Hi guys and Gals ...well it's the last day of the year and I've shown pictures of all the models I built this year except this one ...I know the old Tamiya kit is full of mistakes so don't bother ... :-) but it was just a relief to only spend a couple of weeks on a kit and having fun doing it ... comments are welcome of course.

Looks pretty good. One thing you could add is the centers, half-circle parts of the roadwheel hubs, should be black, with a hull-colored center nut. They are actually clear plastic covers that allow the operator to see how much oil is in the hub. They appear black due to the oil and grease inside. You can see them in the below pic.


Good job.

Hi Gino ..I found out about those clear parts from looking at the updates of the new Dragon kit that is about to come out ...too late for this one but I promise I'll get it right on that one... Thanks for the comment .

Rick

Bear,

Looks nice and I bet it felt good to just build, no worrying or tweaking, just building and finishing.

Jim

Great job Bear,

Simple, nice, and clean. I like!
WC

When the first image loaded I said to myself, out loud "That's really nice" and it is. Good job

Never too late to make a correction, but whatever works for you. Still looks good.

Finally, a clean M1. Very nice, and, not "overdone" with the storage, one can actually see the turret and details!
Congratulations, a fine study of the Abrams.

Regards,
Steve

Nice Job Richard! Gotta love the OTB process when it comes to Tamiya kits. I think I'm going to do the same with my M1 - straight OTB!

Now that is the kinda build that gives me the urge to go out and by one.

Looks good. Like the others said--not overdone; nice, simple, and neat.

One question--it is hard to see the tracks, what color(s) are they?

Looking forward to seeing your next year's builds.

Thanks for the comments ...I really just needed a break and this one really hit the spot...Now I'm actually starting to enjoy modern kits ...I'll be getting the new Dragon kit as soon as it hits the shelves.

Rick
Happy New Years to all!

you did a nice job on your M1A1

Very nice Richard. I now keep looking at my Dragon M1A1HA Abrams now. What inaccurancies is there on the Tamiya kit (not up on modern tanks).
Andy (++)

Generally, it is an older kit and does not have as crisp molding and fine details as the newer kits. For problem areas, It has older T-156 track, which are also incorrectly molded with the center guides in the middle of each link as opposed to between them as connectors. The Gunner's Primary Sight doghouse is an old style with angled rear panel, new one is square. Poor detail on muzzle referance sensor on the barrel. Older, no longer in use, hull-mounted APU included. It is also missing many of the upgrades that have been added over the last about 15 years since it came out as well. There are other areas that need attention, but those are what I can remember. I'm sure soemone else will come up with other things.


Here is the Missing-Lynx M1/M1A1/M1A2 Tweaks List that includes the Tamiya M1A1 kit. Much of this is adding and/or replacing extra details on all the kits reviewed. It will give you a sense of what can be done though.

Hi Keith...The tracks were first painted Nato Black and the metal parts were lightly dry brushed with polished steel and then they got a heavy coat od MMP Pigments to get that dusty effect...

Rick

Very nice work, Vrey clean and the preshading looks great. Cheers Kevin