21 tank. Usually, the jerry cans will have the same number as the tank, like the stowage box does. The reference pics (below) show they had "21" jerry cans though.