MERKAVA MKIV מלחמת חרבות ברזל WAR OF IRON SWORDS,GAZA

[Pavel]

That's what I'm saying, we have pimply, but not really.
A little bit here, a little bit there, a mix.
I would say genetically modified.....
"Captain Morgan" Special Gold Limited Edition......
15 people for the Dead Man's Chest!

[HERMAN BIX]

Im no Rum Lord but I will drink to that mate

[Pavel]

In our version with pimples on the armor, the rubber skirt has a wave.......
In the Windbreaker it is straight, I broke my eyes smoking the photo....

[HERMAN BIX]

I’ve managed to get the recoil working well, with no barrel slop and smooth action.
Might need to counter balance the turret though as without the BB mechanism the substantial barrel wants to tip the turret forward.
Easy enough with stick on mag wheel weights once I go get them.
I also want to put barrel smoke in it do I need to wait for one to come back into stock.
The plastic lower skirts are off. Now to set about making the flexible version .

Then I need to drink heavily and do paper, rock, scissors to decide on the turret bustle
Make one or go with the OEM version .

[HERMAN BIX]

https://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/topi ... chieftain/

This massive read has a lot of info across the 5 marks of Merkava.
Its very informative, if a little combative.

[HERMAN BIX]

I have got the flexible skirt sections in place.
Going by the pics of the straight edged MkIVs the lower edge of the rubber sits just above the top of the wheel hub cap.
So thats where I made them to.
I really think the ERA panels on the H/L Merk are too short for visual replication of the MK4 (without Trophy) but are more designed to be a very good representation of the upgraded MKIII with the curved lower edge.
I think in hindsight I should have gone with the flexible material but retained the wavy bottom edge.

I used the faux leather same as I used on the T72 Lion Of Babylon a while back.
Cut strips over length of the gap I needed to fill, used PVA to stick two strips together back to back with one being 10mm taller than the other so tht I had something to glue to the inside of the ERA panels.
Once dry I then cut each section out at 40mm long & gel superglued each section into the backside of each ERA panel.
Was a bit of a drag to do but I reckon the effect is good.

Still need to do the rear guards, side bar armour panels, and the front guards. I hope to include some level of damage to tis thing, but its not made in a way that encourages such a thing!

[Pavel]

Herman!
You will laugh, but I was a reader of this topic, but it died.....

[HERMAN BIX]

Hiding in plain sight

Another telling feature of the HL Merk is this part.
Pretty much confirms this model is an upgraded MK III .
Oh well onwards we plunge.

More mudguard rubber to do still

Page 7, part F8
I can’t resize the pic of the the original instruction manual.

[HERMAN BIX]

The rear rubber guards were annoying but they’re on.
The front ones I’m saving till last !
I’m sure you know why, it’s gotta have some Herman’ing on it somewhere

[HERMAN BIX]

]Some days I dont know why I do it to myself!
Just leave well enough alone & enjoy the model as it is.........................

NAH


One guard I have decided to mangle a bit of course needs the bits to go with it.
The soft skirt that hangs off it of course would have been affected by the damage, but the way these things need to be done by use of a heat gun or suchlike means it would have been munted in the process.
Ive begun custom damaging(if thats a thing) the skirt edge to suit the guard but jeez, its way harder to damage stuff than to leave alone & just enjoy it !
But if I cant get at least one bit of a tank showing some sort of misuse in service then its not my thing.
The same material as all the other skirt edges was used and fastened in the same way.
Gel super glue along the edge where it contacts the plastic and with the back-to-back way its put together the stuff can be bought out a little bit under the edge of the plastic guard to be forward of the edge & look a bit better. Not that detail like that can be noticed from 10 feet away but it does make a difference.
Now I need to carry on the forming of the distressed guard section once the Gel dries




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