A few 1/35 IFV's and AFV's

[Ramba]

The exhaust should technically be moved from the rear as I moved the engine to the right front of the vehicle. I didn't feel like redoing the entire hull just to move the exhaust.

Which is as good a reason as any & it can be explained in the backstory.

The ZTL-11 has the engine in the rear but the ST-1 has the engine in the front same as the ZBL-09. While I did cut up the upper hull to move the engine deck area, it was way more work to move the exhaust area. My ZTL-11/ST-1 what if is a long lost seventh cousin twice removed 

[Ramba]

I added a Perfect Scale Modellbau (PSM) weapons ring over the loader's hatch and added an MG3 from a Revell SpaePz 2 LUCHS. The thermal sleeve 105mm barrel, Verlinden PE FN MAG gun mount and ammo can holder were donated by Jeffry Fontaine.

[apophenia]

This is looking great! 

The exhaust should technically be moved from the rear as I moved the engine to the right front of the vehicle. I didn't feel like redoing the entire hull just to move the exhaust.

Which is as good a reason as any & it can be explained in the backstory.

They've decided to use an extra long exhaust pipe provide the turret basket with infloor radiate heating?

[Ramba]

This is looking great! 

The exhaust should technically be moved from the rear as I moved the engine to the right front of the vehicle. I didn't feel like redoing the entire hull just to move the exhaust.

Which is as good a reason as any & it can be explained in the backstory.

They've decided to use an extra long exhaust pipe provide the turret basket with infloor radiate heating?

Thanks!

It was way too much work to move the exhaust. Either way, you won't see the inside of the vehicle anyway.

Being a what if, mine will have an extra long exhaust pipe similar to a car but will run inside the bottom of the hull and is insulated and runs through a soffit so the crew doesn't die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The exhaust pipe/soffit doesn't necessarily have to be in the cabin area, the exhaust pipe/soffit is built into the lower hull but separate from the inside of the cab. It's complicated but saves me from moving the exhaust.

[Ramba]

After getting as far as I can on that Hobby Boss ZTL-11/ST-1 what if, I went back to another started kit. The Academy 1/35 Merkava Mk.IV LIC. I had bought a Legend covered basket set and DROID ATMD for an Academy Merkava Mk.IID but the seller sent me the wrong sets. The ones he sent me were for the Mk.IV, not the Mk.IID. He said to keep them and would send the correct ones. So, with the extra Legend sets for the Mk.IV and not having a Mk.IV in my stash, I bought the Academy kit.




This kit was started back in 2020 but was set aside after working on the resin rear turret covered basket. The rear basket had a huge resin block and it was like trying to saw through a rock with a butter knife.


After finally removing the huge resin block, I drilled holes in it and also the rear of the kit turret to put some pegs in to keep it in place as it is pretty heavy.



This is as far as I got before stopping back in 2020. The side skirts are only dry fitted.


I restarted it back in October 2022 but I only worked on the DROID then packed it away again.


I restarted it again on Feb 04, 2023 but only test fitted the DROID on the turret before setting aside once again.

[Buzzbomb]

That Droid looks ace, plenty of scope there for other uses.

[Old Wombat]

I have all of those, I think (I may not have the "droid"). The kit is stalled in a half-built state & isn't getting the resin basket, that's going on my Meng Merk IV.

[Ramba]

That Droid looks ace, plenty of scope there for other uses.

Thanks! The Legend DROID is really nice. Legend includes some tubing for the wires that I still need to attach.

I also have the ET Model DROID and it is way undersized. I will be using the ET Model one on a what if build.

[Old Wombat]

You could always use the ET DROID as the head of an alien robot.

[Ramba]

I have all of those, I think (I may not have the "droid"). The kit is stalled in a half-built state & isn't getting the resin basket, that's going on my Meng Merk IV.

The Mk.IV turret basket is different than the one on the Mk.IVM Trophy. The one on the Mk.IVM Trophy was reconfigured at the two sides/ends to fit the radars. Overall, the turret basket on the Mk.IVM is shorter than the one on the Mk.IV.

