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So, I've finished it - more or less. It still needs figures, and I may still 'tweak' the weathering here and there. The first photos aren't great - the colour balance is a bit off, and I don't seem to be able to fix it - just like the Achzarit... What this probably means, is that I've got the colour right... IDF Sand Grey/Sinai Grey doesn't seem to photograph very well. I've just taken another, which is a bit better. That side-on shot, shows the 'down by the stern' trim - these vehicles all seem to 'sag' that way, so I 'fixed' the suspension so it did too. Sorry about the banner - I still need to pass someone a few dollars to get rid of it!

Alongside the mojo restoring airplane builds, my next big build in 1/35 will be this, the IDF Puma (Frankenturion?) with Nochri mine roller. Basically because it looks such a fearsome bit of kit. This will be, by my standards, a somewhat involved project, as you can see from the obligatory box shot: Untitled by jongwinnett, on Flickr

Hi Guys, I'm not sure, as these are tank crew, whether I ought to be asking here or in the AFV area... But here goes anyway. I'm building a Meng Achzarit kit, and I want to add three crew figures, for which I'm using the Meng tank crew - which are very much better looking figures than I'd expected. I'm not new to painting figures, but it's been a while. I'll probably stay simple, and use three (or perhaps five) tones on each area - a shadow, a base, and a highlight, which I may blend with the use of a drying retarder (I'm using Vallejo Model Color). Anyway, the reason for asking is that I'm not sure which colours to use - the box has 'suggestions', which I was going to use, but when I look at the colours, they're going to end up looking nothing like photos I've seen. Has anyone got any suggestions for a starting point for uniform colour, webbing, etc? Flesh, boots, and other 'ordinary stuff', aren't a problem! Thanks, Phil

This is Academy's now old (and hard to find) M163 Vulcan SPAAG, modified a little to become the Israeli version, called the "Hovet" in their service. There is external stowage and fuel tanks but little else really. Along with the Academy kit there is some Tamiya, Meng, Accurate Armour and other bits and bobs. The original idea was to have the commander stood on top looking out but the case wasn't tall enough so I had to rethink. As always she was brush painted in Humbrol enamels. She is depicted here in an early 80's pose. In real life in US service, she was due to be replaced by the Sgt. York system but that of course didn't work out. The Israelis added a four pod Stinger launcher to the turret on some vehicles to upgrade it and they became "Machbet". If I can find another Academy kit then I may have a go at that. Pictures then: M163 Hovet - 1 by phil da greek, on Flickr M163 Hovet - 2 by phil da greek, on Flickr M163 Hovet - 3 by phil da greek, on Flickr M163 Hovet - 4 by phil da greek, on Flickr M163 Hovet - 5 by phil da greek, on Flickr M163 Hovet - 6 by phil da greek, on Flickr Hope you like it, I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Hi All, Here is my Academy Merkeva 4 LIC. I added the Legend turret basket but largely used the Academy ball and chain set as I have sausage fingers. The kit is well detailed and goes together well apart from the tracks the individual links of which just don't want to sit together. I got the concrete blocks and wire from FOG models which I'm really pleased with. PLO posters I just printed from the net. I used the AK Sinai Gray which went on like a dream. My whip antenna could have been better I think Couldn't resist a photo with the much more beautiful Nagmachon. Comments welcome as usual.

Hello Everyone! I've just finished this amazing kit. Well close to amazing. It had few bits I didn't like but overall it is a really nice kit. Painted with Tamiya mix of Buff, Dark Yellow and random Grey in proportions 33%+33%+33% and then just a bit of grey. This is very first time I've used oil paint to do shadows and highlights and must say it's soooo easy! I hope you'll like it and you can see the pictures! Thanks for watching! See ya!

