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Armor/AFV: IDF [Israeli Defense Forces]
Armor and AFVs of the IDF army from 1947-today.
Hosted by Darren Baker
M48A2C IDF (Magach 2) Six Day War
GTDeath13
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Attica, Greece / Ελλάδα
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Posted: Friday, August 18, 2017 - 09:41 PM UTC
This will be my effort to build an IDF M48A2C during the Six Day War, using the Revell M48A2 kit, the Legend upgrade set for this kit and some stowage from Def Models. The tracks used are DS tracks from Dragon's M48A3 kit, as well as the gun barrel.

Cutting the front of the turret and adding the resin piece was quite easy and straight forward. Propably the best way to do it is with a saw and cut vertically from top to bottom, marking a line at the turret roof.

All resin parts fit perfectly which is very nice. Especially the engine bay doors proved to be an exact fit and replaced the plastic part from Revell (note: I have not yet added the photoetch grilles provided).

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

By the way, does anybody know why Legend has made the holes left and right of the manlet, near the turret ring?



















m4sherman
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Posted: Friday, August 18, 2017 - 09:55 PM UTC
Looking good. That kit does have some potential.

Is the Legends kit for a German version? Did it have smoke launchers on the turret? Seems an odd place for holes.

The bow should come to more of a point, but that could be an optical delusion, given my poor eyes.
ReluctantRenegade
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Wien, Austria
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Posted: Friday, August 18, 2017 - 10:14 PM UTC
Great craftsmanship, as always Nikos! I was hesitating whether to continue the thread "IDF Light/Heavy Metal" with the early Shot or Magach variants, your post just decided for me...
GTDeath13
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Posted: Saturday, August 19, 2017 - 03:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Looking good. That kit does have some potential.

Thank you. The kit is decent for the price it has in Europe (around 25 euros).


Quoted Text

Is the Legends kit for a German version? Did it have smoke launchers on the turret? Seems an odd place for holes.

You are absolutely right. The holes are for the smoke grenade launchers of the German version. And the set includes the chains for the launchers as well.


Quoted Text

The bow should come to more of a point, but that could be an optical delusion, given my poor eyes.

Yes the bow needs some tweaking to get a more pointy end.

GTDeath13
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Posted: Saturday, August 19, 2017 - 03:12 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Great craftsmanship, as always Nikos! I was hesitating whether to continue the thread "IDF Light/Heavy Metal" with the early Shot or Magach variants, your post just decided for me...



Count me in for the Magach variants.
GTDeath13
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Attica, Greece / Ελλάδα
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Posted: Monday, August 21, 2017 - 12:30 AM UTC
Started adding bits and pieces. The machine gun bareel is a mix of Dragon and Legend parts. Still lots to do, and I need a Meng bolt and nut set for the about 120 ones I need to add to the fenders...

















GTDeath13
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Posted: Thursday, August 24, 2017 - 01:00 AM UTC
Most of the upgrade se tparts have been added to the hull and now I will start detailing. The turret will follow...

















Kenaicop
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Posted: Thursday, August 24, 2017 - 01:13 AM UTC
Another build im lov'n! I need that kit and an M41 to complete my post war US tank collection.
GTDeath13
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Posted: Monday, April 09, 2018 - 11:06 PM UTC
I admit DEFEAT!!!

I tried to make use of my Easter work leave and assemble the Legend turret bustle rack and the handrails. After almost a week of trying and using every possible method of assembly I quit. I cannot build the Legend basket whatsoever.

So I assembled the Revell plastic something like basket and handrails, put the stowage on and now I will start detailing the model (nuts, bolts and other various details).









baldwin8
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 01:05 AM UTC
I love seeing older kits detailed, looks good.
panamadan
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 01:14 AM UTC
looks great. Why does Legend have you saw off the front of the turret?
Dan
GTDeath13
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 01:22 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I love seeing older kits detailed, looks good.



Thank you!! Although it is not an old kit, Revell released this a couple of years ago, brfore Dragon released their Magach 1/2 kit.


