FUTURE SHOCK..SAUNDERS M1A2 ABRAMS

[HERMAN BIX]

A thing to remember when doing any mesh work on any medium..................mesh is normally fitted to protect against abnormal sized objects contacting the cooling/heating surface under it causing any damage.
The airflow through such mesh would have been calculated so as not to present any decrease in the cooling/heating ratio to the exchanger its supposed to protect. this would explain the different profiles of the mesh in each area of the tanks services.
The calcs would include any forseen debris build up and restriction from other means to enable the service to continue full funtion up to a certain limit.
( .......these modern thingo's eh........... )

Yeah...so it would depend on the circumstance or area you would be modelling this tank after....desert conditions would require a finer mesh NO??????...other more tropical climates...would or might have another different mesh ...That's kind of what you are saying right Herman?

I know In Desert Storm they were having problems with the intakes getting clogged and engine failures due to the fine sand and dust that was getting past the normal meshes ...the pictures there look like a Desert Tank...A NATO Tank might have different meshes to suit the climate there...Don't know for sure...just going to stick with what I have on hand...want to finish this...didn't want it to be a drag out build

ALPHA

Pretty much, yes. But more specifically each station on the vehicle will require a specific style of mesh to suit its function.
Add the ambient climate into it and you can see why there is several different mesh forms in different places.
I reckon youve nailed the look

[ALPHA]

Looks good painted ALPA but are the holes under the mesh as visible as they look or is it just because the pictures are shot straight down.
The grills over the engine air intakes are just grills, There are more overhead pics where you can see thru them into interior of the air ducts, the filters for the engines are inside out of sight and were replaced on all Abrams as a way to prolong the turbine engines compressor blade life after the blade damage that occurred and was studied even while desert storm was taking place.

Yeah it's the angle of the shot...you can't really see the baffles with your plain eye...tried my best not to let the flash go off...that's just how it worked out though...once I do the lower hull...I'll take some shots outdoors...weather permitting
When you redo yours you could put the louvers in....but just for sake of clearance and strength...I left the baffles ..just because they are molded and looks like designed to be there should you take off the molded on grill work

ALPHA

[ALPHA]

I remember wondering about the extra lift rings on the rear deck and whether you should do them as seen on the v2 pics of the rear
After sorting though all my pics and identifying which model they were on I found that they all had them all the way back to the M1A1 as these pics show.

They must be lift rings for removing the rear deck but I have no pics of the deck off that show that area.

Looks like more detail I will be adding to mine.
All pics came from prime portal and are of tanks in Iraq.

OH...Thanks Giant....so the lift rings will go on lol..and maybe those plates with the bolts...depends if I can make them small enough lol
Still sitting on the fence about that rectangular ugly thing...doesn't seem to serve a purpose ...the drivers seemed to have managed to mangle everything in the rear anyway

ALPHA

[ALPHA]

A thing to remember when doing any mesh work on any medium..................mesh is normally fitted to protect against abnormal sized objects contacting the cooling/heating surface under it causing any damage.
The airflow through such mesh would have been calculated so as not to present any decrease in the cooling/heating ratio to the exchanger its supposed to protect. this would explain the different profiles of the mesh in each area of the tanks services.
The calcs would include any forseen debris build up and restriction from other means to enable the service to continue full funtion up to a certain limit.
( .......these modern thingo's eh........... )

Yeah...so it would depend on the circumstance or area you would be modelling this tank after....desert conditions would require a finer mesh NO??????...other more tropical climates...would or might have another different mesh ...That's kind of what you are saying right Herman?

I know In Desert Storm they were having problems with the intakes getting clogged and engine failures due to the fine sand and dust that was getting past the normal meshes ...the pictures there look like a Desert Tank...A NATO Tank might have different meshes to suit the climate there...Don't know for sure...just going to stick with what I have on hand...want to finish this...didn't want it to be a drag out build

ALPHA

Pretty much, yes. But more specifically each station on the vehicle will require a specific style of mesh to suit its function.
Add the ambient climate into it and you can see why there is several different mesh forms in different places.
I reckon youve nailed the look

Sounds logical....figure mine would be more inland ...surrounded by forest and stuff...don't think the fine mesh would jive with the set up
Really like this tank...when I was prepping the lower hull for paint....found the metal road wheels are already set up with bearings

ALPHA

[greengiant]

ALPHA - There is plenty of room to place both the squares and the lift rings, since the area they will be on stays with the lower hull when you separate the hull half's have to make sure the lift rings are really glued tight and are made of something that won't be easily deformed by a mislaid finger. I went even farther back to the original M1 Abrams and even they had those thing on the rear deck lid. Feel kind of stupid for not including them on mine when I first did my build. I must have seen them but somehow they just didn't register.
On the mesh, all Abrams were built the same just the colors were different. When some of those withdrawn from Iraq and those that came back from Germany were issued to the tank units at Fort Riley they had the same grill meshes only some were sand and others in Nato camo.

