Eric, I understand...the Merkava 4, and particulalry, the 4M, is a really cool tank. I think you ought to just forget about the resin 'full baskets', and continue on with your build. You don't need that resin stuff. I'll be happy to give you some ideas on how to proceed without the resin parts. You can surely do it. You've done a great job thus far!! No point in not completing it, especially based on the really nice work you've already done.

Just a thought. Why not install the lower two resin baskets and use the kits upper basket. Use the lead foil from a wine bottle that you can also use to celebrate when you finish the kit! No one can see inside the basket so you can fill it with "stuff" and cover it with the foil. What would Shepard Payne do? Get back on that horse cowboy!

Will the Merkava is back on the bench... ...Just couldn't keep away from it.

Not a whole lot happening. Started adding all the doodads on the turret. Got the kit turret basket together, I'll be covering it later with lead foil or some such. And finished up the barrel, not the greatest but it looks the part.

Hey Eric, it's Bruce! Is it me, or does that turret-top look like a star wars space ship?

Work continues...though rather slowly
Closing in on finishing up the turret and started work on a simple display base.

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Comments are always welcome...as usual and Thanks for stopping by for a look-see

I have the kit and the same resin baskets as you so I am interested in how you finish off your turret basket. It looks great so far. I have the Legend barrel on backorder as magic models is not a company my vendors carry. Other than being warped was the legend part well made?

Thanks for stopping in Greg,

The Turret basket is still a work in progress so once I finish it up I'll post a pic of it.

As for the Legend barrel, if mine was not warped so badly I would have used it for sure. The detail is a step or two above the kit one mostly in the area of the sleeve clamps are better and of course no seam line to deal with. I sure hope yours comes in better shape then the one I got.

Just curious, I don't know what you tried but would some hot water and a little bending worked to straighten out the barrel?

I did give that a shot. Unfortunately the barrel was twisted and warped along both axis. I managed to get some of it worked out but it just didn't look right...it seems to droop a bit.

Took a few months off this build to work a group build project on another model site. That has since wrapped up and the Merekava is back on the bench. Here are a couple of Pics of where I left off...getting close to finishing this one too.





So let the fun begin anew

It's coming along nicely, glad that you are back on the bench with this project.

Lovely work on your Merk 4M!