BlackMax12 Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 (edited) Picked up another Merkava today. Meng's 3D Early version. Not as nice a kit as the Takom Merkava MK 1 Hybrid as the fits on some of the parts aren't great and there's some flash in places which is strange for a Meng kit. The engine cover is made up of 4 pieces and as you can see the fits aren't good and that's in a very prominent location. The turret has a bunch of add-on armor and it doesn't fit that well either. I got some black embossing powder at of all places Michael's so I'll try the anti-skid that Arnobiz is applying to his MK 1 Hybrid. All I can do is screw it up and it should wash off if I use diluted white glue as a fixer. I also got the new Meng Panther Ausf A late and that's a nice kit. So far everything just snaps together, don't need much glue. There's a metal barrel, photo etch side skirts and finally Meng included wire for tow cables instead of their usual string. No interior which is good. The only drawback is the Ausf A versions all had zimmerit so I'll have to order Meng's decal zimmerit and try that. I'd like to get the ATAK 1/35 Panther A late zimmerit but it's only for the Dragon kit so don't know if it will fit the Meng. I don't really want to import it from Poland if it doesn't fit. This one has indy link non-working tracks and they seem to have about 6 sprue points per link to clean up so I may order a set of ATL-08 Fruil tracks along with the zimmerit. Beautiful model though and strange engineering with add-on sides to the hull and a turret frame that needs the sides and top added as individual pieces. Must be so they can release different versions. Anyway, here's the Merkava so far. Edited January 20, 2018 by BlackMax12 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Great to see you start another Merkava Lloyd! I built this one 2 years ago, I loved it. At the time I went on the cheap and used fine sand, which was nowhere as fine and regular as embossing powder so I'm sure yours will turn up better. Looking forward to the next update, Arnaud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Not much progress today. Got the suspension done, the wheels in place and assembled 60 of the 212 indy track links. Enough for today. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hi Arnaud Do you have any pics of your Meng Merkava 3D you can post? I need all of the inspiration I can get. Thanks, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 Here it is as of this evening. Only have to finish off the turret top and the turret basket yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Wasley Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Its looking good,even though you had some fitting problems,I built sometime back the Academy Merkava MK.IV,found that a nice kit.Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 Thanks Jim It was only that engine cover in front that gave me grief, everything else seems to be pretty good. Yes the Merkava IV is coming too. Take care, Lloyd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 All together as of this evening and waiting on some paint. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris B Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 When you start painting can you give the paint details, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Kris I think it will be the same paint mix as the Merkava MK 1 Hybrid, the late Achzarit and the Gal Batash I did recently as I have enough of that paint mix to cover this one, I hope. It will have the usual Tamiya NATO Black primer with some flat white highlighting. I'm trying that embossing powder now for anti-skid surfaces. I couldn't get it to work with water thinned white glue as a fixer so I'm going to mix some powder in some black paint and try brushing it on. Well tomorrow now as I spent all day making one track run for that Panther A, not a fun job. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Im in the Merkava is my favorite Tank out of all the modern designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Yes I like the low slung look too, looks dangerous. Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Good job Lloyd. To help with antiskid gluing I find giving the model a first coat of primer helps a lot: the diluted PVA will stick a lot better to matt primer than to raw plastic due to surface tension. Hope this helps, Arnaud PS Apologies for not answering your request earlier, I will post a couple of pictures of my own Merkava IIID as soon as I'm back home but I don't have any with me now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Thanks Arnaud I am ready to give it a black primer coat so I'll try that and then re-try the embossing powder. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 It looks fantastic with its anti-RPG chains ... Cheers Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 She is kind of blackish tonight. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) Made a mess of the anti-skid, here's one pic of the wreck. It looked like loose coarse gravel lying on the hull and turret. Now to try getting it off, might be harder than I thought. Edited January 29, 2018 by BlackMax12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widow 65 Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Oh dear.....it was all going splendidly, hope you can get it all off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 29, 2018 Author Share Posted January 29, 2018 Hi Widow No, it's a mess and I broke off a machine gun, some of the fittings and a bunch of the dingle balls hanging from the basket with my toothbrush, that stuff is pretty tenacious. This one is consigned to the big blue bin. Won't try that again, especially painting over the anti-skid, dumb play. Meng is bringing out a MK IV LIC so I might try that, hopefully it has the anti-skid already applied. Had a terrible day today, broke off 2 of the swing arms on that Meng Panther A trying to get the second run of tracks off for painting and messed up this Merkava rather badly. Two for two, both in the blue bin in pieces. Time for a nap I think. Take care, Lloyd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Oh no, it started so well If it may help for the future, I think the glue was not evenly/thinly layered, which may be why the embossing powder accumulated in lumps. It must be very even and thin, and also I would strongly advise to apply it before adding the MGs and other small details as these get in the way. Maybe you can try and remove all the paint and antiskid with oven cleaner? Getting replacement sprues for the broken bits from Meng is quite easy, they are quite nice and very prompt to reply. Best, Arnaud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Thanks for the suggestions Arnaud but this one is crunched and in the big blue bin out back. Lloyd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I look forward to the mk.IV too, this should be good fun Arnaud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Yes the Merkava 4M with the APS system should be pretty nice. Let's hope they take the time to do the anti-skid as that's missing on all of the Merkava models regardless of the brand. It's surely missed too and rather hard to duplicate as I found out, LOL. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I see where you're coming from, although in this case I would rather do it myself as molded-on antiskid tends to be too smooth for IDF tanks. I find it works well for NATO tanks (e.g., Abrams or Leopard) but not for Merkavas or even the Tamiya Leclerc. I hope you muster the courage to give it another go, maybe practice on an old kit? The trick is to thin the PVA glue by about half, spread it as evenly as possible and let it dry a little before spreading it again to make sure the coat is thin and uniform (it may tend to create local drops in the first step, which are easy to spread once they are a bit dryer), and then pour the embossing powder. Arnaud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widow 65 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 21 hours ago, BlackMax12 said: Hi Widow No, it's a mess and I broke off a machine gun, some of the fittings and a bunch of the dingle balls hanging from the basket with my toothbrush, that stuff is pretty tenacious. This one is consigned to the big blue bin. Won't try that again, especially painting over the anti-skid, dumb play. Meng is bringing out a MK IV LIC so I might try that, hopefully it has the anti-skid already applied. Had a terrible day today, broke off 2 of the swing arms on that Meng Panther A trying to get the second run of tracks off for painting and messed up this Merkava rather badly. Two for two, both in the blue bin in pieces. Time for a nap I think. Take care, Lloyd What a shame Lloyd, there were both looking so good, as always...could you not salvage and make a "destroyed" one? there were plenty that ended up that way.. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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