Here is my Academy Mk.IV LIC with the Academy instructions and a real Mk.IV, you can see the basket goes to the ends of the turret.




Here is the Meng Mk.IVM Trophy with instructions and a real one and you can see that the basket doesn't reach the ends of the turret so that the Trophy APS radar can fit. The image of the real one you can see where the basket and ball and chain armor zig zags at the end of the basket.




Don't bother with the Black Dog Trophy and covered basket set either. They use the same basket for the Mk.IV and the Trophy radar is attached wrong.

[Ramba]

You could always use the ET DROID as the head of an alien robot.

That's a great idea. I actually have two of those ET Model DROIDS.

[Ramba]

This past Saturday and Sunday I worked on the ball and chain armor that was included with the Legend resin covered turret basket set.

I cut individual chain links and balls to make the hanging balls. I stuck one end in the ball then curled the other end to hang from the chain. I used CA to attach the balls. I had to do this 70 times. It took me 8+ hours over the two days to do them all.



The Legend PE brackets had pre drilled holes but the holes were too small to fit the chain link. I had to make the holes bigger.


After 8+ hours over two days, I finally got the ball and chain armor done. The kit is now back on the shelf of doom as I no longer want to see it after spending 8+ hours working on just the ball and chain armor.

[Old Wombat]

That, my friend, is Fruil Model metal indy track territory!

[Frank3k]

Wow. Those chains looks like torture to build. They look good, though.

[Ramba]

That, my friend, is Fruil Model metal indy track territory!

I don't have any metal indy tracks but if they are anything like the ball and chain armor, I will avoid them 

[Ramba]

Wow. Those chains looks like torture to build. They look good, though.

Thanks! They were close to torture but once you got in the groove it went by a lot easier but I still would rather not have to do them. I have three more Merkava kits that will need the ball and chain armor and not really looking forward to doing it all over again, three more times.

[Ramba]

After putting the Academy 1/35 Merkava Mk.IV LIC back on the shelf of doom, yesterday I worked on the Hobby Boss 1/35 Merkava Mk.IV Trophy kit.


The Hobby Boss kit is the early version without the loader's hatch. Most, if not all IDF Merkava Mk.IV Trophy tanks were retrofitted with the loader's hatch.


I found an Academy Merkava Mk.IV LIC parts tree on Ebay that had the loader's hatch.




I had to cut out the raised armored area on the hobby boss kit to fit the Academy loader's hatch parts but the Academy parts are not as tall as the Hobby Boss parts so I had to build up the Academy parts to fit correctly. Now I have an up to date Merkava Mk.IV Trophy with the loader's hatch. Yes, I know Meng has the updated Merkava Mk.IVM Trophy kit but I had gotten the Hobby Boss kit for way less than the Meng kit. Even after having to purchase the Academy parts tree, it was still less than the Meng kit. I reused the raised armored area I cut out from the turret for the area the loader's hatch sits on.





Loader's hatch dry fitted. I still need to fill and sand the seam lines on the turret where I put the hatch on.

[Old Wombat]

Good work!

[apophenia]

Okay, this is totally random but ... I look at this Merkava upper turret part and see 'manned submersible' 

[Ramba]

Good work!

Thanks!

[Ramba]

Okay, this is totally random but ... I look at this Merkava upper turret part and see 'manned submersible' 

A submersible would be cool similar to the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Seaview flying sub or the Black Manta sub.



I was thinking it closely resembled the Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raider.

[Old Wombat]

Just look at it & put Star Trek to the front of your mind.

[Ramba]

Just look at it & put Star Trek to the front of your mind.

Noooooo! Not a Trekkie!

[Ramba]

Still on the Hobby Boss Merkava Mk.IV Trophy. Worked on the hull and turret yesterday.

Got the suspension, belly armor and battering ram on. HB says to use brass wire on the ram but they didn't include any. You have to provide it yourself even though no mention of that in the instructions. I robbed some braided wire from a different HB kit.




Also put the Trophy parts on and the turret basket.



HB includes the basket covers which is a nice addition. They are only dry fitted for now.

[GTX_Admin]

Ukrainian scheme would look good...