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1/35 Hobby Boss Merkava Mk IIID - 8/8/15: In the Paint Shop


John F Smith

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So…….I'm building a tank…..

 

Never thought those words would come from my mouth, but all the same, it's true.  I've never built a piece of armor in my whole life, even as a kid, but I got this urge to build this tank, and I'm actually having fun at it!  No, I haven't gone over to the dark side; I'm just enjoying a change of pace.

 

I saw this kit in a video build on another site, and admired it's futuristic lines, and decided that I could do at least as well as the job that was done on that model, so it spurred my interest.

 

Merkava%201%20of%208_zpsswuigtxv.jpg

 

Having a decidedly big case of AMS, I couldn't attack this project without lots of aftermarket, so I got the Eduard PE sets for it, and the decals and resin machine guns below; (the PE shown is only a portion of one set showing some of the handles and rings; I think they will look much better than what is molded on the kit plastic)

 

Merkava%205%20of%208_zpswglyg709.jpg

Merkava%206%20of%208_zpsugmimmed.jpg

Merkava%207%20of%208_zpssp3cxkvs.jpg

 

It's really a pretty nice kit, I think, taking into account my near total ignorance of all things armor.  Hey, I'm an airplane guy so I know what ailerons, fuselages, trim tabs, etc. are, but I don't know an idler from a road wheel, but I'm learning slowly.  

 

I have been impressed with the molding on the plastic including the non-slip surfaces on the upper hull and turret parts. 

 

Merkava%203%20of%208_zpspn9g0jrw.jpg

 

 I've discovered, though, that there is a plethora of mold seam marks on almost every part which needs to be sanded and polished.  (see the road wheel before and after photo below). I've also spent hours sanding and filing the cut marks off of hundreds of track parts.  

 

Merkava%204%20of%208_zpsjnrylqf5.jpg

 

So far, I've almost finished the lower hull and suspension, building the road wheels, idler and drive sprockets, and have made a start on the upper hull.

 

Merkava%202%20of%208_zpsmv4nascb.jpg

Merkava%208%20of%208_zpsg2bh58l7.jpg

 

The next major task is to do some scraping and sanding of molded on handles, rings, and so forth on the hulls and putting the replacement PE in place.  That will be the subject of the next update.

 

Till then…….  Thanks for stopping by.

 

John

Edited by John F Smith
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Guest Peterpools

John

Great start on the Merkava and that's from a guy who I am willing to bet knows even less about armor. Can't wait to see this beauty take shape over the course of the build.

One thing that always bothered me about armor, is how builders beat them to death weathering their models. I know that's how they might have looked in the field but in all the museums I've visited; no way. I cab understand and appreciate weathering when a model is displayed in a vignette or diorama but as a stand alone kit for the display shelf - doesn't cut the mustard for me.

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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Thank you, Peter

 

I agree with you completely about the weathering.  Extensive weathering has it's place in dioramas and vignettes, but not for on the shelf displays.

 

Furthermore, the reference photos of the Merkava I have seen show that the Israelis keep them in pretty clean condition, so my weathering will be pretty light, especially by comparison to some I have seen.

 

An interesting thing about this kit:  it represents the Merkava with steel road wheels.....no rubber rims.  That's a true representation since about half of the Mark IIIs had steel road wheels.  The well known modeler who did the video I mentioned apparently decided that the road wheels in the kit were 'lacking' the rubber rims, so he painted them on anyway!  Hmmm.......

 

John

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  • 2 weeks later...

Part I

 

Well, time for an update.....

 

In between spring planting, spring cleaning, and a new dog, I've managed to get some work done here and it's time to share in the progress.

 

Going all out on the PE for this kit was, perhaps, not the wisest thing I've decided to do lately, but I'm plodding along and getting it done.  Sorting between the kit's poor instructions, pretty good PE and the 3 sets of PE from Eduard has been a real challenge.  It's easy to get confused about what to do next, so I'm just taking my time and working on it in what seems a logical order.  Not being an armor guy, I may be completely off base about my plan of attack, but it's getting there.

 

Lots and lots of scraping on exterior surfaces where there is molded on texture demands a very delicate hand.  I even bought a "micro-knife" and blades from Micro Mark to help out, and it's been a life saver.  Both the kit PE and the Eduard PE are a little inconsistent about what gets scraped off and replaced.  For example, some hinges on the rear of the tank DO get replaced, but others on the upper surface of hull don't.....keeps me scratching my head and wondering if I'm missing something.

 

The kit also continues to surprise me.  Overall I like it a lot, but there are some really annoying aspects to it.  First, the instructions are awful.  The mounting locations of some parts are really unclear and it takes time to discern the right way to place things.  Second, there are mold seam lines and minor flash EVERYWHERE.  I think I've got it all off the things I'm working on and I find some more.  Lots and lots of sanding and scraping to get rid of those.

