Did you have to cut down the length of the travel limit posts on the suspension arms? If those are the stock plastic arms you may run into trouble with the arms flexing and the posts
popping out of the window. You may be fine, just some feedback.

As you may have seen on this pic the two 1mm styrene post took care of anything protruding the side wall of the lower hull. they made a slot-like cap around and over the limitation posts.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5607/3...fff79140_k.jpg2016-12-22_12-09-19 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

Thanks for the feedback Benny, I could easely have omited this and it would have been quite problematic afterward :)

Got ya. Wasn't sure how far they protrude on the Abrams. Nice work.

Ho, sorry, I did not gave you the input!! :eek: They do protrud about half a mm mostly the pouring shaft for molding could be filed easy but, I want to limit the stress on those parts since they are screws in plastic. very week IMO ;)

Well mine is always on the ground running so youll never get a chance to even see the plastic suspension arms or their weathering.

Made small progress on th M1A2 innards are back in for a while.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/271/31...bfc59d03_k.jpg2016-12-29_03-47-58 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

As you can see I've jerry rigged a front axle using wood screw 2 and a half inch long with a smooth shaft near the head. Using a styrene made bushing it fits snug in the iddler bearing. I must say it is quite sturdy to my own surprise.

continued on paint job. I am now waiting on the decals to arrive as the tracks....That is why it is still on the gloss.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/583/32...59e65994_k.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-09 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/755/32...1c3bfb80_k.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-29 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

I am looking for a LiPo replacement battery pack to give the new motors the full trhottle they can deliver. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Anyhoo, You all have a happy new year. Thanks for all the support.

Made small progress on th M1A2 innards are back in for a while.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/271/31...bfc59d03_k.jpg2016-12-29_03-47-58 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

As you can see I've jerry rigged a front axle using wood screw 2 and a half inch long with a smooth shaft near the head. Using a styrene made bushing it fits snug in the iddler bearing. I must say it is quite sturdy to my own surprise.

continued on paint job. I am now waiting on the decals to arrive as the tracks....That is why it is still on the gloss.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/583/32...59e65994_k.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-09 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/755/32...1c3bfb80_k.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-29 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

I am looking for a LiPo replacement battery pack to give the new motors the full trhottle they can deliver. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Anyhoo, You all have a happy new year. Thanks for all the support.

Looking good. What kind of tracks will you run? As for lipo, I get mine from hobby king and I like the turnigy nano tec 2200s and the zippy 5000s. I'm keeping my Abrams on nimh, using Onyx 3000s. Show me more of what you're doing for stowage? I'm trying to get that figgered out right now. Right this minute mine looks like this. Two more colors to touch up and then wash and stowage and stuff, but I still haven't figured out markings. This is just a generic color profile I found on the internet and it's not a repro of any particular tank so I'm not sure yet what to do for markings. I might start a thread just to answer that question.

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/...pskl9sfxci.jpg

Thx Crius
I'll be running the Mato metal and rubberpads tracks which are in the mail with the bearings for the driveshafts. As for the battery pack I was thinking of a 4000 2s around 30c. Did the motors and electronics overheated with the 5000s?

If you do some washes, if you don't know, you really should put a gloss coat on the paint job, it allows the wash to flow in all the nooks and depression on the model. I am going to do a pinwash on mine. On this huge scale it will be fast, easy and less to clean up. The clear gloss also help with the dry transfer. You put them on and spray another coat of glos on them(when they are dry) Then and only then you start the weathering process. This way it looks more realistic and it binds everything together.

As for stowage, I am not going bonkers on it I've scratched a drink cooler, an exhaust deflector and some tarped stowage from foam and an old T-shirt. I also cutted two spare road wheels and sprockets from the plastic Heng Long's one that came with the tank.

Here is pics of my wee stowage.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/539/31...b90f48ad_k.jpg2016-12-20_09-32-21 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/755/32...632fcb5f_z.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-29 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/583/32...3a37906d_z.jpg2016-12-31_10-12-09 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

3 pics it is! ;) as for markings just go there and sift trough the pics: (not unit markings but standard issue ie: lift here)

http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/jef...dex.php?Page=1

You'll see there is not a ton of it but they do add a great deal of details when replicated. As for unit markings I would use the old Google images, as I've done for this one.

BTW: awesome job on the base camo Crius!

Great looking tank!

Forgebear has a hentec, and for much less than I paid! Even with shipping from the UK I still should've gotten it from Dave (forgebear).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Henntec-Meta...-/162327890084

Rescue119, thank you very much mate.
Crius Still it is about 75$ cad with taxes and shipping, I prefer to wait and see if Taigen makes a lowerhull in the near future and apply that cost to the lowerhull. I know my jerry rig is not ajustable but I am confident it will be sturdy enough and will last until I grow old ;) Thanks for the link tough. I will keep this seller in my ebay ledger for sure!

I just think you're gonna have trouble with track tension. You said you're using the Mato metal tracks with rubber pads, right? The tracks I got were way too long (I had to remove a link) but I don't think I could get them to fit right without the idler adjust. I think you'll have to remove two links and then they'll be too short. I hope I'm wrong, though. I hope you get them and they fit like a glove right out of the box.

