I received my Academy Merkava Mk IV today and already started it. I plan on doing this as a Blog. I will get some pictures up soon. Today I have already masked off all of the top surface of the hull and turret. I then sprayed Rust-Oleum Multi-Colored Textured paint to simulate the rough uneven non skid so prevalent on IDF vehicles. It worked great and I am very excited about how it looks. Like I said, I will get some pics up soon. Until next time.

Alright here are some pics. I haven't even clipped any parts from the sprue yet, just started on the non skid.











Here are the shots after the Multi-Colored Textured Paint was applied. Its a lot heavier than the Terra Cotta paint but then again, the IDF's non skid is heavy and irregular.




So theres the beginning. Let me know what you think.

Hi there, nice work you have there, will be interesting to see under a coat of paint, what did you use for the masking off, looking forward to seeing more, cheers Bob.

Nice start Cory, I have this one sitting on my desk as well, I'm working on an inbox review for the site, so I'll be keeping an eye on your blog. A comment and a question: The area around the smoke grenade launchers on both sides of the turret has a part that should be attached there, I can see you masked the right side ones off but not the left side, did you glue the part on the left side already, or maybe you haven't removed the masking fluid yet? (I hope ) Also, does your kit have any non-skid molded on? Mine does not, but others have said their kit does have it (although very understated).

Mike

Kelley: I had not removed the liquid mask as yet on that left panel. If you look real close you can see a light blue tint on that panel. There was no non skid molded in the kit. I used what photos I could to figure where the non skid was.

Gt351: I used Micro Scale Liquid Mask for the masking. It worked great. It took a little time to apply then remove after the non skid was applied, but the result is good.

I started some construction today, not much, but I started. Right away ran into two problems. First was those stupid motor holes in the bottom of the hull that need to be filled, They were huge. I used a bunch of styrene rod to fill most of them, then putty and glue. The back door frame came with 8 sink hole marks on the outside of the part, where the detail is. The inside surface was flat on doesn't show at all. They should have turned this part over and put the sink holes on the back side. Oh well, a little putty and careful sanding and all is good. More pics soon.

Nice start
I just got mine 2 days ago as well and I have the Textued spray can
Can you post more pics
I am kinda nervous about using it this would be the first

Looks good man, I've got mine on standby. I'm still fairly new to the 1/35 scale so I have a few questions about the non-slip texture. First after the mask is applied and then the non-slip texture was added...how do you remove the liquid mask? Also I've seen a few diff. types of this liquid masking so is one more preferred than the other or does it just come down to availability? Well thanks in advance for all the help...and I'm sure I'll have more questions as you move along with your blog. Thanks!

I saw one built up on a stand at at model show in Huddersfield on Sunday, it looked a real nice kit. The modeller had replaced the rear hull baskets with resin items as well as the wheels.

he hadn't added any form of anti slip, as yet (and having built the kit may not be able to) and the kit wasnt painted but it looked a nice representaion of the mark IV

I would have posted a couple of pictures if I had taken my camera to take some with

cheers

keith

Here are a few pics of the turret, 90% finished. I just need to add the guns and the stowage in the basket. Next is the hull and tracks. I am going to use the kit tracks. Let me know what you think.





Here is a shot of what I used to fill the motorization holes on the bottom of the hull. After this set I topped it with green putty and sanded it back to shape.




punisher2-2: I use Micro Mark liquid mask. It dries to a clear blue color and is easily trimmed. After the non skid is applied, just use a sharp blade and pick the liquid mask off. If you are lucky, you can get major sections off as one. If not, like me, then you need to pick at it and pluck off small bits with pointy tweezers.

A little update. Well, I have finished the turret and hull and am ready for some painting. The biggest problem I have run into is with the main gun. The locating cutout was misplaced, making the barrel go into the mantlet on its side. I had to cut a chunk out of the top of the barrel base to make it fit correctly in the mantlet. Easy fix, but disappointing. Anyway, heres a some pics.



A close up showing the corrected locating mark.