The venerable Tamiya kit, I've built this beastie before, straight out of the box, Sgt York 3 by phil da greek, on Flickr This is typical early eighties Tamiya, I remember building this as a teenager a long time ago. I can't find anything on the box or the instructions to tell you how old, but the blurb on the front of the instructions talks about "the first batch of 50 vehicles will begin construction in May 1982". So it's dated. A bit of history then. The vehicle / system is named for Sgt. York who won the CMH in the first world war. It was also the first tracked system not to be named after a General officer and was also the star of a really bad Eddie Murphy movie years and years ago. In April 1977 the US Army announced a bidding process for a vehicle mounted AAA system to complement the M163 Vulcan and replace the very old M42. Five bids were submited and ultimately the design by Ford Aerospace was chosen in May 1981, with a fixed cost of $6.97 BILLION. Initially called DIVAD (Division Air Defence) Ford used two 40mm L/70 Bofors guns with a modified Westinghouse fire control system, using elements from the system installed in F16's. Initial tests were good and showed the system to be about 40% more effective than the West German Gepard. Something I've also built; Flakpanzer Gepard 3 by phil da greek, on Flickr The system is mounted on a modified M48A5 chassis and has a crew of 3, driver, commander and gunner. It was envisaged a total of 618 vehicles would be produced and each armoured division would have 36 M247 and 12 Chaparal (Low Altitude Surface to Air) (AIM 9 Sidewinder) systems with the M163 Vulcan. The system generally fell out of favour after it encountered development problems and the realisation that the Warsaw Pact forces were bringing on line new attack helicopters that could engage the M247 well beyond the range of the 40mm guns. The project was eventually shelved in August 1985 with 50 vehicle / systems having been produced. But I like it, it's an ugly brute and the kit comes with very little detail, i guess being developmental when the kit came out they wouldn't know too much about it. So a bit of room to explore then. What if, for instance, the Israeli's had taken a shine to it. This ties in nicely with my continuing interest in the IDF, what if they had taken it, made it work and continued to improve on the idea. Say a new fire control system, better engine, more stowage etc. Well let's see what happens.

Right, here goes with my first finished plastic tank in, I think, seventeen years... Israeli 'Sinai Grey' is said to be very hard to photograph - it never looks the same colour twice... Well, I must have got the model colour about right, because it's a complete to photograph! The shadows are nothing like as green in 'real life' Cheers, Phil

Hi folks, this is the Vautour IIN no.67 nicknamed "Cyclon" built in his late-carrier guise. The Azur kit is quite complex with lot of filling and trial fitting, but I enjoyed it anyway as the result is an unique monster within my collection. Built out of the box with addition of Kora resin drop tanks (I guess Special Hobby includes them now as well). Painted with Gunze Aqueous as per instructions. Cheers Libor

This is the AFV Club M109A2 modified to represent the Israeli version "Doher". I built this last summer and have finally got it onto a base. There is a WIP thread in the armour section if you care to look. The base / case is Trumpeter and the sign / label is from signomatic. I wanted it to represent the crew and vehicle in between fire missions. M109 DOHER - 51 by phil da greek, on Flickr M109 DOHER - 52 by phil da greek, on Flickr M109 DOHER - 53 by phil da greek, on Flickr M109 DOHER - 54 by phil da greek, on Flickr M109 DOHER - 55 by phil da greek, on Flickr Thank you for looking.

Israeli Defence Force Special Edition Paint Set AMMO of Mig Jiménez In recent years there has been an explosion of Israeli subjects available in the AFV world, which has resulted in new paint colours being added to many ranges. This new Special Edition from AMMO contains some new formulations of existing colours that have been based on actual samples of the real thing from different periods of operation. The box is their standard size, but is finished in gloss black, with silver and white writing that makes it stand out from the crowd. Inside is a clear tray that contains six 17ml dropper bottles with the newer yellow caps that identify them as having the steel BBs inside to aid with mixing the paint during shaking. It is billed as the definitive Israeli set, and the colours are as follows: A.MIG-066 Faded Sinai Grey Lightened version of real IDF Sinai grey '82. Perfect for highlights, faded colours, and adding a scale effect without altering the tone. A.MIG-067 Light Sand Grey Lightened version of real IDF sand grey. Perfect for highlights, faded colours, and adding a scale effect without altering the tone. A.MIG-068 IDF Green Green colour used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) from the early years through to the Six-Day War in 1967. A.MIG-049 Red Colour used by the IDF to highlight certain items such as handles or lifting points. An essential reference for IDF models. A.MIG-131 Real IDF Sinai Grey '82 Colour used by the IDF from the First Lebanon War to this day. Merkavas, Magach and a host of other vehicles are painted in this colour. Highly accurate colour; authentically matched to the real paint. A.MIG-132 Real IDF Sand Grey '73 Sand grey tone used by the IDF from the Six-Day War to the Yom-Kippur War and up to the 1980s. Highly accurate colour; authentically matched to the real paint. The paints are thinned with either AMMO's own thinner (A.MIG-2000), or water, and can be brush painted or airbrushed if thinned to the usual consistency of semi-skimmed milk. The paint dries to the touch slightly slower than some acrylics I have used, and the box states that it will be fully dry in 24 hours, which isn't a bad recommendation for any acrylic to be honest. Many modellers have taken to this paint system like ducks to water, and now swear by it, which is a good enough testament to anyone considering making the switch. Review sample courtesy of

