Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Land => Topic started by: Mark Aldrich on October 16, 2012, 05:19:38 AM
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Dateline: June, 1983.
With the success of the Merkava main battle tank, the Israeli Defense Force has already begun rolling off the Merkava MkII. The Israeli Air Defense Force demands a vehicle to keep abreast of the Merkava Battalions. The American made M-163 Vulcan and the M-730 Chaparral offer air defense coverage at long and close ranges. The Israelis desire a mobile platform that can move forward with the Merkavas’ and still “reach out and touch” enemy aircraft.
The Israeli military have been tracking development and operational histories of both the M-247 Sgt. York and the Gepard. The Israeli’s choose the Gepard as it has a proven track record and the cost appears less then the York.
The Israeli government approaches Germany and a contract is struck to purchase 20 Gepard turrets, ammunition and training on the system. The negotiations also call for purchasing licenses so that these turrets can be produced in Israel. It is deemed prudent to replace as many components as possible to use Merkava produced parts.
The resulting vehicle is rolled off the assembly line and named Apollo’s Chariot. The combination of the Merkava Hull and Gepard turret is an astounding success. Though there has not been much enemy air activity since the “Yom Kippur” war, the 35mm cannons have proved to be useful in other venues.
(http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/warfrost64/IDF%20MErkava%20ADA/100_4145.jpg)
(http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/warfrost64/IDF%20MErkava%20ADA/100_4150.jpg)
(http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/warfrost64/IDF%20MErkava%20ADA/100_4156.jpg)
(http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo16/warfrost64/IDF%20MErkava%20ADA/100_4144.jpg)
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That might be one of the coolest tank models Ive seen :)
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Another great build! :)
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Wicked! Wicked Cool!
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Yeah you wouldn't want to be taking pots shot with your AK from a second story building and see one of these coming down the street .... another awesome build!
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Nice, a bit more mobility than my AA vehicle
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=1055.0 (http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=1055.0)
With all those spare Merkava I & II hulls out there I'm sure the IDF (or a customer of theirs >:D ) will come up with more stuff like this !
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Thanks guys! I had forgotten about this build until I was looking over old posts and saw the M109 AA vehicle!
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Yeah you wouldn't want to be taking pots shot with your AK from a second story building and see one of these coming down the street .... another awesome build!
I was thinking the same. Easy to imagine a RW Merkava urban warfare fire support vehicle put together out of those "spare Merkava I & II hulls" and surplus Gepards. Are the Dutch selling off their PRTL-35mm GWIs yet?
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Another excellent job, dude. Question-what did you use/how did you do the anti-slip texture on the hull?
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Very nice build! :) Looks very plausible.
<...> Easy to imagine a RW Merkava urban warfare fire support vehicle put together out of those "spare Merkava I & II hulls" and surplus Gepards. <...>
Yeah! A Merkava-based vehicle along the lines of the Russian BMPT would be awesome! >:D
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Man, that's sweet! :D
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Outstanding! :)
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Awesome....I love it!! :-* :-*
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Scooter!
The anti-slip is called embossing powder! You can get it in different colors at most Michaels type stores.
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Very nice!!
I've never understood why the IDF, after all its combat experience has not adopted a more powerful (larger caliber) SPAAG system?
You give me thought!!
M.A.D
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Any chance that the IDF might follow the German Army lead and add Stinger MANPAD's to their Apollo’s Chariot?
The Merkava unique front-engine layout - which affords it an excellent rear fighting/storage compartment means that your 'Apollo’s Chariot' would be able to carry a substantial amount of reserve ammo for both the 35mm cannons and Singer reloads!!
Could the IDF go one further and adopt some of the Soviet practices (and appreciation of some of their equipment) and perhaps add an additional 2 x 35mm cannon - as the Soviet's did with their excellent 2S6 Tunguska (aka 4 x 30mm cannons) ;)
M.A.D
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The main reason is because they probably do not precieve any immediate air threat from their neighbors.
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The main reason is because they probably do not precieve any immediate air threat from their neighbors.
Agreed.
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Graeme Davidson did a GREAT conversion in his Osprey M113 modelling book. It is called the SIDAM 25.......That woudl look cool on it as well.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg)
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Graeme Davidson did a GREAT conversion in his Osprey M113 modelling book. It is called the SIDAM 25.......That woudl look cool on it as well.
[url]http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg[/url] ([url]http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg[/url])
Agreed. An Italian company called Historica Production did produce a SIDAM 25 conversion. Unfortunately they went out of production.
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found hosted pics here:
https://gallery.ipmsusa3.org/picture.php?/110139/category/merkava-ada-wip-and-finished-model (https://gallery.ipmsusa3.org/picture.php?/110139/category/merkava-ada-wip-and-finished-model)
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Nicely done! I've done the exact same thing myself, but yours has come out a lot better from the paint shop than mine, haha.