Hi,

I have had the same problem regarding the placement of the gun into the turret. Thanks for the info.
Hobby Boss Merkava 4 is being released around June 2009 this was confirmed by Hobby Boss to me by email today.

Regards

Juljon

Cory,
Nice work. I am interested to see the textured paint under some primer. When are ya'll meeting at HT USA next??? I want to see your work in person.
John

I was thinking on buying that model, but i have poor experience with academy models. I've built a "magach" once, as a present for a friend, and I hated every minute of it.
How is this model going for you? do the parts fit, or you have to put some muscle into it?
I had a pain building that "magach" :

Hello:

I'm wirting from México. Your work in that Merkava is great, but I have a question.

You said that used "MULTICOLORED TEXTURE PAINT" to replicate the anti-slip surface of your tank. Could you explain me what kind of paint did you use?

I like the results you get, but I never heard about that paint before.

If you can put pictures of the paint can will be great

Let's hope you can help.

Best Regards.

Good start Cory, nice use of the masking to keep the texture off those unwanted spots. Keep at it, looking forward to seeing it with some color as well to see how your technique worked.

Thanks for sharing! Cheers -

Tim

Dan the paint he uses might not be sold in mexico, if it is its under the name "rust-o-leum terracotta" hope you can find it
calvin ng

Cory-
Did you spray just one coat of 'terra-cotta' paint on the turret? Or are we seeing several coats built up? BTW nice job so far!


Glenn

Allright, I'm going to try and answer all the latest questions. First off, a picture of the paints used to simulate the non-skid. I have a picture of both kinds I use. The Terra-Cotta one is used for most country's non-skid. It creates a nice, even, rough surface. The other paint is the Multi-Colored Textured paint that I use for IDF vehicles. It gives a rough, uneven surface, much like the IDF's non-skid.



Here are some shots of the primer I use and the primed Merk.







I found my paints in Walmart and Lowes. I'm not sure about Mexico. Hopefully with the pictures you should be able to find it or something similar. Good luck.

Tankrider, the next meeting is this coming Friday, March 6th, at 7pm.

Metooshelah, sorry I missed yours. Overall the fit has been pretty good. I have had to use a little filler to fill some misplaced sink marks. I used a little filler on the turret hatch, but not much. The barrel has a misplaced locating tab as mentioned earlier. Some of the seam lines are a little heavy but its not that big a deal. I built the Academy M-60 Blazer with mine rollers several years ago and I don't remember having that many problems with it. I will say that this Merkava Mk IV has gone together pretty smoothly.

I just found that Legends released a Basket set for the Merkava Mk IV. Since I was planning on this tank being in service I decided to order this set. I am waiting for this to arrive so progress has stopped for the moment. On to the M113 Zelda.

It seems in the pics that applying the textured paint covers the numerous bolts that are a characteristic of this tank, and that are tiny molded on the surface of the model
Am I right?

I used the same textured paint as above and I used liquid mask to cover the hinges and bolts etc. prior to using the textured paint I believe it was also used on this built as well
I takes time but it is worth it

The build looks good Cory
I also ordered the Legends stuff
I got about as far as you and am waiting for ther parts too should be here on the 12th

hello Dan-T, you can find that "MULTICOLORED TEXTURE PAINT" in The Home Depot, I have seen before that product, and it cost $ 50.00 pesos, Sorry for my english. . .

Hugohuertas: yes the textured paint did cover the bolts, however they are still very prominent. The liquid mask does take some time but actually works very good. I am very happy with the result. After the Legends set gets here and I can move on, I will get some colored paint on there and it should look pretty good.

Good to know this, it would be a shame if the bolts were covered!!!

Hey Man

The tank is looking awesome, I have this on the shelve, but it's going to be a while before I build it

If you are going to do a base for it or a diorama, this video can give you ideas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjVg4Bdri8Y

Northwestern: Thanks for that link. That was a pretty awesome video. I can't wait to get the basket set here so I can finish the kit. This will only be the first of these I build. I will get another one and super detail it.

you forgot some anti slip in the commander's hatch and gunner sights as well.