Hey All,
I am planning to build this tank (this tank has been on the internet quite a bit over the years).
I need to find the dark green cable or wire reel, in 1/35 scale, that you can see in the photo, mounted on the turret, just to the right of the spare road wheel. Does anyone have any idea whether such an item exists, either in plastic or resin, and if so, is it available for purchase? Thanks for any help!
The box is called the MCD, Missile Countermeasures Device or dazzler. Not sure it is sold separately. If you get the Meng USMC AIM kit Abrams M1A1 AIM / M1A1 TUSK, Meng Model TS-032 (2017) you have all the parts for a Marine tank. Need the smoke grenade launchers as they are different from the USA.
Not sure about a cable reel, might have to scratch that one.
HTH
Thanksā¦I am going to use the Meng TS-032 kit for this build. I actually have 2 of them in my unbuilt collection. Which box are you referring to? I had been asking about the wire/cable reel, but I obviously missed another piece of hardware thatās important, since you mentioned it. Can you describe the part you were discussing? Where is that located in the photo? Are you talking about the square item under the cover just āaboveā the smoke dischargers? Can I assume that that box is in the Meng kit?
Your good and I am idiot as I misread. I was talking about the box in step 26 parts M19 and M3. The smoke grenades are step 25, you do not want to use part c34/c41 on the right but the parts on the left m12/m13. Itās all in the box for.
Did find this for comm reel.
Youāre not an idiot at all! LOL Thanks for inputā¦I need all the help I can get, but yes, I guessed correctly what part it was that you were referring to. I just checked the Meng instructions. Iāll have to create the cover for it, to duplicate the pictured tank. By the way, in case anyone is interested, I purchased the aftermarket TRex road wheels and sprocket for the Meng kit (I think they make them for the RFM and Dragon kits, too). The wheels are amazing, as they include the undercut that isnāt present on any of those kit parts. The cost is obscene (about $31 just for the outer wheels) but they also include the clear oil siteglasses, both the older ones and the more current ones. Really cool if youāre looking for ultimate M1 Abrams accuracy!!!
I did see those Trex wheels and yes I agree they are obscene imho. I think Rye Field has clear oil caps and maybe one more company. Donāt recall if the wheels have the undercut but probably not if TRex made wheels for the kit.
Curt, if you dont go for those cable reels that Ryan linked in, you could try asking some of the guys Stateside if they have the one from the AFV Club Scimitar or Scorpion that they didnt use if they had the PE set for it and letting you have it as they look pretty similar to the one on that M1 ?
(and as Ryan said, I dont think they would be to hard to scratch either).
Hey Curt,
Just to let you know in case you donāt already. Italeriās latest release of their Abrams has the decal markings for this Abram.
Also here is a shot of the other side of the subject if you have not seen it yet.
For the Pirate flag ETA Diorama makes the one used on this subject.
Hope this help out with your project. Good Luck and have Fun!!
That looks exactly like the cable reel for Don 10 (field telephone cable) from the AFV Club Centurions as per the pic below. If not the same then close enough to bodge. I can send you those two halves over as I kept them after my Shot Kal build. There are a lot of leftover bits from that kit meant for the other AFV Club Cents.
All of you have been extraordinarily helpful to me in preparing for this Marine M1A1 build. I canāt say thanks enough!!! I did place an order for the Armand P. Bayardi Commo Wire Spools through Michigan Toy Soldier. Iāll send a few messages to folksā¦
@Armored_Sprue: Wow, thanks so much for the pointers to the Italeri kit with the exact decals I need, the flag I need, and the photo of the reverse side of the tank (that is the one thing I actually DID already have LOL) Iām looking into all of it. Iāve been wanting to build this tank for years, ever since I first saw that photo. I know itās going to be a lot of work to try to duplicate it, but it will be worth the effort, Iām sure!!
Youāre lucky that this tank is somewhat of an āolderā version of USMC M1A1. 
If it had the SCWS installed, youād have to scratch build it b/c no one makes it (not even in resin).
very nice subject!
have a good time!
i follow your progress
The Missile Countermeasure Device (MCD) didnāt quite work as advertised. Back in the day, jammers were built to jam enemy systems like Anti-Tank Guided Missiles such as the Russian SHORTA jammers, but the trick is that they can also jam friendly electronic systems.
If activated, the MCD also interfered with USMC M1A1 tanksā systems so the Marines eventually removed it. Now miniature technology is much better as evident on your smartphones able to receive all these downloads without interfering with your neighborsā smartphones.
Well, I got the āArmand P. Bayardi Commo Wire Spoolsā in the mail the other day, and they are the perfect match for the spool on the tank I want to model. Iāve also ordered the black flag, and Iām waiting for a response from Italeri about whether they have, or will sell, just the decals from their 6571 kit and they ARE the exact decals that I need; I even verified the serial number on the decal sheet, which matches exactly! If the answer from Italeri is negative, Iāll just buy the whole kit. Then Iāll have another Abrams in my stash, to build with a different paint scheme. Not a huge deal, either way.
Iāve been doing a little āahead of timeā work in planning for my well used Marine Abrams, and was a little disappointed to see that the Meng kit doesnāt include or account for the external APU mounting brackets (you can see these in the photo of the rear of the tank, the left bracket just above the āB3-ā, and the right bracket just to the left of the tank number on the side (āUSMC --------ā). It wonāt be a big deal to scratch those brackets, though, as I did that once before for the Abrams āAnswer to Thisā tank that I built for the display at the Ft. Stewart, Georgia training facility exhibit of the 2003 Baghdad Iraq Airport Thunder Run. The only real challenge for that is cutting the notch out of the right rear tail light protective shroud.
āThat looks exactly like the cable reel for Don 10 (field telephone cable) from the AFV Club Centurions as per the pic below. If not the same then close enough to bodge. I can send you those two halves over as I kept them after my Shot Kal build. There are a lot of leftover bits from that kit meant for the other AFV Club Cents.ā
Hi!!! The parts you sent just arrived! I am SOOO thankful for your kindness, and I canāt be more appreciative. Please let me know if I can ever do anything for you!
Curt
Looking forward to see the progress you make with the model. I recently built the Meng M1A1 as well and itās a very nice kit.
The particular tank that youāre making seems to be an unlucky vehicle: Marianas dive team recovers battle tank that fell off hovercraft | Stars and Stripes
Thank you, Jay, for the information. I recall, now that you mentioned it, that incident having taken place. It is a terrible tragedy that a young soldier lost his life in that tank, and for such a terrible reason. I wonder if they were ever able to determine the cause of the accident which took his life. It makes me think that I should dedicate the build to the memory of that young manā¦
Hi Sgt! Thank you for the info about details for my tank project. I have a already purchased (and received!) the pirate flags, and I have been in touch with Italeri about the purchase of their decal sheet for their kit. They have not yet confirmed the availability, but I am hopeful, and will certainly place an order for them if Italeri can say they can supply. Iām getting close to having all the details I need to complete this tankā¦thanks to everyone for their input and kind support!!
@Petition2God: You mention (and I presume show, in the photo) the SCWS (Stabilized Commanderās Weapon Station?) Your photo is the very first time I have seen that component. I presume this is an early Marine attempt to create what became the CROWS/CROWS II setup on an Army tank?
