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HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:31 am
by Vadermaker
Hi there new here, but thought I'd jump in at the start of a project , HL M1A2 ABRAMS 1/16
Arrived last week , with substandard generic instructions, advertised with metallgetriebe (?) , thought this was metal gears...... Nah plastic .Anyway, performance is poor, soooooo new gearboxes were ordered along with JP480 motors , inline fuses to be fitted and pc fan to cool board. A HE Abrams was nabbed off ebay for £40 as a donor for stowage etc. will update with pics as this progresses.
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Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 7:00 am
by AlwynTurner
Hi Vadermaker, great looking pair of tanks. I have been working on my own M1A2 project so will be following yours with great interest. Lots of pics please? Alwyn :thumbup: :wave:

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:01 am
by puramo
Good deal :D

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:21 am
by Vadermaker
Motors here , just need to collect inline fuses and we shall see if the combination of jp480 and metal gears gives the M1 some oomph
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Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 2:16 am
by Vadermaker
Motors wired up with fuses (7 amp) and pinion fitted from HL metal gerboxes luckily I have a waterstones pinion puller
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Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 2:19 am
by Vadermaker
Test run in the dark showed considerably more gutts but no improvement in speed , but happily climbed 45-50 degree slope of loose earth even with plastic tracks

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 5:37 pm
by greengiant
I have a HL Abrams on the way. I will do mine as the SEP model. Will follow your build with great interest.

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:02 pm
by Vadermaker
Have ordered ally mesh for the the bottom off the turret stowage racks, lots of online research being done on the abrams. Trying to find good ref for the non slip surface treatment I believe is found on the turret. Have sourced from my Star Wars work red clear plastic for the periscopes . Not sure whether to add the extended rear turret racks I've seen on a lot of M1 s .Also noted a lot of abrams have various panels and or wheels fitted that are green . Will be making a mold of a road wheel off the HL M1 for the stowage.need to watch footage of the smooth bore firing. To work out where to cut the barrel ready for recoil. I did this successfully on an M4 Sherman by reversing the recoil action to correct it (spring back / motor forward )will mod the smoker at this point with a bigger hole 1/8 inch to allow more air to be pushed in by piston. Things to research : better sound , out rigger bearings for sprocket shafts .

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:10 pm
by AlwynTurner
Hi Vadermaker, I found this useful for research
http://www.primeportal.net/tanks/jeff_d ... 2_details/
Lots of pics and some good ones of the rear turret racks.
Alwyn

Re: HL M1A2 ABRAMS upgrade/super detail .... Hopefully

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:13 am
by Vadermaker
Excellent thanx for the link :)
Does anyone know if HL leopard 2a6 tracks will fit the abrams?