 

I've managed to finish cleaning up the tracks and snap them together in groups which will make it convenient to prime and paint.  Here they are taped to some cardboard ready to prime:

 

Merkava%202%209%20of%2013_zpsdhh67ssf.jp

 

Now comes a decision point.  I had ordered some Friulmodel white metal tracks for this kit, but they didn't arrive until this past week.  By the time they got here, I had already spent hours cleaning up the kit tracks and fitting them together.  However, the Friulmodel tracks look so good that I am sorely tempted to go ahead and put in the effort to use them.  And it will be a lot of effort:  cleanup with file or sharp knife, washing, rinsing, burnishing, rinsing, assembly, metal wire pins......just go get to the same place I am now with the kit tracks.

 

Here are two comparison photos of the kit vs. Friulmodel.  I'd love to hear your opinion:

 

Merkava%202%2012%20of%2013_zpsqqlcusdu.j

 

Merkava%202%2013%20of%2013_zpsk51mxizx.j

 

OK, the lower hull is complete.  Not much PE here, but what is there really adds to it, I think.  Those funny vertical brass plates are baffles for the main intake vent.  They will be enclosed when the upper hull is joined.  The steel road wheels have also been sanded and polished ready for primer to remove the mold seam marks.  Lots of sanding dust floating around here!

 

An overall view of the lower hull followed by some detail shots:

 

Merkava%202%2011%20of%2013_zpsqxb1cidi.j

 

Merkava%202%208%20of%2013_zpslqkh9qra.jp

 

Merkava%202%207%20of%2013_zpspiamoryc.jp

 

 

Because of the limits on the number of photos, I have to break this into two parts.....see you in Part II

 

John

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Part II

 

The Upper hull is a LOT busier with PE work.  You will be able to see here what I was talking about earlier on the inconsistencies of how PE is used in this kit on the part of both the kit PE and the Eduard sets.  When you look at the detail shots, you will probably notice locations with rings or hinges and ask, just as I did, "why isn't that replaced with PE"?

 

Again, first an overall shot and then detail photos:

 

Merkava%202%2010%20of%2013_zpshmkslmkb.j

 

Merkava%202%204%20of%2013_zpsnp3tzadu.jp

 

Merkava%202%203%20of%2013_zpsf3eclp3g.jp

 

Merkava%202%205%20of%2013_zpsonnd3eed.jp

 

One of the aftermarket PE sets from Eduard is almost a complete replacement for the side skirts and the suspension that attaches them to the hull.  I've made a start on this and it's one of the most challenging PE jobs I have ever done, and I'm including the IMCTH 1/32 models in that statement.  So far, I've completed 1 of 8 pieces of the leaf spring suspension assemblies, and there are 10 of them total (5 for each side skirt).  

 

A photo of the flat PE piece and how it looks after it's folded, as well as the Eduard assembly step that shows it being used with the leaf spring:

 

Merkava%202%201%20of%2013_zpsarclz79c.jp

 

Merkava%202%202%20of%2013_zpsicbau7fk.jp

 

Finally, I've been working on assembling the gun.  The barrel is split into top and bottom parts as are the other 3 pieces that make up this assembly with the exception of the short muzzle.  .....so there are seams, and they are in a location where they really do have to be sanded and polished out, but it's pretty difficult because the gun barrel is very busy with reinforcing straps and a complex shape.  I wish that there were a nice aftermarket single piece barrel, but there isn't.  So, onward and upward with the sanding sticks.

 

Just started work on the top turret yesterday and it promises to be similar to the upper hull in terms of complexity and PE.

 

I hope I haven't given the impression that I'm struggling too much with this build.  The fact is, I'm enjoying it a lot.  But it does push the edge of the envelope of my skills and that's a good thing.  I'm really looking forward to the next steps with this project.

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are enjoying the build log.

 

John

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Peterpools

John

An amazing project and with all the After Market products and PE, I completely understand half the battle is just figuring out what goes where and when and what stays and what goes. The level of detail the PE brings is well worth all the extra effort and hours of work. Personally, I doubt that I would have the patience to tackle a build this complicated, especially knowing even less about armor then is humanly possible.

Just love the details and looking forward to seeing more of the additions as you move forward, covering new ground with each work session. The Friulmodel white metal tracks are a knockout, with amazing detail and an absolute must for the Merkava.

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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Nothing wrong with armor modeling at all, John, and certainly nothing wrong with doing a Merkava. As to the AM track, so little will show on the finished model that I wouldn't bother, but that's me.

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