Ykes! if they are to long or short, I'll have to figure something out or invest in the hentec... which is kinda expensive for something you have to fiddle with out of the box :(
Lets hope I have good karma ;)

Here is some progres: Washes are completed for the time being. I should have waited for the decals, but they are still far away. I will seal it up with a gloss and slap the decal on when they arrive then, adjust weathering.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/469/31...1ec74b42_k.jpg2017-01-08_08-55-25 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/607/31...227d1bdb_k.jpg2017-01-08_08-55-11 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/660/31...e55581b5_k.jpg2017-01-08_08-54-59 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/354/31...dfd64cb0_k.jpg2017-01-08_08-54-41 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

I will clean this up a little further before sealing and adding the filters which will bind the washes with the base coat a tad more.

Looks great.

Im new to the model side of things. What exactly is washing that everyone keeps mentioning?

Thank you Rescue119

The wash is a technique that is used to darken all the nooks on a model. When you paint a model a crucial step is pinwashes or a more invasive wash depending on the modeller taste. Pinwash is, let say, a more efficient way to do it but it is longer and needs more skill to get it right. So if I was to explain washes I would talk about pinwashes ;)

Here is a very simplyfied step by step on finishing a model. Using those steps and patience you can acheive magazine worthy finish.

Ok, first of all a good primer is in order. I use a neutral grey to lessen the impact of this undercoat on the base color. There is numerous techniques in modeling but lets stick to this one to start you up!

Afterwards some kind of shading is always efficient. here I used a very simple preshade. Using a dull black I've sprayed a semi-fine line on all the depressions of the model and also outlined all the...panels. This will creat shadows in the base coat.

Then its base color time. Usually I spray several thin coats of the base color with the airbrush. Here, since it is my first try at this scale I used a rattle can which did not allow for the usual subtle nuances that can be acheived with the AB(airbrush)
Here is pics of preshade and effect on the basecoat. this is a 1/35 M-10 model I made.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/4/3853/1...2f3f217c_h.jpgpreshade01 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5583/1...92fdda39_h.jpgbasecoat02 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

As you can see the black preshade is showing trough.

The next step is detail painting. Often did with a brush, all the tools, wire etc that goes on the model.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/4/3875/1...a1e71ab3_b.jpgprogres07 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

THEN it is sealed with high gloss clear to allow washes ;) Once again several thin coats is best! Apply decals which are sealed with the same gloss when they are dry.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/3/2947/1...56c0b4dc_h.jpggloss02 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

I do my own washes using low odor turpentine ( low odor, very important...this stuf smells!) and good quality oil paint. Pebeo makes a decent cheap oil paint with high level of pigments, for the price. In a nutshell you want a very fluid paint that will flow into all the crevices and nooks of the model.
Using a fine brush you dip it in the mix ( 2% milk in texture I would say) and you lightly touch al the recessed parts and all the base of the details such as bolts and wathnots.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/3/2945/1...141e851a_h.jpgwashes02 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

As you can see here in the buckles the mixture as flown into the center creating a darker line as if it were painted. Don't worry if it smear everywhere you can always wait until semi dry and wipe off any unwanted excess with cotton pads or q-tip like item. If completly dry just dip a brush in low odor turpentine and clean...Easy breasy.

Very important to seal it up when dry! At this stage you can seal with a dull coat like so:

https://c8.staticflickr.com/4/3848/1...27b9c4cc_h.jpgmat02 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

It will give you a good idea of the final result.
Many modelers stop here and weather with pigments.

I use the oil dots technique like so

With a toothpick i lay a pattern of oil paint dots (Color depending on base color) and slowly blend them in with a barely wet brush ( wet of turp.)

https://c7.staticflickr.com/4/3906/1...ed869810_h.jpgoildotsbs01 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

It creat an ageing pattern. One shoould always blend in with strokes replicating gravity.

https://c3.staticflickr.com/4/3870/1...bc806d42_h.jpgoildotsbs02 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

If not happy you can always clean with turpentine. Once happy with results: an other seal with a dullcoat.

https://c5.staticflickr.com/3/2947/1...4e0dff65_h.jpgprog01 by asmodeuss, sur Flickr

This is not an extensive sbs but it does cover the basis of finishing a scale model

If you have anymore Qs go ahead :)

Wow amazing work and thank you for the explanation. Most detail I ever did was on rc car bodies. You paint from the underside usually so it doesn't come off from racing. But what I like to do on the spec classes which use bodies that are more realistic is do a silver coat on the inside as normal. Hen paint a coat of light brown on the outside. Cover that by whatever color I am going with. That way when it gets bumped and scratches urig racing the paintime wears of and shows a bare metal/rusty effect.

For my tank I don't think I will be weathering it but would like to make tankhinhink Hen lines pop more to show detail

Thanks again

My pleasure Rescue! Sharing the knowledge is what makes this community so great :)