In the thread I post on here is a link to a missing lynx post on the tank. Mike Mummey (old forum member and Marine tanker) said
“…tank shown is B-32 of the 1st Tank Bn assigned to BLT 1/1 of the 13th MEU. The picure was taken in late 2003 in the Kuwaiti desert at Udairi Range. The tank and crew did not see combat in Iraq. The 13th MEU deployed in late Summer 2003 to March 2004. The rust and such are from being transported aboard LCACs for all the ship to shore movements during the deployment….”
Seriously, nicely done. I have been working on Dragon 1/35 AIM kit with AM tidbits to make a Marines rust buck. Just lost interest and it’s been sitting in a shelf of doom for a while. Hope someday I can get it going again and finish it.
Outstanding!. I have two radio control airsoft models, They have a 6 mm smooth bore that has reached 70’. I’ve incorporated a FPV of the main gun. I will use your color scheme. Pictures of before and after to follow (hopefully firing…)
I love the Meng (and Rye Field) Abrams models - engineered like Tamiya, detailed like AFV Club, go together like Trumpeter and come with a lot of stowage. Nice job!
Hi guys, and twelvebirds in particular. Great job on your M1!! I have a few posts discussing my plans to build the exact same tank that you did, and I am completely envious at how well you built and painted/weathered your model! Truly a great job! In my thread, I am indebted to many folks who did a super nice job in providing me with pointers to lots of the details for this tank, as I was missing where to find things. Specifically, I wanted to know where I could get the communication wire spool (which is just to the right of the spare wheel on the turret in the photo of the actual tank), and folks gave me info about things I’d not asked about, those things being the pirate flag and the decals (like you, I have placed an order for the decals from Italeri, which is the only item I have left to receive to have all the aftermarket things I wanted to begin my tank). Something I had not originally planned on were aftermarket upgrades to the wheels and sprockets, which were insanely expensive items from T-Rex Studio. If you are interested in any of those items, my thread is here: Marine M1A1 Part? I had already been planning to use the Meng kit for my build.
Thank you so much for your feedback, I really appreciate it! As you’ll have seen I have not detailed my model up to the photo – something you’re about to do, as I saw when I read the other thread. I’ll make sure to follow along, as I actually regret not investing more in trying to be more detailed. One of the main things I’ll maybe even add actually is to try to replicate the stowage more exactly, including the additional stowage racks (is that what they are?) on the side of the turret. So - I’m looking forward to check out your progress!!!
Nice build. The weathering is a bit overdone to my personal taste but as I said, it is personal. The result does look definitely very impressive. The most I like is the amazing use of the Tamiya extras, I could never do this on this level.
No doubt, you have really great skills! Congrats and pls post future models, too!
Typically I would agree in general and I tend to believe most builds are over weathered with chipping and rust (modelers choice) but in this case the 1:1 was that weathered. While I cannot be for certain it was probably one of the most weathered 1:1 M1A1 the USMC had (the other three on that deployment might have looked similar) and not typical of used Marine M1A1’s.
Hi again, twelve…well, your model surely deserves all the praise it has been getting! Yes, my intent is to TRY to duplicate the photo exactly…but, frankly, your weathering is better than I have been able to create up to this point on any of my tank models. I’m going to have to do a lot of practice on paint mules to try to get the combination of the rust and the interesting white or light color scrapes on the skirts. I’m thinking it will have to be done with multiple hairspray layers of chipping/scraping to get those damaged areas looking that way. You did a GREAT job on those lighter scapes…how did you get that effect?
The ‘stowage racks’ you refer to are what I THINK are 2 extra welded-on brackets to the turret left side, or at least that’s what those 2 metal pieces look like to me, even though those ‘brackets’ look like oddly shaped pieces of metal. In addition, there is a photo of the right side of the tank from the rear quarter, and you can see a makeshift jerry can rack that I will have to create. I’ve made several racks similar to that one previously, to finish ‘Answer to This’, the lead M1A1 tank with mine plow during the 2003 Thunder Run that took over Baghdad airport in 2003. Since I already invested in the crazy expensive TREX aftermarket (outer) road wheels, and I see that T-REX makes a set of 3 spare wheels, I’ll just have to bite the bullet and get those equally expensive spares; there is one spare road wheel each on the turret right and left sides. The advantage of these T-REX wheels is the ‘undercut’ of the wheels, where the lip of the outer edge of the wheel actually drops down a bit, rather than being flat out to the edge of the wheel. I guess that’s what slide molding or a resin mold can do for you, and why the T-REX wheels are so pricey/why you have to spend so much for completely accurate looking wheels, even almost no one is going too notice that detail. If one is going all out like I’m already committed to doing, I guess it just makes sense to go full boat crazy!
ha, thank you so much, Curt. I saw the T-REX wheels as well – but wasn’t willing to spend on them :-).
The light colored scrapes on the side skirts on my model have been done with washable white acrylics and oil paints (buff, snow white, dust - if i remember correctly). The washable white was the one from AK; but I think other manufacturers have it as well. All other effects where almost exclusively done with oil paints (Abteilung 502). Please keep me posted about your progress and I hope the investments are worth it.
Hey twelve, another very small detail that you would likely not consider at your stage of finish of your tank are the 2 brackets that were used to hold/mount the APU on the right rear back of the tank. There were 2 small mounting brackets that were located on the far right corner (requires cutting some of the tail light armor shroud) and another identical one just to the right of the bracket that is just above the air intake grating on the right rear of the tank. Hard to describe, but those brackets were present on this tank. Those little details add up!
Hi again, twelve, I just today received the next to last aftermarket item I need to create this Marine M1A1, and that was the set of 3 TREX spare road wheels for the turret on the left and right rear. Again, these were absurdly expensive (about $14 for 3 wheels, which, though, were packed amazingly well, in a very nice box, and inside, the 3 wheels come in what is something like a jewel box with padding to prevent any damage to them). As I’ve already spent a ton of money on this tank, no reason to skimp now The only thing I have left is to get the Italeri decal sheet, which should be arriving any day now. I was looking once again at the photos you took of your tank, and weathering on the top of the turret is fabulous! I am so hoping that my tank will come out even close to as well done as yours is/was!!
The only thing I have left is to get the Italeri decal sheet, which should be arriving any day now. I was looking once again at the photos you took of your tank, and weathering on the top of the turret is fabulous! I am so hoping that my tank will come out even close to as well done as yours is/was!!