Canadian Leopard C2 Mexas MBT - Afghanistan 2006- Build

BarryC · Post by **BarryC** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:59 am

Well done Louis, looks fantastic!

Whats that make, 3 or 4 completed for the year?

Barry

Post by **Jimster** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:06 am

I don’t know what else to say except that it looks like a real tank in your photos. Wow! Your eye for subtle weathering is right on.

lmcq11 · Post by **lmcq11** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:22 am

Thanks Jimster and Barry.

BarryC wrote:Whats that make, 3 or 4 completed for the year?

Total of seven so far... i think... All RC,
- M113A2 MRV
- Renault FT
- TPZ-1
- Sheridan
- M16 MGMC
- 1/10 SAS Jeep
- Leopard C2

It was a beautiful summer of modelling outside on the deck, vacations at home, and Covid did inspire me...

lmcq11 · Post by **lmcq11** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:29 am

Jimster wrote:ooks like a real tank in your photos

I know 3D printing is picking up a lot, but polystyrene still make the best sleek armored plates.

tankme · Post by **tankme** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:54 pm

So I would say overall the dust effect looks good. When I was at Kandahar Airfield from 2010-2012 we referred to that dust as "Moon Dust" because it was so fine that it got everywhere. It had the consistency of talcum powder and stuck to every surface. It would even squeak beneath your boots at times when you walked. In the really loose areas every step produced a nice cloud of dust. You could feel it shooting right into your socks through the vents in your boots. Every morning I woke to the fresh scent of the open sewage pond which was built on the edge of the base, but was now in the center of the base due to expansion. I would mop my living quarters and go take a shower. You could come back in the room and there would be a nice fresh layer of silt on the floor again. I worked in IT and some of our network switches and routers would just fill up with the stuff. Being so fine it would clump up everywhere. Nothing black ever got clean due to it. It always had a tan tint to it.

BarryC · Post by **BarryC** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:10 pm

lmcq11 wrote:
Jimster wrote:ooks like a real tank in your photos
I know 3D printing is picking up a lot, but polystyrene still make the best sleek armored plates.

I could not agree more Louis!

Barry

lmcq11 · Post by **lmcq11** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:41 pm

Hi,

This is it, the 1/16 Leopard C2 Mexas model is finished. Here is a final photoshoot. Its definitely not a proper setting for Kandahar, Afghanistan, but it puts the model in perspective. I hope the Canadian soldiers who served on them will appreciate the effort to build their mount, i think it is a rare sight in 1/16 scale. Thank you for watching.

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

lmcq11 · Post by **lmcq11** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:42 pm

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

This weekend, i will make a short video to show the model in action.

Regards, Louis

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 12:36 am

Louis!
Looks like a real tank to me! Some of the close up shots are indistinguishable from an actual vehicle. All Thumbs and Big Toes up!
regards,
Painless

lmcq11 · Post by **lmcq11** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 6:36 pm

Thank you PainlessWolf,

Here is a short Youtube video of the Leopard C2 Mexas in action. The gearbox is good and the tank is agile despite the fact that it is very heavy and the tracks with rubber pads have a solid grip on the cement deck, specially when the tank is turning. The tracks and roadwheels give a nice natural squeaking sound that i like.

https://youtu.be/RST_nxr6-L0
Link above

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

And we had a small family reunion of German post war armor;

Here, we have the Leopard C2 Mexas next to a Leopard C1 (a modified 1A4) on the left that i built when i was younger and overdue for a full refurbishment. It is an early Tamiya RC model with the clutch gearbox for movement and really noting else. It needs full RC modernization using the same methods used here for the C2 Mexas, and a good new paint/weathering job. That's a project for another year.

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

Its a Tamiya 1A4 that was given the Leopard C1 Canadian modifications of the time (1990s). These are the same chassis in Canadian service that were later modernized with surplus German 1A5 turrets and later with Mexas armor. The C2 is now replaced by the Leopard 2A4 CAN and 2A6M CAN in Canadian service.

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

: RC 1/16 Canadian tank Leopard C2 Mexas - Afghanistan - build

Family picture of German modern armor from left to right are; a Heng Long Leopard 2A6 out of the box with Tamiya crew, an hybrid Tamiya/PSM Leopard C2 Mexas, a Tamiya Leopard C1, a Ludwig TPZ-1 6x6 TransportPanzer and a Marder 1A1 AIFV.