Ok so I'm a big fan of the Phantom and decided a few months ago to do a joint build of Israeli and Japanese F4's. I used the Hasegawa kits for both builds with aftermarket decals from Isra Decal and DXM (stencils). I used the original decals for the JASDF Phantom in the main and considering they were printed in 1986 they came out well. Eduard cockpit aftermarket was also used and Ised Mr Color, Tamiya and Alclad paints for both. I got a lot of help form members on here during the build so thanks for that. The Israeli F4 has a temporary 'load out' as I am awaiting some of the Hasegawa sets. Overall I enjoyed the builds and even more so that the kits costs me £16 and £24 respectively which is great value considering I just paid £60 for the Hasegawa re-hash of the FGR1!!

Hi All, Here's my Hobby Boss Dog House 2. I've added the Meng IDF Tankers figures and Eureka tow cables. I found this kit quite a challenge as I can't do PE at all and mounting the bar armour was really hit and miss as you have to cut the mounting slots out of the doghouse walls which was pretty tricky. I hear the Tiger Models kit is much better. The tracks are individual links but not too demanding as the side armour covers most of it. The mud effect on the skirts is my first attempt with oils which I was reasonably pleased with. Still struggle with painting figures as you can see. Still enjoyed the build though as it's such an imposing vehicle. If you're going to be where the bad men have IEDs, RPGs etc etc you want to be inside this wagon. Any comments,suggestions much appreciated Cheers David

Ok so I am just completing my 1:48 F15i and decided it would be good to build an Israeli F4 to go with it! So a couple of questions if I may: 1. Which 1:48 kits could i use to build an Israeli F4? I have a Hasegawa 1:48 F4EJ on its way from Ebay - would that work for example? 2. I've seen some decals from Hi-Decal which look quite good but where would I get stencils in Hebrew for it? Any help appreciated! thanks chris

My build of MENG's Stegasaurus SS-002 D9R 'Doobi' Armoured Bulldozer IDF 603rd Combat Engineer Battalion, Second Lebanon War 2006 "IT'S A BLINDINGLY GOOD KIT! ....." What can you say about this Brute? It's BIG and menacing and it's the first real, true heavyweight from the MENG stable Started on Saturday 2nd April 2016 and Finished on 23rd August This one will at the big reveal at the Sutton Coldfield Show on Sunday 11th September. For anyone building this kit, I have a Vallejo Model Air colour match for Caterpillar Tractor yellow: 3 parts 71.026 US Flat Earth : 2 parts 71.078 Gold Yellow Views and comments welcome

Hi, It's time to revive my stalled F-15 project "Baz n Ra'am" I got three F-15's to finish. One B, One C and one I I started this in the F-15 STGB almost a year ago, but I didn't finish it. One could say life got in the way of modelbuilding. But now I'd like to finish them. I'll do them one at a time so as not to risk burnout again. I'll start with the B-version. This is how it's looks after more than six months in hibernation. Link to my buildthread in the F-15 STGB. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234932433-f-15b-c-baz-and-f-15i-raam-hasegawa-academy-148/ To be continued.... /Bosse

My first work in progress, mainly because I never remember to take photos! So as an experiment, most of these will be taken on my Iphone and posted via Flickr with a view to kicking Photobucket into touch. This is the AFV Club M109A2 kit (as you can hopefully see) with the Black Dog conversion kit. So the obligatory box shots. Untitled by phil da greek, on Flickr Untitled by phil da greek, on Flickr So the photos worked! And not to shabby IMHO. Anyone with any experience of building the kit (or the real thing) then pitch in with any tips or photos etc. The aim is to display the gun in a firing position with it's crew doing various things. Already it's out of control. This will be long and it probably won't be pretty, but pull up a chair shipmates, I'm going in!

