A good place to start
 

My M1A2 Abrams came. I have installed the accessories and given it enough of a test drive to check all the functions. Everything works well, no problems to report.

The detail is good but lots of the parts have flash or tiny sprue remains from the molding/assembly process that needs to be cleaned up. That’s OK, some of the changes I plan to make will cause me to end up repainting it anyway. I want to add a sound card and DBC so I can have the turbine sound and battle with IR. It needs to go faster, it has plenty of torque, but should go twice as fast. I have started researching Abrams tanks to learn what the stuff on it is, and find out what the markings mean.

I have not opened it up yet but off the top of my head I can think of several things I want to upgrade. I want barrel recoil. It needs glass in the periscopes. Speed! It looks fast, it should be fast. Accurate sounds. Tamiya battle compatibility. Better tracks. Metal sprockets/idlers/road wheels. Bearings. Cool modern stowage. Tank crewmen. Better antennas. I will think of other things as I go, but…

this is a good place to start.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2062080http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2062081http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2062082

Hey, Buddy, spend the $7 and try the 360s. I'm just dyin' for somebody to try them in an Abrams. They work great in my ZTZ-99A.

PM sent

Thanks Airbrushler, that thing took a long time to download but it will be good reading.

I ran up the colors, my first custom parts for it She may be modeled as a Colorado National Guard Abrams, like the tanks over at Fort Carson.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2062320http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2062321

I finally got a chance to give this thing a good test run. It did great, it went over, through, or around every obstetrical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rocJRNBUlSI&feature=youtu.be

No problem Brother hope it helps Tank looks good, video is awesome as always

Nice video. :)

Can't tell if I'm just listening to the motors and gears in the FPV, or if HL made new sounds. Did you turn off the sounds from the motherboard?

The sound was on, and I think turned all the way up. It's the same old HL sounds.

okay...thanks.

If you have any questions I worked on M1's for 11 years.

My Full Set of Metal Running Gear just Shipped from Hobby Raw...
Idlers, Sprockets, Roadwheels W/Swing Arms and Return Rollers...

Haven't found/ordered a set of Metal Tracks yet, but will when I find a set I like...

Have a few sets of Motors to try as well...

My Abrams rums about Half as fast as my Taigen KV1, Jagpanther and Stug... And the KV1 and Stug are the Metal Lower Versions.
THAT Will Have To Change.

-gus

Well I'm glad you like it, hopefully those suspension arms help a bunch!

Thanks, I will. I am researching them now. I have some pictures of gear on the turret that I will be asking this forum about soon. I will start a new thread to ask with pictures of things circled I want to know about.

I started. No turning back now. This tank will never look new again.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064044http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064045

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Looking Good! Im going to use this Verlinden Tanker to Replace the WWII(?) "Commander" That came with My M1A.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064052

Nice. I gave my wwII tank dude to my son for his Sherman.

I will end up with that Verlinden guy too. I'm leaning towards this theme...
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064054

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I kinda Like THIS One:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064058

Both look great! If you're going with the USMC OIF look, you'll need to back date it some to be a M1A1. USMC doesn't have any A2s.

The second photo looks like a Desert Storm tank. Old sprocket...can't remember if the USMC tanks during Desert Storm were straight M1s or A1s. Only one tank battalion had them; I think it was 1st Tank Bn. The other one was still using the M60A3s in Desert Shield/Storm.

I have been doing some research and think I will do this tank as one from the 66th Armor Regiment. I like them for several reasons...

They are quartered at Fort Carson, Colorado. Tanks in the mountains, I like that
.
They are the oldest tank regiment in the US Army with a history going back to WWI. Very cool.

They were Col. Gorge Patton's first tank command. Very cool.

They landed at Normandy and fought all the way to Berlin. Lots of cool opportunity to model their tanks.

They fought in 73 Easting. Nice.

These are pix of the 66 Armor Regiment tanks.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2068924http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2068925http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2068926

The crew is moving their gear in, checking things out, getting ready.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2068963http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2068964

Good choice! I do not know how old that picture is but I believe 1-66AR uses ID numbers on the #1 and #2 skirts. 1st number is company, 2nd number is platoon, 3rd is tank.

This is the way it was for us back in 1987:

-gus

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2069145

Yes that is the standard for most.

This is what I was explaning
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2069147

If you are talking about the Skirt Markings...
I have no idea.
They came out a few years after my ETS date.

;)

But on a side note... This Thread in particular has me thinking I really need to go dig out my Army Photo Boxes and Albums.
One problem I know I'll run into is needing to Reprint photos from the Negatives...
As I gave most of my Best/Better prints away to Buddies as gifts.

Another project to add to my ever growing list.

-gus

Oracus, Augustus1967, thank you very much for the information. I have downloaded 134 Abrams pictures to study and have lots of questions. You guys answered some of them.

Yes the skirt markings. It is all unit dependent, some use them most don't. Same concept as thermal ID panels.