Jump to content

RyeField 1/35 Abrams M1A2 TUSK II


Gremlin56

Recommended Posts

Time to move the Abrams build over from the Bradley thread to it's own blog.

 

DSCN5294.jpg

 

DSCN5412.jpg

 

DSCN5414.jpg

 

RyeField have produced a nicely detailed model that arrives in large box crammed with parts for three different versions of the Abrams. Considering the package the price is very reasonable. I have bought a set of crewmen for the build (yes, it includes a sheep. No jokes about Velcro gloves, Wellington boots or knee-pads please :D). I also bought some stickers to beef up the view prisms.

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Build so far:

Mainly work going on while waiting for the washes and weathering on the Bradley to dry. I did a test run on a piece of the very intricate supplied tracks, tedious but very nicely detailed.

I am following my own fuzzy logic and have started with the hull and suspension instead of with the turret as the instructions would have me do:

 

DSCN5368.jpg

 

DSCN5366.jpg

 

DSCN5432.jpg

 

DSCN5435.jpg

 

DSCN5433.jpg

 

DSCN5431.jpg

 

:smile:

 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

The perfect companion for the Bradley, pretty tracks, looks perfect, clean flash marks.:popcorn:

Cheers Julian :yes:

 

Thank you Francis, assembling the tracks will probably drive me mad (don't think anyone will notice though) :D

 

3 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Julian, I bow to your model making productivity it's amazing.  :worthy:

 

Thanks Ozzy, wish the Mrs. thought that way about my addiction..................................................

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, crushkill said:

Looks like it’s time for me to dig through my deployment photos and find all my rank pictures.

Sounds good CK, haven't finished the Bradley yet but considered it about time to start up the next project :D Did some work on the 1/35th crewmen this afternoon, look good fitted to CrushKilll ;)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Kris B said:

Those two will be looking great together. 

 

Thanks Chris, The TUSK II add-ons will beef the Abrams up quite a bit. At the moment it looks like something from the "Wacky races"

;)

12 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Looks like another impressive project in progress. :popcorn:

Kind regards,

Stix

 

Feeding my plastic addiction Stix, start getting the shakes if I am not building something :think:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Julian

 

Before you go too far with detailing try the fit of the side skirts on the left side.  I've built two of these Rye Fields and had to move the hangers for the skirts on the left.

Easier done before it's painted like mine.  Also the pe for the top of the skirts has to be cut to fit as it's all out of whack.

 

Bradley looks amazing, as usual.

 

Lloyd 

Edited by BlackMax12
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, longshanks said:

I'm surprised how close they are in size, height aside.

 

Kev

 

The Abrams would appear to be a genuine low rider Kev, both tracks have the same problem though: instead of building a new design it appears that the US keeps adding updates, increasing weight and size.

;)

5 minutes ago, BlackMax12 said:

Hi Julian

 

Before you go too far with detailing try the fit of the side skirts on the left side.  I've built two of these Rye Fields and had to move the hangers for the skirts on the left.

Easier done before it's painted like mine.  Also the pe for the top of the skirts has to be cut to fit as it's all out of whack.

 

Bradley looks amazing, as usual.

 

Lloyd 

 

Thanks for the head up Lloyd, i read in a different build blog that the right hand hinges don't line up either and the instructions are rather "iffy" to say the least. Your KT is coming along at the customary high speed, looking good though :yes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

High speed, no just lots and lots of time being retired and need something to keep occupied.  My wallet is starting to scream at me though with these 1/16 kits lately.

 

If I remember correctly the right side skirt hinges seemed ok, it was only the left that gave me grief.  I assembled all of the links on both sets of tracks for the 2 kits and then realized that

the upper half of the track is totally hidden so if I ever build another Abrams it won't get the upper track sections.  Funny that Assault Breacher vehicle from Rye Field which is

based on the Abrams had link and length tracks, which I didn't mind at all.  Indy links are best on a Panther or Tiger or wherever the sag is apparent, not the modern stuff

with all of the rollers supporting the upper track runs.

 

Lloyd

Edited by BlackMax12
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just back from a few days on Ameland, one of the Dutch Wadden islands, working hard studying the local environment and products ;):

 

20171024_220639.jpg

 

Back to the build today. Thanks again Lloyd, forewarned is forearmed as they say,I keep your advice in mind when adding the side armor.

The Abrams does look distinctly lower than the Bradley, messes up the feeling of scale because I rather expected the Abrams to look much bigger.

:smile:

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, longshanks said:

:hmmm:Makes me think the Bradley was rather a large target !!

 

Kev

 

The ERA blocks suspended all around the Bradley have made it nearly twice as wide as it was (this is of course slightly exaggerated, please all rivet counters calm down :wicked:) and a damn sight heavier......................

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marvelous work. She is truly coming along beautifully.

 

For all it's successes, the Bradley still represents all that is wrong with the US Army's vehicle procurement system. The original was plagued with problems, not the least of them being survivability. It has been known from the start that the Bradley was no better than the venerable M113 it replaced in that regard. Aluminum burns, a Bradley will burn to the ground. Lessons learned the hard way or sometimes forgot in the unfettered quest to move forward.  

 

Related image

 

The M113 could, after much preparation, ford a river or calm pond reasonably well. It is my understanding the trials with the Bradley revealed it had the amphibious capability of a brick. True that the US Army has a totally different mission than the US Marines in that arena, but I suppose it's fortunate we have been fighting in desert climates for a while now. 

 

While it's true I was a Marine and have absolutely no exposure to anything currently in the Army inventory, I have a detective working for me who is a reserve Armored Cavalry Scout. His main mount is a Bradley. I hear  all the stories. :blink:

 

G

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is photo of a big occurrence, the turret plus cage seems to have sagged of to the righthand side if I am reading things right (looking at the TOW launcher).

There are a number of articles on You Tube that are highly critical of the Bradley and it's upgrades.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29/10 update.

Constructing the tracks is rather time consuming to say the least :D I painted a section to see if it is worth all the effort.

 

DSCN5453.jpg

 

DSCN5455.jpg

 

DSCN5456.jpg

 

DSCN5457.jpg

 

DSCN5459.jpg

 

DSCN5463.jpg

 

That is definitely worth the time and effort IMHO. I'll use a couple more shades of grey and some black to make the rubber pads less uniform and the rust color will tone down with a wash and some pigments.

I cobbled up the main weapon, a rather hefty looking piece of tube shaped trouble. Started assembling the crewmen too.

Now beer time and then (hopefully) watching Hamilton join the ranks of 4 times F1 champions :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...