Tamiya Merkava I

[andrei383]

Hi all, im starting a new build, the Tamiya 1/35th scale Merkava I.

Upon first look of the sprues, i could see where the "shake and bake" reputation of Tamiya kits comes from, even though kit is circa 1983! the kits has crisply molded details but there are still some visible mold seams that need cleaning up.

the kit doesnt have as many parts as some offerings from Trumpeter, AFV Club, etc. (at least compared to the kits in my stash) so the build will be pretty straightforward. but it looks like it'll turn out to be a nice model!

pics to follow soon!

 

[spud]

ya tamia have nice kits but there just baisc, but they do look good once completed

 

[andrei383]

Running gear all built and the mold seams sanded away.

The upper hull is also complete with only a few parts needed to be attached, it seems most of the parts are dedicated to the turret.

Some bolt detail added to both front fenders.

Now with this kit, the vision ports are open and a small sheet of clear plastic is provided to serve as the glass (as compared to the previous kits ive built where i painted them in). Norm added a tip to use reflective party favors, but since i didnt have any on hand, i experimented a bit and i turned to my photographic toolbox:

Color correction gels:

In case your wondering what these are, these gels change the "color temperature" of any artificial light youre using (such as an external flash) to match (or contrast) the ambient light.

Usually, you'll find two distinct sets:
-color correction (to match light to typical light bulbs such as tungsten and fluorescent)
-color effects ("wilder" colors to add color effects to a photo)

Because these are transparent, they give a different effect to that of reflective party favors. Additionally you can mix and match colors to get a specific color and strength you need.

You can find these sets for a few dollars (or free if you ask a photographer friend) and should last a long time since you use only a miniscule amount for each vision port.

The end result 8) :

(i will also be adding this to the Quick tip thread)

Thanks for looking! ;D

 

[andrei383]

finished up my first ever 1/35th scale figure, the Merkava commander for this build

 

[adampolo13]

Looking sweet!!!

 

[schweinhund227]

;D Once you start building Merkava tanks You won't be able to stop !!! You will have to build them all !!!

LOL

Nice going on this one... Being TAMIYA.. should be an easy build ! Keep up the good work !

Norm.

 

[Jelly]

Tamiya´s Merkava (I) is a classic, and it is (aesthetically,) the one that I prefer. I remember I built one in the summer of 1.984, but my model vanished in the Fogs of Time.

As with every Tamiya "old" model, it has its flaws, but will produce a more tan decent OOB model ... Tamiya is Tamiya

Go on Andrei !
RG

 

[andrei383]

thanks guys, construction is progressing steadily, i have to balance university classes with scale modeling.

@Norm, i already have the Academy Merkava Mk. IV LIC in the stash! who knows, maybe the rest will creep into my stash, especially with the release of the Meng and Hooby Boss MK. IIID!

 

[schweinhund227]

. What? More Merkava tanks coming out? Wicked!

 

[andrei383]

Norm, i saw them here:
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/hobbyboss/hb82441.html
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/meng/ts001.html

 

[multicam]

Nice start! I like the tip on the camera gear

 

[WigWag Workshop]

Looking good, I am also ready to paint my first 1/35 figure. I have painted a few 1/87(HO) scale metal casting figures.


-STeven

 

[NecronautDrummer]

Hey, I just saw this in my YouTube suggestions sidebar. Might be worth a watch!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I5VyiCUmILA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The sound gets a little out of sync in places, but not a bad retrospective on this tank!

 

[andrei383]

With TRM's build log of the Merkava II, I was inspired to continue work on my Merkava I. As I am not in the mood for painting my SpPz Luchs A2 I wanted to do a little building:

I picked up an Evergreen assorted styrene tube/rod pack and used one of the tubes to form the exhaust pipe on the right side of the Merkava. The tube had quite a thick profile and so I used a drill bit larger than the tube to chamfer the edge and hopefully once its painted and weathered it will look the part:

The left side exhaust also required the same treatment with the only difference is that the pipe is cut at an angle:

A few sink marks and scratches on both the hull and turret needed filling in, the most prominent of which is shown here:

Finally, small pieces of sheet styrene was used for the other half of the tool box hinges which curiously were not molded by Tamiya:

Its just a little bit of work but most of the building is complete and primer will be next.

Happy modelling! ;D

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Sweet looking build so far, cant wait to see it with the primer next.

 

[ahmed malik]

long time, no primer... lol

 

[wyoroy]

looking good.

 

[andrei383]

@ahmed: i should be getting back to this build soon, depends if im in the building or painting mood after my Flakpanzer I is completed!

and thanks wyoroy!

 

[hummingbird]

I built this guy 3 years ago.. A very lovely kit.. truly a shake and bake ...

back to main topic, those little additions are awesome.. keep it up