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

[Ramba]

Fixed the manlet so the barrel fits more snugly now and got the muzzle brake attached. The turret isn't started yet so will work on that in the coming days.

[Old Wombat]

BOOM!

[Ramba]

BOOM!

[Ramba]

Continuing with the Amusing Hobby Abrams X. Nothing much done though, I only did the drone. It includes one Switchblade 300. It is tiny and most of the parts are PE.





Here it is posed with a 1/35 figure sitting on top of the wall.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Ramba]

As you know, I replaced the Amusing Hobby Abrams X 120mm gun barrel with a 130mm barrel. Here you can see the size difference between a Tamiya 120mm and the new 130mm barrels.

[GTX_Admin]

I wish someone offered a 1/35 140mm barrel

[Ramba]

I wish someone offered a 1/35 140mm barrel

There is a 140mm barrel in the Tiger Model 1/35 Leopard II Revolution II 130mm kit. Even though the box says 130mm, it includes two different 120mm barrels, a 130mm barrel and a 140mm barrel.



If you don't want the kit, you can get a metal 140mm barrel from Chuanyu from Aliexpress shown in the link below. I got my Chuanyu 130mm barrel that I am using on the Abrams X from this same seller so they are legit. It took close to three weeks to be delivered. I was in no rush so the wait time was no problem for me. You can also find them on Ebay if you don't want to go through Aliexpress.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806233033096.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

Edit: Looking at the price from Aliexpress, that is expensive. I only paid a total of $12USD with free shipping for the 130mm barrel but that was a few months ago.

[Ramba]

On the Amusing Hobby Abrams X, the turret doesn't rotate fully. Parts of the upper rear hull interferes with the turret when rotating left and right. The turret hits the raised areas of the hull shown on the first image below. On an M1A1/A2 Abrams, those raised areas are shorter but they are extended on the Abrams X.


In these two images, you can see where the turret hits the raised areas on the rear hull.

[GTX_Admin]

If you don't want the kit, you can get a metal 140mm barrel from Chuanyu from Aliexpress shown in the link below. I got my Chuanyu 130mm barrel that I am using on the Abrams X from this same seller so they are legit. It took close to three weeks to be delivered. I was in no rush so the wait time was no problem for me. You can also find them on Ebay if you don't want to go through Aliexpress.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806233033096.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

Edit: Looking at the price from Aliexpress, that is expensive. I only paid a total of $12USD with free shipping for the 130mm barrel but that was a few months ago.

Thanks

[Ramba]

If you don't want the kit, you can get a metal 140mm barrel from Chuanyu from Aliexpress shown in the link below. I got my Chuanyu 130mm barrel that I am using on the Abrams X from this same seller so they are legit. It took close to three weeks to be delivered. I was in no rush so the wait time was no problem for me. You can also find them on Ebay if you don't want to go through Aliexpress.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806233033096.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

Edit: Looking at the price from Aliexpress, that is expensive. I only paid a total of $12USD with free shipping for the 130mm barrel but that was a few months ago.

Thanks

Hope to see what you put that 140mm barrel on.

[Ramba]

Working on the turret now. I cut some parts off but had to put them back on as my plan to relocate some stuff didn't work out the way I planned. I was planning to relocate the RWS and the thermal imagers but couldn't get them the way I wanted. I am going to only use one thermal imager now and replaced the 30mm RWS with an M153 RWS instead. Still working on sorting everything out so not much progress shown yet. I also plan to fill in a few areas where some of the smoke grenade launchers are. I haven't started filling those areas in yet. This is where it stands as of now.

[Ramba]

Started filling in some of those smoke grenade launcher areas. I used plastic strip cut to size then filed and sanded to shape. Still a lot more to fill but taking a break for now.

[GTX_Admin]

Hope to see what you put that 140mm barrel on.

Multiple options starting with Abrams

[Ramba]

Hope to see what you put that 140mm barrel on.

Multiple options starting with Abrams

Looking forward to seeing it on whatever you choose.

[Ramba]

Got the smoke grenade launcher recesses filled in, finally! They aren't perfect but hoping the primer, whenever I get to that stage will cover some of the imperfections.

[Ramba]

Got most of the hull together. Still a few small parts here and there including some clear parts for the vision blocks, headlights and taillights.



I am adding a Meng belly armor. It fits fairly well with only very minor adjustment.


Also test fitting the M153 RWS, thermal imager and APS parts on the turret. Again, still more to add before ready for primer.

[Frank3k]

I'm enjoying this build - the new barrel looks great! The drone looks fiddly - good job on it.

Is the M152 from a JLTV kit? Since the turret is supposed to be unmanned, you may want to add an extra large ammo box for whatever weapon you add there, or some automatic feed from inside the turret. OTOH, that would be tempting the crew to fire the 0.50 cal without stopping for a barrel change, so maybe an automatic feed isn't a good idea.

[Ramba]

I'm enjoying this build - the new barrel looks great! The drone looks fiddly - good job on it.

Is the M152 from a JLTV kit? Since the turret is supposed to be unmanned, you may want to add an extra large ammo box for whatever weapon you add there, or some automatic feed from inside the turret. OTOH, that would be tempting the crew to fire the 0.50 cal without stopping for a barrel change, so maybe an automatic feed isn't a good idea.

Thanks!

The drone is tiny and was very fiddly. The 130mm barrel makes a difference and looks better than the 120mm barrel that was included with the kit. The kit supplied 120mm barrel is also metal but I prefer the 130mm though.

The M153 RWS is from Bronco.


The Bronco RWS comes with a higher capacity ammo can but I forgot how many rounds it fits. It is the gray one on the right. The small one on the left is a Tamiya .50cal ammo can and the middle one is also from Tamiya but the 40mm ammo can.


I have two RFM M-ATV parts trees with the M153 RWS on them that I got as spares off Ebay a few years ago. One will be fitted to one of my AFV M1126 Strykers. Some of the Strykers fitted the larger ammo can from the M153 RWS to the M151 RWS so I want to do at least one of my Strykers like that. Here is an M1126 Stryker with the larger ammo can on the M151 RWS.

[apophenia]

The Bronco RWS comes with a higher capacity ammo can but I forgot how many rounds it fits...

That M153 ammo box holds 400-rounds of 12.7 mm - double that of the M151.

[Frank3k]

25 "refills" before a barrel change, on a well maintained Browning.

[Ramba]

That M153 ammo box holds 400-rounds of 12.7 mm - double that of the M151.

Thanks for the info.

25 "refills" before a barrel change, on a well maintained Browning.

As you mentioned before, the crew would have to get out to reload the RWS but hoping 400 rounds is sufficient enough until they can get to somewhere safe to reload. In heavy fighting, if the RWS runs out, they would have to rely on the coax. I was thinking of mounting the CSAMM (Counter-Sniper/Anti-Material Mount) on the gun mantlet like some M1A1/A2's had in Iraq but I didn't like the way it looked on the Abrams X. Here's one on an M1A1 TUSK in Iraq.

[Ramba]

Got the 130mm barrel mounted to the turret.

[Frank3k]

Wow - that barrel looks massive.  It really goes well with the turret.

[Ramba]

Wow - that barrel looks massive.  It really goes well with the turret.

Thanks! The mantlet needed boring out to fit the new wider 130mm barrel but luckily I got it to fit.

Here is the size difference between a 120mm and the 130mm.