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Eastern Front wrote:Check out those LED's, they are very--very small!

Thank you! i ordered a few colors strait from a cheaper trusted seller from China and will be experimenting them on my next build.

Hi,

Here is the finalized crew, minus a couple of hands, sunglasses and fine details that will be added after painting.

The scenario for the early 1980s vignette is that this is the leading tank of a column that is coming to reinforce an infantry detachment on the Golan Heights amid tensions with the Syrians. The infantry captain is the liaison officer and he is guiding the tank column towards the position where armored support is needed.
Three Israeli tank crews and one infantry Captain were created with a mixture of parts seen on the past posts. Although they are in need of a good wash after all the putty, sanding and polishing, the build pictures show how the construction was performed. They will of course look much better once cleaned and painted.
I wanted the figures to stand out of the tank, making them more interesting.
I was able to achieve some realistic poses with the arms and neck position, which is important for the look and it makes the model come alive.
This is the tank Commander. His name is Uri. His head has been replaced since yesterday with the Dragon Delta Force head, which is a lot more expressive than the Verlinden or SOL Golani captain face. His flak jackets was improved a bit. I found that it was not covering the shoulders enough so i added some plasticard and redid the lines. He is armed with a pistol and magazine pouch. His Ultimate Soldier US helmet has been polished to remove the seam on the top. His hands will be added after painting. The head is only temporarily glued.
Continuing on following post

Here is the loader, his name is Eitan, seen here coming out of his hatch. He is a veteran of the 1967 and the 1973 war on the Sinai. He carries some ammo clips on him for his UZI sub machine gun when in combat. He remembers the first battle of the Yom Kippur where his unit had no infantry support and his tank was disabled by a Sagger missile. He spent the night in the ditch with his UZI fighting off Egyptians that were trying to capture him and his wounded buddy. He also carries a pistol at all time and emergency kit. He is not too happy that his legs come from an Ultimate Soldier Japanese Imperial marine. He does not wear the latest webbing, preferring his lucky old equipment.
This is the liaison Infantry Captain. His name is Samson. He is a veteran of the Golan, he knows every roads and dangerous corners of the Israeli border with Syria. He accurately guides the tank column to the border area. He is eager to rejoin his unit, trouble could start anytime. He carries a hand radio, CAR-15 carbine with double magazine clip and early visor. He wears the latest webbing (1980s).
The CAR-15 and arms come from the Dragon Delta Force soldier.
This is the driver, his name is Sharon. A reservist, he thought he would be activated for a few days and its been weeks. He is tired and just hope the whole thing with the Syrians will end soon. His head and helmet are from the Ultimate Soldier M48 crewman. His torso, which is mostly hidden under the hull is coming from a Dragon Vietnam Seal and his shoulders and arms were dramatically reduced in size using the Dremel.
This is it for now for the crew. I will go back to the tank and finish it. Need a good walk around and install all the missing stuff. It is the last mile before painting.

Regards, Louis

Hi,

This post is for the crew's UZI sub machine guns.

I wondered for quite a while what could be those 2 brackets I was seeing, one in front of the commander's cupola, the other one next to the loader's hatch.
The AFV Club instruction provided the answer. These are the storage stands for the commander's and the loader's UZI sub machine guns. Be aware that the AFV Club model is a Mk 5, showing a different loader's hatch than the Mk 3.
By some luck, the 2 AC Models Israeli 1967 paratrooper figures I ordered are equipped with UZIs. As the figures (one used for the Centurion build) are being modernized, the arm with the UZI was redundant. The idea was to carve out the UZI from the paratrooper's hand.
After 30 minutes each, this is the result, good enough. I also replaced the fragile resin barrel with a brass rod drilled a few mm into the tip of the gun.
The UZI stands were created in brass. I had to compromise a little bit on the placement of the stands so that the roof of the turret remains removable.
The Sho't Kal Centurion armament is now complete;
- one 105mm L7 gun
- one M2 .50 machine gun on gun mantlet
- two crew operated FN MAG 7.62mm machine guns
- one coax 7.62 machine gun
- one commander operated 60mm mortar
- one 2inch bomb thrower
- two UZI sub machine guns
- twenty smoke grenades

Regards, Louis

Awe inspiring work as usual Louis. Your work with the figures is as impressive as the tank you have built

Incredible detail! Threads like this inspire me to improve my modeling skills and attention to detail.

Thank you Carl and Jimster

Jimster wrote:Threads like this inspire me

I am trying to show what normal guys can do with basic tools like a knife, nail files, superglue and a small reserve of plasticard and brass trips and rods of various sizes. No big secret here, its just some skills that improve with practice. Also trying my best to show interesting builds that people have not seen before. It makes me want to do a better job too.

Continuing with the build, here is the travel lock.

The Shot Kal has its travel lock installed on the rear right side of the tank. Likely due to the higher engine deck of the Continental engine compared to the Meteor engine of the Mark 3, the gun lock has been raised. It seems obvious that the standard Mark 3 gun lock was removed and then simply reattached to an extended bracket.
View of the position of the travel lock.
My idea of fun was to recreate the gun lock in a functional way. The 105mm L7 gun is somewhat larger than the 20pd so i had to do some adjustments on the Ludwig plastic parts. The rest is a brass job taking a couple of hours. I am happy with the results.
Regards, Louis

Hi,

Comparing the Sho't Kal to a naked T-80 (by no means small) for an upcoming project, the pictures show the large size and height of the Centurion. I am also starting to have a weight issue, at 11 pounds fully loaded, this is the heaviest tank I have.

Builds like this always trigger a string of words like’awe-inspiring’, ‘daunting’ , ‘scary’ and more like that.

I’m absolutely flabbergasted at the attention to detail. Even museum models aren’t this precise and close to reality.
You must be a very special kind of utterly patient person.. I’d go wibbly in the head and hands with all those teensie-weensie details. Just seeing You pry that tiiny UZI from those hands.. brrr..

On ‘UZI’ in general : Used it quite extensively in the service. My first one was só worn, that it would go ‘Bang’ if you dropped it, or sneezed, or had a slight bowel-movement ‘Safety? Whàt Safety. A fellow grunt had one that just refúsed to do single shot.. The look on the Sargeant’s face when he grabbed the thing and went :”How hard is it nòt to spray, You idiot” pulled the trigger, and the damn thing didn’t stop until it was empty....

Needless to say that they collected the whole batch, and we all got brand-new, sealed in plastic, dripping from thick grease UZI’s.

Having said that, for a stubby piece of work like an UZI, the thing is remarkably precise in single-shot-auto. Passed the Sharp Shooter 1 test with flying colours.

By the by, I happened to be in the service when the Netherlands fazed the last centurions out, to end their days as targets on the Vlieland range. Sad ending for a tank with só much history. In a last glorious farewell, the Armour division actually drove them from the base to the harbour to be shipped. A Good, noisy, smelly and fun goodbye! Some others went to the shooting range near Hohne to meet their hole-riddled end... about 20 started the journey, 4 made it. The rest broke down on the way. Their trail was easily followed, just look for the rubber road-blocks and assorted parts strewn on- and next to the road.. Though, seeing 4 Centurions bravely plodding-on, despite being more than 35 years old, was kinda great.

“And thusly ends ‘anecdotes from when we were drafted’ that nobody asked for..

Such precision and beauty in your work. That gun travel lock is stunning