Driving SNAFU

[RichJohnson]

I was driving around our Desert Training Center yesterday afternoon, hauling ass on maneuvers when my tank got stuck. I dont really get this tank stuck so I walked over to it and laughed. It looked just like a lot of pics of stuck tanks from SNAFU. I t was stuck, basically the hull caught front and back and left the track in the air. I snapped some pics and then picked it up and cleaned out the track and away I went. I wasnt going to wait around for the 88 to come get me, that would take all night....

[RichJohnson]

Here are a few more I took yesterday. Enjoy.

[Alpha]

I really like your subtle-but-effective kitbash approach to this tank of yours, RichJohnson. It impresses me how seamless all of these parts flow together into a cohesive design. The bustle bin, stowage, and other pieces of kit blend well, and the paint work is slick, too.

[RichJohnson]

Thanks man. The paint i think is my favorite accomplishment on this model. I love the MERDC scheme. I used the desert version on my abrams but free handed the airbrushing over pencil lines. Which was an accepted practice in the army as well as solid masking hard lines. For the m60a3 i drew it out and used 1 pound of silly putty to mask the green off, and then the green and brown to spray the sand, only brushing the black squiglies on. It took me about 50 hrs just to paint the cammo.
i feel i want to build a Sheridan just so i can paint another MERDC scheme.

[Rubicon99]

I was driving around our Desert Training Center yesterday afternoon, hauling ass on maneuvers when my tank got stuck. I dont really get this tank stuck so I walked over to it and laughed. It looked just like a lot of pics of stuck tanks from SNAFU. I t was stuck, basically the hull caught front and back and left the track in the air. I snapped some pics and then picked it up and cleaned out the track and away I went. I wasnt going to wait around for the 88 to come get me, that would take all night....

Now you see why my tanks don’t have front tow hooks. Got to watch that approach angle. I hope you did not break off those cool looking front tow hooks.

[RichJohnson]

The hooks are long gone from extreme driving, they catch a rock and pop off. The brackets are still there, but thats not really why i got stuck, just too short of a trench to cross and the soft dirt moved under my tracks rather than the tank moving.

[Alpha]

Wow, 50 hours? I'm curious, did the silly putty leave any residue on the plastic or on previously painted surfaces? I've not used it on a model before, although I recognize it's a popular technique.

[RichJohnson]

I think maybe it did... i dont recall exactly, i would have just washed the finished paint job with soap and water. The testors acrylic had a satin finsh that bugged me so after decals i airbrushed testors dullcoat form the pink jar over the whole tank and it came out perfect.

[Prowler901]

That is a beautiful model! I'm a bit of a neophyte in the tank world. What model is this?

[Rubicon99]

That is a beautiful model! I'm a bit of a neophyte in the tank world. What model is this?

Unfortunately it is NOT one that Heng Long or Tamiya produces. It is a 3D printer model from DKLM R/C. Rich had to all but “write the book” to make it work the way it does. I think he is planning on building another if DKLM will print one or two more.

[Rubicon99]

I really like your subtle-but-effective kitbash approach to this tank of yours, RichJohnson. It impresses me how seamless all of these parts flow together into a cohesive design. The bustle bin, stowage, and other pieces of kit blend well, and the paint work is slick, too.

Alpha you know this is not a kit-bashed M60 tank per day but 3D printed one. It was offered by DLKM R/C for a very short time. Rich has the only working one in the U.S. and is one of only two sold to U.S. costumers.

[Alpha]

Prowler901 RichJohnson can tell you exactly, but if I know my tanks it's an M60 Patton. When distinguishing between an M48 and M60, I usually look at the barrel. There are other distinguishing elements, but the barrel is the easiest for me to spot. The muzzle brake on the M47 and most M48s have opposing tubes at 90 degrees from the main barrel datum line. They mostly fired a 90mm projectile, thus classified at the time as "Medium" tank class. The later M60 used a 105mm cannon, that did not use that style of muzzle brake. Incidentally, the MBT70 program, which eventually birthed the M1 Abrams, also used a 105mm M68 gun. This is why early Abrams tanks used a 105mm cannon. Nowadays they have sized up to 120mm.

[Alpha]

Rubicon99 I didn't realize this was Okmo's M60A3 kit, I should have known! That's as rare as unicorn stubble. We need to remedy the dearth of M48-60 in 1/16 scale..

[Prowler901]

Thanks for the info, guys. Counting the days till February.

[RichJohnson]

My model is indeed an m60a3 variant.
First came the M60 which placed the new slightly larger hull design of the M60 main battle tank,(not a Patton thoug its called that in slang) with the turret from the m48a2/ a3. There were maybe 1000 of these made until the new elongated turret of the m60a1 class was put into productin.
Later the a3 ca e out in 78 with variuus upgrades though it looked the same the external additions are the smoke grenade launchers on the turret sides, the heat insulation shroud on the main gun barrel, and the computer windage sensor on a spring stick behind rhe loaders turret hatch. Inside the right side sight glass was a lazer range finder, the left side was left empty. Inside it used a new Infra Red sighting system, with some and eventually most tanks being upgraded to a Thermal Tank site that according to some tankers I talked to, said it was a much better ahooter than the original M1 Abrams, because it did not have the TTS.
The M60a2 had a combined 152mm gun/rocket launcher same as the sheridan but was only fielded for 5-8 years at most because a tank had to stay stationary and guide its missle to target. This tank had a very radical turret nicknamed starship.