Hey guys! Decided to post my failed Alef that I converted to a Gimel!
Story after the pics!
So, the Sho’t Kal Alef is my favourite tank of all time. When I was just starting out, it was the third kit I built (After a Merkava Mark 4M and an IS-2)
But due to my inexperience and some other problems, the kit didn’t come out very good. I accidently cemented the sprockets, making them seize up and no longer be workable, I messed up the canvas cover I added, the sponsons where all the stowage boxes and tools are on were bent, I lost a few small parts that were never found..
Basically, messed it up. Not too bad, and probably not noticeable to the average person
But since the Sho’t Kal Alef is my absolute favourite of all time, I wanted it to be perfect.
So I decided to retry.
But what to do with tis botched one?
Well, the amusing hobby Alef kit actually comes with all the Gimel parts!
All I needed to do was get the instructions for the Gimel from Scalemates, and I got to work. I copped off what needed to be chopped off, added what needed to be added, replaced wat needed to be replaced, and boom, it’s a Gimel!
I was missing decals, so I scavenged some from other kits haha. They’re not accurate at all but they’re similar enough.
And well, even though it started off from a botched Alef, I think it still made a pretty handsome Gimel!
My dad actually served in a Gimel in the first Lebanon war, and I think he’d approve too!
Well, that’s about it, cheers!
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Very nice job on that Sho’t Gimel!
Can you tell us what the differences are between the two tanks?
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Very nice resurrection! I’d suggest you add some soot to the exhausts.
Olivier
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Thank you!
And yes of course!
The most immediately apperant difference is the ERA - Israel began adding Explosive Reactive Armor to all its tanks (the Magachs too) to protect against shaped charges after the costly lessons of the Yom Kippur War. The ERA proved to be very effective.
Other minor differences:
- Re-added the smoke launchers that were removed in the Alef (another costly lesson learned from a mistake in the Yom Kippur War)
- Better engine, and therefore two additional exhausts (seen in photos 4 and 5)
- Added a co-axial 50. cal machine gun above the main gun, and also an additional MG for the loader
- Battering ram was present on some Gimels, but they were more common on the following Dalet model
- Commander hatch was reinforced (it’s more bowl shape, the original is a normal flat circular hatch)
- Added 60mm mortar
- Changed one of the periscopes for te driver (don’t know why or how it differed in effect)
- Several internal changes like improved stabilizer, improved FCS,
Those are all the changes from the Alef to the Gimel I’m aware of! (No one cares about the Bet lol)
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You mean the two new ones on the engine deck yeah?
Great suggestion, don’t know why I didn’t do that… Will do!
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Hey lad! Great model! A few notes.
The tactical marking on the fender shouldn’t be filled in, it should be sort of a dotted outline of a pentagram, in the middle a number. I think you’ll find this video useful, I will not comment on it’s accuracy.
The two exhausts on the engine deck, aren’t just normal exhausts, they are called Karney Plita (קרני פליטה) and were added for the ESS.
On the rear of the turret is that meant to be a meteorological pole? If so it shouldn’t be there on a Gimel.
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Thank you!
First from what I know, the video is quite accurate!
And yup I know haha, the 188th brigade’s symbol is a segmented star with the battalion number inside, but like I said, I did not have the right decals, I had to scavenge the smallest star I had from a scrapped M48 kit! The serial numbers on the other fender aren’t accurate at all either haha
And yup, correct, the exhausts were for ESS as well!
And once again yup, it is! And once again, you’re absolutely right, the Gimel did not have that, it only came with the Dalet, my mistake 
Shame on me, that’s what I get for trusting War Thunder!
Question is…
Do I go over to my brother’s place and rip it off..? 
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You have a choice, either rip it off or… Turn the model into a Dalet! Regarding serial number, listen, I am a huge IDF Serial number nerd, I have many memorized but Shots have so many different serial number series it is tough to tell, but is it a Magach serial number?
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You trying to give my tank an even worse identity crisis?!
And yup, precisely! It’s a leftover serial number from my Magach 6B (technically 6B Gal) I made a while ago, that’s why it’s so modern and pretty and stenciled
In reality from what I’ve seen on the Sho’t (at least until Dalet) it was just handbrushed on
But again, worked with what I had…
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817773 IIRC was one of the Magach 6 Bet Gal Batash which began life as a Magach 6 Alef (M60A1) in 1973, it continued as Magach 6 Bet, Magach 6 Bet Digum Meshulav, Magach 6 Bet Gal and finally Magach 6 Bet Gal Batash.
But hey, that’s a topic for another thread…
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Awesome Sho’t Kal Gimel!!
You did really good on this, pretty interesting how it turned from an Alef to a Gimel 
I thought the backstory of it was cool, and your dad serving in one really adds a lot to it!
Great job!
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Also, War Thunder is pretty useful for references at times! The game can definitely get some (or a lot of) stuff wrong tho.
(If you start to play around with texturing you should 100% use it for armor thicknesses though, usually thicker armor plates have the most noticeable texture.)
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