[ALPHA]

ALPHA - There is plenty of room to place both the squares and the lift rings, since the area they will be on stays with the lower hull when you separate the hull half's have to make sure the lift rings are really glued tight and are made of something that won't be easily deformed by a mislaid finger. I went even farther back to the original M1 Abrams and even they had those thing on the rear deck lid. Feel kind of stupid for not including them on mine when I first did my build. I must have seen them but somehow they just didn't register.
On the mesh, all Abrams were built the same just the colors were different. When some of those withdrawn from Iraq and those that came back from Germany were issued to the tank units at Fort Riley they had the same grill meshes only some were sand and others in Nato camo.

Not so much space for those lift rings ...not if they are to be beefy enough to look good....I know where HL went wrong...right above the exhaust there is a raised strip that goes across that area....it's too fat ...leaves less than a 1/4 inch to the top not nearly enough for those details if you want them to look right
You could do it though Giant...seeing as your build is more prototypical than mine...you would have to cut a chunk out of the rear panel and shrink that strip down ...that mod is a little more than I want to go on mine...all I need is an illusion
As far as the grills go...still going to stick with what I have installed already lol....they look ok...and the turret covers most of them anyway ...can't make all of them spot on anyway...the one grill with the round holes is hard to find...so no matter what ...it won't be exact

ALPHA

[greengiant]

I think they will look right as they are not that big. The squares I think are just reinforced corners that probably have an inside lip that is engaged with similar inside on the rear plate of the hull thus requiring no bolting at the rear of the cover, and when the engine cover is lowered onto the tank that engagement lines up the whole rear of the engine cover as the forward end is lowered and locks it in place at the rear.
The lifting rings are really quite small in height but thick in width to give them strength.
One 1/35 scale model maker has molded a removable engine cover that has the angled part of the engine cover as part of engine cover rather then as part of the lower hull and includes the corner reinforcements and lift rings on that small angle and it looks correct. So I'll do it and see how it looks on the HL.
The round hole grill I've not seen in any scale, as besides the majority of the holes, it also has raised edge holes (looks like to give boot grip to anyone standing on it) and is thicker then any of the other grills.
I have a micro drill bit that would make the right size holes in something but I'm not that much of a detail freak to spend time hand drilling several hundred tiny little holes and keeping them the right distance from each other.
Should get my replacement 2.4 mfu tomorrow and finish the KT. then will start on the Abrams again. kind of looking forward to it as its the only tank I have that's post Korean war.

[ALPHA]

Finished painting the lower hull....YAY....reassembled it and got to play awhile
pictures:





yup...already nicked it lol








Time to go to sleep..back to the detail shop

CARPE DIEM GENTS

ALPHA

[ALPHA]

I think they will look right as they are not that big. The squares I think are just reinforced corners that probably have an inside lip that is engaged with similar inside on the rear plate of the hull thus requiring no bolting at the rear of the cover, and when the engine cover is lowered onto the tank that engagement lines up the whole rear of the engine cover as the forward end is lowered and locks it in place at the rear.
The lifting rings are really quite small in height but thick in width to give them strength.
One 1/35 scale model maker has molded a removable engine cover that has the angled part of the engine cover as part of engine cover rather then as part of the lower hull and includes the corner reinforcements and lift rings on that small angle and it looks correct. So I'll do it and see how it looks on the HL.

Man Giant...there's so little space between that "rib" and where the upper joins the lower

I measured that space...it's really slim....if you trimmed the top half of the rib...replace it with another piece of plastic....I think it would make a better foundation for those details...especially the two plate that go on the two ends...it's supposed to have two decent sized bolts on it...don't think you'd be able to do it in that confined area ...I mean it's possible...just wouldn't look right

The round hole grill I've not seen in any scale, as besides the majority of the holes, it also has raised edge holes (looks like to give boot grip to anyone standing on it) and is thicker then any of the other grills.
I have a micro drill bit that would make the right size holes in something but I'm not that much of a detail freak to spend time hand drilling several hundred tiny little holes and keeping them the right distance from each other.
Should get my replacement 2.4 mfu tomorrow and finish the KT. then will start on the Abrams again. kind of looking forward to it as its the only tank I have that's post Korean war.

You got that right lol....reason I went with what I had....had some grills with holes...could have gone to town drilling between the larger holes...but I don't think I would have lasted

ALPHA

[HERMAN BIX]

Mr Alpha, that without doubt is my favorite of all your builds(L70 included)
Looks right, sits right and by the looks - runs right.
Love the colour and the mesh & handles complete the effort
I know its a character machine, but it would be great to see it marked up in more traditional means
Really really good