I would like to make the Merkava main tank of the Israeli army from MENG. The box is thick and the number of paMerkavarts is quite large. I have made Academy and Hobby Boss before, but this is the first time for MENG.
In the Merkava IIID, the rolling wheels were originally equipped with rubber tires, but in the improved version, all-metal rolling wheels were adopted. For this kit, we can choose either rubber tires or steel rolling wheels. This time, the kit says that it is a late model, so I made it with steel rolling wheels. This type is a little harder to assemble because there are many parts divided.
I assemble small parts to attach to the side of the rolling wheel and chassis. I don’t know how much this part is hidden by the side skirt, but it seems that there are many parts that can’t be seen even if the parts are attached too closely. However, it is not comfortable to omit the work, so I assemble it all at once.
I’m building the chassis little by little. I can’t say it well, but it’s a little hard to make. It is not clear where to fix the part. I wonder if I can wrap the tracks properly. I’m worried until I check it out.
LICs are vehicles with Low Intensity Conflicts. Hooks at the front and back of the vehicle, large anti-mine plates at the bottom of the vehicle, and hatch for the Commander are all LIC specifications. But why does the hook protect the occupants? Perhaps they will also be equipped with anti-tank mine plates.
(2024/12/12)
The upper surface of the tank body, which is quite complicated, is filled with the adhesion of large and small parts. This part is difficult to assemble. Finally, for reinforcement, it is also bonded with instant adhesive from the back.
It’s amazing that the parts are removed from the runners and become one by one. This would be very easy to assemble. In addition, the Merkaba tracks are not made up of multiple parts, but simply glued side by side, which makes them much easier to assemble than other more difficult connected tracks.
The tank is big, so the length of the tracks on one side is about 45 cm. It looks like there are very few parts in the bag, but I wonder if I can wrap both of them properly. It seems to be better to put adhesive in after lining up the both sides of the tracks. I have encountered several kits in the past that do not have enough parts, so I am very suspicious.
It seems to be long enough. Things are going well.
I decided to move early in the new year. In Japan, housing conditions are generally severe and there are few living spaces. I sorted out fishing gear, a pair of road bikes, one of two standard bikes, a cat tower and a cat litter box. I used to ride a road bike a lot in the past, but I didn’t ride it much since I got caught and injured by a car driven by an elderly person. I go walking and jogging more often. There are a lot of model tools that are bulky due to a long-term hobby, but are not used much in fact, and I made space by removing them. Actually, the paint drying booth was just a place to store finished items. But it can’t be helped because it uses a fairly large compressor. In addition, when I moved here, there were about twenty large cardboard boxes of plastic model kits, but when I packed them this time, there were fourteen boxes. It’s still a lot, but I’ve been able to explain to my wife. It seems easy to understand when I explain by the number of cardboard boxes. If I make large items first from the next production after moving, the pile may be reduced at a relatively high pace. When it comes to big box kits, most of them are modern jets or modern AFVs. Well, the main premise is to make something that interests me. The layout of the next house will be bigger than now, so I want to buy a big electric lifting desk if possible. But the Yamazen desk I’m interested in is expensive…
(2024/12/28)
Well, the Merkava Tank was supposed to be completed by the end of last year, but it was too busy with the death of my beloved cat and the move at the beginning of the year. Even though I made it, we can’t see the upper side of the top rolling wheel, near the center, but I connected all of them. It’s hidden by the side armor.
I started to assemble the turret part. The latest tanks have big turrets and many parts. The turret of Merkava is complicated because it is multi-faceted.
When I make a Merkava kit from various manufacturers, this chain curtain is the part that I am quite concerned about. Depending on the kit, there are various materials and expression methods, so there are many difficulties in assembling. This kit is all reproduced in detail with plastic parts. It’s amazing. And it looks easy to assemble.
Although I was worried about the strength, the shape of the parts was aligned and it was assembled nicely. Good. But when I was assembling the turret, attaching it to the body, and turning it, this part interfered a little and came off. There are some bumps, so it might be better not to turn it too hard.
The assembly of the Merkava tank is almost complete. Since the basic color of the parts is Sinai gray before painting, it looks pretty cool.
There is a metal mesh guard attached to various parts such as the headlight, periscope and sight. They seem to be mostly reproduced by etched parts in this kit.
There were gaps in several places such as the joint of the turret armor. There is still a part that has not been closed. I need to fix the noticeable spots before starting basic painting. If it was a real tank, it would be rebuilt because of lack of strength.
There was an instruction in the assembly manual to bundle the loop of the towing wire with thin wire, but I forgot.
It is interesting to see the Merkava from the back as there are various points of interest such as chain curtains.
The turret is rather in the rear. It must be related to the fact that the engine is installed in front to protect the crew.
Periscope with etched guard can’t be helped, but regular periscope must be masked with something. There are quite a number.
Soon after the start of the new year, I have a little more than a week left before moving. I don’t want to paint it here, so I’m wondering what to do. I’ve almost finished sorting out the unnecessary items, so I might be able to proceed with the model a little more, since I only need to box things up just before. Come to think of it, I cleaned my bicycle on the balcony and left it there, so if I don’t put it away, it will get dirty with paint. Even if I move to a new place, I won’t be buying a desk right away, so I may not be able to expect much efficient work for a while.
(2025/01/01)
After moving, I got settled, so I tried airbrush painting. It’s too cold. I undercoated it with black for now.
The modern Israeli tanks are said to be this color, so I tried painting them. It is Cleos Mr. Color number 530. It’s cold, but since it’s been a while, painting is fun. But when I built a new model, my motivation was not so high. I hope to finish it somehow.
(2025/01/21)
If the article is short, there will be a lot of advertisements in the middle, so I will post some pictures of the finished products in the past below.
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