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IDF M51 Batch Four.


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When I first joined BritModeller, a little over a year ago, the first model that I posted in RFI was an Israeli M51. At that time I had a few problems with posting photos from a hosting site (nothing to do with Photo Bucket, more to do with my incompetence). When I tried to upload the photos (from Village Photos), all that appeared were links. I didn't know what the problem was (I still don't), but it's not occurred since, so I thought that it might be an idea to post the photos again now and hope for better success. So apologies for doing this twice, but here goes.

First, a brief run down of how the model was built. The tank that I depicted was what was referred to as a Batch 4 model. Batch 4 M51s were the last ones produced by the Israelis. In 1/35th scale, there are three M51s produced by Dragon, Academy and Tamiya. The first two have got their problems, not least of which is the grossly oversized muzzle brake. The Tamiya kit is a beauty, but it is of a Batch 1 version, but as it is by far and away the best “51”, I used the Tamiya kit a the basis for this build. Without going into a WIP, the conversion consisted of the following;

Rear upper hull sliced off of the Academy kit and attached to the Tamiya hull to give an increase in length of 5mm. Extra louvre added underneath.

Dragon diesel engine deck added in place of the Tamiya radial engine deck, along with the main gun travel lock from the Academy kit.

Extra stowage bins each side made from card and etched brass.

Rear stowage bin from the Academy kit.

Raised serial numbers (Academy) front and rear.

Turret weld lines beefed up with Milliput (beefed up a bit too much!!)

Extra turret bin on rhs from card.

All of the jerry can holders were replaced with ones from Eduard etched brass.

The headlamp lenses are Little Cars.

The Eduard set for the M51 was used throughout.

It was sprayed with a mix of Tamiya XF57 Buff and XF24 Light Grey in a ratio of 3:2. Decals included in the Academy kit were used and are for an unknown training unit in the 1980's.

 

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The casting symbols on the glacis were later removed as I found out that this hull had not been cast by that particular foundry.

 

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There are a couple of mistakes/omissions that are in the photos but have since been rectified.

As always, thanks for looking.

 

John.

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52 minutes ago, fatfingers said:

Stunning build and finish! 😎

 

Regards

 

Steve

 

49 minutes ago, Jbbusybee said:

Lovely M51. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks to both of you.

 

John.

Just now, Kris B said:

Israeli beauty. Excellent job John, thank you for sharing. 

Thanks a lot Kris.

 

John.

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That is absolutely superb John. I am so pleased you decided to post this again. Your attention to detail by using three different kits and all the extras is truly impressive. Awesome modelling! :worthy::worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

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22 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Excellent looking M51 then again im biased in favor of Israeli anything.

Thanks Dennis. Yep, me too. Picked up Takom's Tiran 4 and a couple of Tamiya kits at the Telford show last weekend, so that I can combine them to make an M1 Super Sherman. Happy days.

 

John.

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1 hour ago, PlaStix said:

That is absolutely superb John. I am so pleased you decided to post this again. Your attention to detail by using three different kits and all the extras is truly impressive. Awesome modelling! :worthy::worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

Evening Stix, and many thanks. Just got to build one each of the batch 1,2 & 3 M51's and I'll have the full set.

 

John.

Edited by Bullbasket
Can't spell!!
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Outstanding as always is your work,so much in the minor detail,things the average modeler parses over(me included) every time I see your work it makes me try to better myself,not in your class but just to improve,many thanks for this inspiration Cheers. 

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12 hours ago, Jim Wasley said:

Outstanding as always is your work,so much in the minor detail,things the average modeler parses over(me included) every time I see your work it makes me try to better myself,not in your class but just to improve,many thanks for this inspiration Cheers. 

Many thanks Jim. It's the detail that I enjoy. I can't remember the last time that I built something OOTB. Still, it keeps me off of the streets.

 

John.

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22 minutes ago, FrancisGL said:

As usual. a surgical precision!, excelent build in all aspect, a nice vehicle, like me a lot weathering applied in some pleces.

The chains of the smoke-dischargers is a super-cool detail (and super-small, I think ...) :goodjob:

Cheers John :yes:

Thanks a lot Francis. The chains are actually etched brass.

 

John.

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9 minutes ago, AndyRM101 said:

I do love to see unpainted shots of a finished build, just to see all the extra work that's gone into it. There's some remarkable attention to detail there John, and the end result looks superb.

 

Andy:cat:

Thanks Andy. I agree. Once it has a coat of paint, it's sometimes hard to see the work put into it.

 

John.

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I'll have to file this excellent work away under U for Useful when I get round to doing my M51's.  I haven't decided on exact specs yet, but I'm initially thinking along the lines of a cast-hull radial engine very early version and a welded hull very late version.

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30 minutes ago, Das Abteilung said:

I'll have to file this excellent work away under U for Useful when I get round to doing my M51's.  I haven't decided on exact specs yet, but I'm initially thinking along the lines of a cast-hull radial engine very early version and a welded hull very late version.

Thanks a lot DA. Yes, I picked up another Tamiya M51 at Telford, but I'll be using the lower hull for and M1 Super Sherman.

 

John.

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I've picked up a whole bunch of assorted Sherman kits to do some mix and match IDF variants.  AFAIK, M51's were all built on HVSS hulls or fitted with HVSS suspension even without the engine conversion because of the weight and the recoil impulse.  That lesson was learned from the early M50 conversions, which were indeed on VVSS and over-stressed.  The Manasherob books will confirm or deny that: I'm still struggling to be brave enough to splash out on them, although I really should. 

 

But I've never come across a photo of a VVSS M51 - with one exception.  There is a photo on line of a mysterious VVSS M4A1 fitted with an M51 turret conversion in French markings.  Trumpeter have chosen to release a 1/72 kit of this vehicle - although visibly inaccurate - thinking it to be a service variant, which it never was.  It was perhaps a French experiment, and there are contemporary photos of a VVSS M51 and an M4A1 with an AMX13 turret in French markings.  All appear factory-fresh.  It is also possible that it is the 2nd prototype M51 installation, the 1st (on an M4A2?) having been damaged beyond repair by the recoil of the original full-length full-charge gun, but in French markings to disguise its true purpose.

 

So I would say that cross-kitting an M51 with an M1 lower hull would result in something incorrect.  But I'm open to correction on that as always.   

 

Now, you could rob the radial engine deck and lower rear hull from the M1, leave off the later M51 parts and modify the muzzle brake to end up with an early M51.  Or splash out out £25 or so on the DEF conversion and do something else with the M1.  I was going to do the former, but I'm leaning towards the latter.  If you did rob the M1 parts, you could then use the Continental engine parts on the M1 and add an M1 dozer blade.  Dozers and flails got the engine conversion, but remained VVSS and did not get the M50/51 upgrade.  But I'm uncertain if any dozers were based on 76mm Shermans, or whether all were 75mm: the flails were certainly 75s.

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I think that you misunderstood me. As I said, I will be using the M51 lower hull to build an M1 Super Sherman. I've also got the Tamiya M1 Sherman to use the upper hull and turret.

M1 Sherman - VVSS, M1 Super Sherman - HVSS. Same tank, same turret and gun but different suspension.

 

John.

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