Quoted Text

looks great. Why does Legend have you saw off the front of the turret?
Dan



They supply the mantlet cover and barrel. Actually it is easier to saw off the turret this way than the way they proposed in their manlet for the Dragon kit.

DEF m48 mantlet is far superior in engineering, Legend is better detailwise.
panamadan
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 03:14 AM UTC
I just don't think I could make a good job as you did in the saw work.
Dan
barkingdigger
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ARMORAMA
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 04:05 AM UTC
An impressive build! Are you going to add the prominent missing welds on the engine deck? (I addressed these in my review of the Revell kit.)
GTDeath13
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 04:13 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I just don't think I could make a good job as you did in the saw work.
Dan

You can always mark your cuts with a scriber or use the scriber (I have a Tamiya one that is great, actually made by OLFA) and work your way through the plastic and get a clean cut.


Quoted Text

An impressive build! Are you going to add the prominent missing welds on the engine deck? (I addressed these in my review of the Revell kit.)



My main two concerns are the weld seams (I suck at that) and the searchlight mount on the gun mantlet. All vehicles during the Six Day War period had the IDF made searchlight mount on.

I have read your review many times, as it was very helpful.
jwest21
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 04:31 AM UTC
Excellent work. I am not a big fan of Legends new designs for mantlets. I can never seem to get the turret cut right. It does look better than just a resin mantlet, though
baldwin8
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 05:25 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thank you!! Although it is not an old kit, Revell released this a couple of years ago, before Dragon released their Magach 1/2 kit.



That's a red face for me. I'm am sometimes a bit too quick to post replies before reading all the details.
Those rear door fins look really good, some kits make them look somewhat obese. Now I want to get this kit to add to my Dragon Magach 3.
GTDeath13
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Posted: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 06:27 PM UTC

Quoted Text


That's a red face for me. I'm am sometimes a bit too quick to post replies before reading all the details.
Those rear door fins look really good, some kits make them look somewhat obese. Now I want to get this kit to add to my Dragon Magach 3.



Get the Dragon Magach 1/2 instead with the DEF M48A1 mantlet

The rear engine doors and the fins are Legend
GTDeath13
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Posted: Monday, July 23, 2018 - 09:01 AM UTC
Did some detailing on this project, the only things left prior to priming are the searchlight, its mount on the mantlet and its cable.






bat-213
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Posted: Monday, July 23, 2018 - 11:47 AM UTC
your build is looking great ,very nice work .
GTDeath13
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Posted: Tuesday, July 24, 2018 - 12:41 AM UTC

Quoted Text

your build is looking great ,very nice work .



Thank you for your kind words.



Some more photos:



GTDeath13
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Posted: Thursday, July 26, 2018 - 04:32 AM UTC
The model has been primed, some cleaup required and the next stage is preshading...






metooshelah
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Posted: Friday, July 27, 2018 - 04:34 AM UTC
Very nice build!
Going with an old Revell Kit is very brave
GTDeath13
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Posted: Friday, July 27, 2018 - 06:45 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Very nice build!
Going with an old Revell Kit is very brave



Thank you Nathan. Actually it is the Revell M48A2C kit that was released a couple of years ago.

But I have to admit that this build is proving to be turd polishing at its finest.
Usually we see the photos posted by people turning old, mediocre kits into awesome models. What the photos do not show are the tons of hard work, repetitive tasks like adding nuts and bolts, hours of filling, sanding, correcting and measuring dimensions again and again and again... So our enthusiasm is not a good advisor, making us think that it is worth buying the mediocre kit and giving it ourselves a go.
This kit made me appreciate more the Dragon kit, which has its flaws but requires substantially less work/effort. Yes we are modellers but sometimes there is more joy in completing a build nice and easy than spending all this time on a kit that you could have done without.
Anyway, I have plenty of similar kits and builds for the future, 3 more of this kit, some Tamiya and Academy Merkavas and so on. It is sometimes frustrating, but sometives it is also rewarding, especially when you see other people appreciating your work.

Thank you all for your kind comments, more progress after clean up and preshading.

gilbertsakr
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Posted: Saturday, August 11, 2018 - 08:43 PM UTC
RESPECTS to this build up
supreme modeling skills
 _GOTOTOP