M1A1 Abrams.....updates

[jeman]

Hi Guys,
well I decided to try and detail the front head lights to the Abrams as the original (first pic) had just a bit of wire for the surround of the head lights. There are no replacement parts or detailing for this one so just trying to get the right look.....ish lol



Ive yet to do the weathering and blend the paint in to the part that leads the wires from the light to the post, and they still light up after re connecting back up so I just removed the wiring, drilled down through the post, fed the wiring back through, filled the top of the post and the redundant hole back up and.........im really pleased so far !
so much to do but its getting there !
Cheers
Mark

[greengiant]

Good catch on something I don't believe any of us who have done Abrams ever bothered with. May have to go back and do this mod to both of mine.

[jeman]

Good catch on something I don't believe any of us who have done Abrams ever bothered with. May have to go back and do this mod to both of mine.

Thanks mate, I haven't finished them just yet as I want to tidy them up but I'm real pleased with them and so much better than the bit of wire that was originally used. There is a few more bits I want to knock up for it.....just getting the time !

Cheers
Mark

[greengiant]

You know you can grind the front of the led in the headlights down pretty much flush with headlight housing without damaging the diode and then add a lens to it to get rid off the fisheye look of headlights or just paint the area around the ground off diode with a silver paint and keep coating the area with the fake glass liquid used be model railroaders until you have a lens shape.
It goes on as a milky white but is clear when dry.
To make it take on a lens shape it must be done with the tank propped up so the lens faces up as you keep adding layers to it.

[jeman]

Thanks for that greengiant..........great advice and I will be taking it all onboard my Abrams Ive just made this little addition to it and from one of the pics I've seen I think it gets the look I was aiming for and I'm going to keep adding to it !

And ive done some darkening on the second machine gun platform , sadly missing the gun..............but I will get one !


cheers guys
Mark