Here's my attempt at Trumpeter's Tiran-6 in 1/35. As an aircraft guy, doing armour for the first time was quite daunting. Pigment powders and liberal dusting of sand colour were foreign to me but I'm glad that this one turned out alright at least in my eyes. Hopefully I will be able to follow up with more of these steel beasts in the future but in the meantime I'll settle for some aircraft therapy. Enjoy the photos! Mark

I recently got the old Hobbycraft 1/48 S-199 kit (Yes, I know it is NOT accurate), and I want to build it as aircraft number D-119. This was reportedly the sole photo-recce version. My first question is this: Does anybody have any information on where the camera window was located and what its size & shape was? Was it the same as the Luftwaffe's Bf109 bulged camera bay, or just a single window under the fuselage? Second question: Does anybody know what the color scheme was? All the online profiles (For ALL the S-199s) differ in the colors used. They vary from different shades of green, brown, tan or gray. Thanks in advance for any and all info. Larry Engesath

Hi Pals, Someone could tell me if the M60 Blazer Israeli army, were painted in (appropriate) or only the IDF green sand tones. Thank you very much and Greetings

AFV Club IDF SHOT Centurion Mk5/1 1967 with a 105mm Gun (BUT! Guess Who? fitted the 20pdr instead) READ THE INSTRUCTIONS PROPERLY NEXT TIME - DUMMY! (Kit AF35159) The 'SPECIAL' parts comprise turned metal 20pdr & 105mm gun barrels ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS: AFV Club sets Mantlet cover 'A' AC35008 & Indy Track AF35102 I've had a load of the AFV Club Centurions for quite a while now and have wanted an excuse to get started. The Leicester Modellers Boxing Day Build Club this year has given me the opportunity to get this 2006 release started - a bit late! My choice of build for this time will be to use the upgraded 105mm gun barrel. I do have another of these and the 20pdr version will come later. The Horstmann suspension has an A & B set so watch how you fit them Also made a start on the lower hull which is extremely well molded and a great fit to the parts. Whilst not exactly on the rare list, with the advent of a host of new products being released, IDF Armour is starting to become more popular.

Here's one of my rather rare builts of 1/35th scale military vehicles. In this case AFV Club's Sho't Kal, which is basically a british Centurion - amongst other things upgraded with an American Teledyne Continental Diesel engine that provided the tank with more than twice the range of the original petrol powered Centurions with their Meteor engines. All IDF Sho't tanks were upgraded from the Sho't Meteor to the Kal. Besides better range and reliabilty, the Continental engine was the same as used in the Magach (M48/60), also a major MBT of the Israeli Defense Force back in the late sixties and Seventies - with obvious advantages. Because of the kit's workable suspension I bought AFV's workable track links which are fine but do not hold together all that well. I think Friul tracks would have been the better choice. Other extras are the mantlet cover (AFV) and the commander figure (Legend) There's some strange lighting here - the turret is of course the same color as the rest.

IDF TIRAN 5 MBT An Upgraded ex-Egyptian Army T-55 Standard OTB Kit from Tamiya supplimented with MasterClub Metal Track Paints by AMMO by Mig IDF set, AV Metalcote and MIG Powders Apologies for the figure but I'm still learning with those.

I made this a bit earlier in the year, but have only just got around to taking some decent photos. As usual Kinetic offer an amazingly detailed kit but true to form over complicate the build. I added a resin cockpit but everything else was OOTB. A 1st for me using Mig Jimenez acrylic paints, which I think were spot on for the right coloring's for this IDF bird.

How about an IDF Group - we can start from spitfires, Avia (109) to modern jets. There is something for everyone. I wiill try and keep a list Let me know if I don't get everyone on: 1. SeanM 2. Charley420 3. DaveJL (maybe) 4. KnightFlyer (Maybe) 5. Arniec 6.Fatboydim 7.Welzy 8. Marlin 9. Rob G 10. theplasticsurgeon 11. MikeMx (maybe) 12. Kwaterous 13. TrickyRich 14.MigMech 15. Blitz23 16.llking 17. MIke M 18. jrlx 19. Ian Buick