MAUS45

That is so cool, your turret is amazing!!! Is that a lotion top for the hatch?

Rex Ross

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It's the cap from a large squeeze bottle of Heinz ketchup. I just couldn't resist it.

Rex Ross

~~~~~~~~

I just got careless with that tool. I usually am very careful with it since my cardiologist has me on heavy duty blood thinners and I leak big time when I get a boo boo. A big bandage fixed me up good enough. I hate stitches.

afv aficionado

Hi Rex
"I hate stitches". Can't say I love them either, however there's been a time or two they came in handy, though not with power tools - yet.
Re the ketchup bottle lid, yes all types of plastic bottles come in handy, have a large stock of various types. Have been using shampoo lids to replace the HL M41 turret blower cap which is too small. Have found that some deodorant bottle caps make really good radomes.
Mal

MAUS45

Heinz Ketchup, even better!!! I was afraid it would smell like some after shower body lotion???

Max-U52

Hey Rex, would I be way out of line to assume you're familiar with Finescale Modeler Magazine?

Have you seen Cookie Sewell's MBT70 in this months issue? Pretty cool. His says the "20mm is stowed". Did the commander's cupola have a 20mm instead of a .50 cal? Or was it mounted somewhere else? Or did they get it wrong and it doesn't have a 20mm? I think it said he modeled the 5th prototype. Can't remember. Darn hippie brain!!

You may remember me saying I built that aurora kit when I was a kid, and that tank kinda got burned into my brain as one of my favorites. Can't wait to see yours rollin' along.

Rex Ross

maxu52
I haven't seen that issue, but the MBT 70 had a 20mm gun that could be retracted into the turret when not being used. I also had a coaxial 7.62 mg alongside the main gun. I hope to get back to finishing mine next week, after I paint Creighton Abrams Sherman.

Max-U52

Wow. Very cool. The 20mm has some serious firepower. The Ma Deuce is a real workhorse and one of my favorites, but that 20mm is nothin' to sneeze at!

So was the 20mm under the commander's control only, or could the gunner fire it as well?

I just found a verlinden 50mm mortar at a decent price so I'm thinking about getting one and then copying it in my own materials. Would that still be scratchbuilding, or is that cheating? I got my mileage check form work so I was planning to get another Dragon but Kevin's out of stock so maybe I'll get the mortar instead (or another figure, scale hobbyist has some new stock).

Gary

Rex Ross

[QUOTE=maxu52;11913490]Wow. Very cool. The 20mm has some serious firepower. The Ma Deuce is a real workhorse and one of my favorites, but that 20mm is nothin' to sneeze at!

So was the 20mm under the commander's control only, or could the gunner fire it as well?

~~~~~~~~~I marked the photo of that front hatch wrong. That is the drivers hatch. The 20mm was operated by remote control by the commander.

I just found a verlinden 50mm mortar at a decent price so I'm thinking about getting one and then copying it in my own materials. Would that still be scratchbuilding, or is that cheating?

~~~~~~~~~ I respectfully decline to answer that question about scratch building ethics. I have enough trouble with the Ten Commandments as it is.

rex

Max-U52

Good answer. I can't see much difference between taking measurements from a scale model and going to a museum and getting measurements from the real thing. Info is info no matter where you find it and I think I might use that technique on the Meilerwagen - build it from a 1/35th kit first just to see how all the parts go together. I'm still amazed at how much I've learned about aircraft from building static kits. Besides, ya gotta start somewhere!

Max-U52

Wait a minute, the hatch you marked as commander's hatch is the driver's hatch? The MBT70 had the driver in the turret? You're confusin' me, Rex!

Rex Ross

maxu52

Sorry about that. If you do a Google search with the title ---- MBT 70 tank ---- you will find a bunch of reference sites where I got all of my information, drawings, photos, etc.

Here's a good place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBT-70

rex

Here's another site that shows where the crew were positioned.

http://forum.worldoftanks.eu/index.p...german-medium/

Max-U52

OK, I get it now, thanx. I've never seen a tank that had the driver in the turret like that. It must have gotten confusing trying to drive that thing when the turret was turned 90 degrees!

Captain Nemo12

Gary, the MBT-70 was a very interesting tank and perhaps one of the few who had their driver's compartment located in their turret. The driver's compartment rotates independently from the turret and can be set to point forward at all times. However, with the turret rotated at 90 degrees, I imagine there must have been visibility issues since the compartment is off-center. I think this is why the tank profile is so flat, so that the driver can still have a clear view of the road ahead despite being so high up in the turret.

Max-U52

Hey Nate,

Yeah, interesting to say the least. I've always thought it kind of looked like a sports car version of a tank (I like that) and it looks like it's moving fast even when it's standing still. I can't wait to see Rex's in operation. I'm not sure what to think about Rex - he has obviously fantastic talent, but I get a little jealous sometimes. Kind of like that movie Tombstone, where Val Kilmer meets Johnny Ringo and has to ask, "Should I love him or hate him?". All in all, I'm very pleased to follow the builds and I'm definitely learnin' stuff.

Rex Ross

I finally got to a point where I figured this project was worth posting a few WIP photos. I still have a bunch of details and stuff to do before paint, but this is it so far. I don't know which prototype this is supposed to be, but it is the US version, not the German KP 70. Most of the reference photos I have show some little details that may or may not be on all of the prototypes that were built, so this is a hodge podge of details that I will designate as the MBT 70A2, Mk. III, (modified). I really don't think there were two of the US model that were identical.



rex

MAUS45

Rex this is just amazing!!! I wish I had taken photos of the softsteel prototype as well as the hard steel version the Patton museum had. They had two. One in storage and one on display outside. I kick myself every time I think about how many times I visited the Patton musueum and only took photos of things I was building at the time. Should have just photo'ed everything!!!!

Captain Nemo12

It's the little details that make this build so awesome! Well done Rex!

afv aficionado

Hi Rex
Very nice. Just needs paint.

Mal

philipat

Looks awesome!

Airbrushler

ya so now when it fires the main gun it smells like someone is having a BBQ....lol

Great Job Rex as always

YHR

As usual Rex great work. Knowing that you use traditional scratch building techniques is an inspiration. You have built yourself an awesome tank..

Rex Ross

I can't believe how bad I can screw up sometimes. About a year ago I had the urge to get the Hunnicutt book on the Abrams and the one titled Firepower. I have all of his other books, but the price of each kinda made me back off because I'm a cheap old coot.

I got the urge again and checked Amazon today for availability for both books. I read the review on his Abrams book and discovered that the MBT 70 has an extensively detailed chapter with a ton of info and photos. Wonderful. Now that I'm finished with my project ----- NOW I find this out !!!!! Schucks and Gosh Dang it !!!

I still want those two books but before I break down and break loose of a few bucks, I gotta ask ------ Does anyone out there have the Hunnicutt Abrams book and his Firepower book that they don't want or need anymore?

If ya do, send me a PM and we can talk. I'm trying to talk myself into getting them but I just thought I should try here first.

Maybe I should leave this alone ..... I would hate to find out I built a crappy tank model that needs a total rebuild !!!!

rex

Airbrushler

i will check things out for you Brother Rex...lol hope i find it for you

Airbrushler

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