Some new 1/48 tanks for gaming use.

[Schriv]

These are all built for wargaming use exclusively and will never be considered anything but tabletop toys.
As I get older, I just don't have the eyesight or patience to deal with anything smaller than 1/72. Lately, 1/48 has been my 'fun' scale.
Anyhow, These are my first attempts at the MERDEC scheme in any scale.

My first attempt was a Kitech M60A1 painted in what was supposed to be a USMC M60A1 in the Summer Verdant version. It turned out OK, but my black is a little too heavy and it darkened the scheme. Trying to touch up the forest green was just making it worse.
The second attempt is a vintage Aurora M109 that was bought in pieces on ebay and rebuilt.
It came out much better.

The latest tank is a TAKA, 1/50 scale M1 and it is wearing the Winter Verdant scheme. It is one of two I picked up a few years back and the second will be getting built shortly.










This is my first German tank and it is a heavily modified Revel snap-tite M-48 from their combat crusher line.
There are some parts salvaged from several ZhengDefu/Kitech kits that went straight to the parts box. This is a one off, and I think it came out pretty well for a couple of days of work.

[von Lucky]

Some lovely pieces there. MERDEC at any scale scares me, your efforts have come out really well!

[Schriv]

Yeah,
I've been avoiding MERDEC like the plague for years. But, I've decided to concentrate on the 1970-to late 80-s as my chosen game universe and MERDEC and I are going to have to become good friends.
I was in the USMC from 1983 to 1997 and saw the Marine M60's on a number of occasions and only a handful were in NATO three color. Most were in very worn, winter MERDEC and some in summer.
SO....After posting those first pics I went back and reworked the pale green and dark green to lighten up the pattern on the M60. It looks a wee bit better. The next one should be a lot more crisp. I can't have my devildogs looking shoddy.

[Schriv]

Here are a few more of my 1/48 gaming tanks.
The first is another conversion using the Revell snap-tite Patton.
It was modded up to look like an early production M48A5 that still retains the original M1 cupola. The California National Guard's 1-112 armored had a number of this model in it's inventory in the early 80's. There website has a bunch of pics from former members of their M48's and M60's in everything from olive drab to NATO three color.

The second is a Tamiya 'advancing' tank that was dressed up with some plastruc and stowage sets from Blackdog.CZ to look like an M60A2 towards the end of it's short service life in the early 1980's. I still plan to build a seachlight and swing arm mount, but that will come later.
This really isn't a bad kit once you get past the slab sided lower chassis. And since we are just pushing them around on the tabletop, I can let that slide.

The last tank is an Aoshima motorized M1A1. It actually has the correct number of road wheels and they are in scale. All in all, not a bit kit for wargaming use. Especially at $18 shipped from Japan. I had built this one prior to finding the stowage sets so it just has camo net and tarp rolls. The next few will have all the dangling stowage common to modern vehicles. It is done in overall Forrest green to represent a tank just issued from the POMCUS and not done in NATO three color camo.

M48A5, 'Chaos' in early 1980's Winter verdant MERDC





M60A2, 'Tiger' in early 1980's Winter verdant MERDC






M1A1 Abrams, mid 1980's base Forrest green.

[Schriv]

A couple of British tanks.

The first is an Arii motorized Chieftain. I got it from the same place as the M1's so the price was perfect for what I'm doing with them.
Typical of the motorized models, the tank sits a little too high, but the upper hull and turret detail help make up for that. To make the model look a little longer, I added some auxiliary fuel drums to the back. It is painted up in the traditional dark green and black two color camouflage.





The next tank is an ancient Aurora kit that I got off ebay with a missing gun and broken running gear and tracks.It was also painted a bright sand yellow. I used an L7 105mm gun from a Zhengdefu M60 and completely rebuilt the running gear. I have since picked up a few of these kits new in the box and am debating what nation and paint scheme to model.

[Mike Bravo Minis]

Good find on the Chieftain. Might have to convert our W79 Mrs T  figure into a tank commander!

[Dangerdaz]

Some lovely stuff right there.

[Michi]

I've decided to concentrate on the 1970-to late 80-s as my chosen game universe

That is exactly my "modern" period of gaming too!  However my efforts in camouflage aren´t anywhere close to your MERDC (considering that NATO 3-tone camo wasn´t used in Germany then...)

[Schriv]

That's a nice platoon of Leopard 1's.
Who makes those?
I'm tempted to buy on of the 1/48 ARII Leopards just to see if it has the right number of road wheels for that type.

[Michi]

That's a nice platoon of Leopard 1's.
Who makes those?

These are Del Prado collectibles (made of resin in 1/60th scale)
https://www.amazon.de/leopard-Del-Prado-Delprado-Modellpanzer/dp/B002LLFUCY/275-4199656-1673539?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

[Schriv]

Thanks for the info.
I have one of the 1/60 DelPrado King Tigers, but I've never seen anything else from that line.

[Arrigo]

Really nice tanks!

One "criticism" M1 vanilla were usually in CARC forest green, never in MERDC. I have seen some pictures, but if you look closely they are XM1 rather than production M1. Anyway your MERDC is fabulous, much better than mine. I suppose airbrush...

Arrigo

[carlos marighela]

Lovely (air) brush work and some very nice conversions. I have the Revell 'snaptite' M-48 and it really can be made into a very decent gaming model.

I hadn't seen that Chieftain built up before and whilst it looks good, I think I'll wait for the Blitzkrieg version to come out.

[Ste long 1971]

Good work on the tanks. Who makes the Centurion?

[Mike Bravo Minis]

I think I'll wait for the Blitzkrieg version to come out.

I hadn't spotted those previews - happy dance!