M48A2 Patton Tank - 1:35 scale by Popeye the Sailor

[popeye the sailor]

I haven't done an armor piece since I was a young lad.......I was more of a plane guy though.  after seeing all this wonderful armor work going on here........and after my tangent with Leopold......I bought one.  we were at Hobby Lobby to get supplies....and again,  the admiral saw that kits were 40% off.  I got this one and the AMT '59 Chevy El Camino.  so now I have that one.......the '59 Chevy Belair,  the '60 Chevy Belair,  and the 1:16 scale '57 Chevy Belair convertible.  doing some research on the cars,  as well as the models,  things have mushroomed quite a bit......I will never be able to remember it all by the time I get to them.  but during my doldrum,  I have been assembling the engines.  just recently,  I purchased another kit during a stop at Michael's......this one really opened a can of worms!  thanks Scalemates!

  anyway........this model has been around for some time........1966 to be exact

it went through a few revisions.....box art and such.......but I don't think there was any retooling done.   it is a fairly simple kit,  with no interior to speak of.  there are several movable features,  but I limited a couple,  and I think the model itself will do the rest.......you'll see what I mean as I get into it.  the contents are as seen:

we start off with the top deck being warped......I will try to resolve this.  there are a lot of molded detail,  the signature of an older reissue model.  those 1:72 Tigers I modified were more modern than this one   the decals are neat......

you have the choice of building the U.S. Army version {Olive Drab},  or the Israeli Army version {Desert Sand}.

 

the plastic is rather hard......care must be taken cutting the parts off the sprues.  as can be seen,  the finish is kinda rough...not smooth like other kit plastics.  I see that there is a lot of edge flaring and flash that must be squared and sanded off before assembly.  I rebagged the figures......perhaps some other time  

  I'm sure that there are other fine points to tell you about,  probably moot where I'm at with the assembly.  I hope I can make it interesting.

[popeye the sailor]

firstly.......the bottom pan is joined together and set aside.  the error monkey is still around.......let's try again  

the top part of the main body was added.......the scars from scraping and sand is evident.  other parts were laid out and cleaned up....

the 50 cal turret was assembled along with the Jerry cans.  they won't be added till after painting.  the main body got some legs......kinda looks like an insect  

 

the body after more sanding of the undercarriage.....still more to go before that ugly seam is gone.  the 50 cal turret was added to the main turret.....it is moveable.

the luggage rack was added to the back part of the turret.  the 90mm gun was assembled of three parts and fitted before the bottom pan was added to the turret.

 

[popeye the sailor]

ok.......dog and garbage has been done........back to the log    you'll see engines sprinkled all through this log........I have at least six of them in various stages.  one hemi Ford 427,  and the rest Chevy's.......and one Plymouth added to the mix.  I also have the two L6's 'round here somewhere.

I'm getting closer to the paint booth......just a bit more to go.  I did a fit of the top deck on the body......the back area isn't too bad.

it's when you get to the front fenders......they are slightly warped.

 

I'll see how the warp runs and use a bit of heat on them  

[popeye the sailor]

time for the paint booth! 

cracked open a fresh bottle of Olive Drab just for the occasion  

 

painted the bottom.......the top part will be next.  I wasn't going to add the drive dears,  but at the last minute,  I changed my mind.

the top deck was also painted along the undersides of he fenders.  so while that was getting done,  I painted the bogies Flat Black and Olive Drab.  I put on what I had done so far.

 

there is some inconsistency with the paint.......a clogging airbrush coupled with too much thinner {I think}.  I decided to leave it as is since it won't be seen and appears somewhat worn by the elements.

 

[popeye the sailor]

bear in mind that all this has happened over the past couple of weeks........I am not being fast by any stretch of the imagination     I'm still not finished yet,  although another week might just do it. the main turret was secured to the top deck......it will be moveable as well.  a couple of the hatches didn't fit very good,  so they were cemented in place.......only the 50 cal turret has a workable hatch. 

so far so go {so far} on the bogies........they all move, although hampered by paint.

it was time for the tracks.......I will do them now before the top deck is put on.  as can be seen,  they have a locking tab that fits into the other end.  

it looks good once secured in place.

but get a bit dicey when thinking of longevity

 

yea....they are a bit tight........there is no way the assembly can be wrong.  all the bogie legs are keyed to fit one way,  along with all the other bogies.  with them being so tight,  the fact that the tracks can move isn't that big a deal......but I see the tracks failing in a very short time,  unless I do something to better secure them.  I decided to use thread and sew them together.  using black thread,  I did just that......created a double wrap and sealed them with CA.

not too good a picture.......

with both sewn,  they were put back on.  I made sure that the joints were near the drive gear,  but up under the rear fenders.   the end results is pretty good

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

after the track issue was finished,  the top deck was cemented in place.  I had it upside down on a box with enough weight on it to counter the residual warp that might still be there.  that went well.......both sides stayed down.  but the track problem isn't solved completely    because of how tight they are,  it might take longer,  but I fear that either the leading ......or even the drive gear bogies would finally break.  well folks.........the leading bogies have enough of an alignment issue that they might become the weak link.  I have some thicker brass rod........I'm going to see if I can modify them and keep them movable at the same time.  perhaps I can even reposition them to produce even a little extra slack    we'll see how that goes........

 

[Old Collingwood]

Something rather nice about the shape of the M48  and M60  and love the hull  almost boat like, and  boy where they made to last.

 

Nice work Denis.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC......I'm in the process of modifying the lead bogies.      it's a good fix........ran a hollow shaft through the body.  ran a longer solid shaft through the hollow tube.......a pair of spacers,  and put on the bogies and hub caps.  the tracks are back on already!  I'm not particularly happy with the drive gears, because they are a bit wobbly too,  but the heck with it..........if they have a problem down the road,  I'll deal with it then.     this tank was the third and final tank built in the Patton series.  named after George Patton...it had to be tough         

[Egilman]

Nice job, I built that one when young and they were still in use... a quick little build decent detail for the period and it actually looked like the subject.... That was a plus...

 

According to R.P. Hunnicutt, the god of US Armor historians, (Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground and a frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.) the Patton series of Medium and Main Battle Tanks runs from the M-46 thru the M-60, The M-60 being the last of the breed... Then the failed MTB-70 and then the M-1 Abrams.... The official names for them were; Medium Tank M-46, 90mm Gun Tank M-47, 90mm Gun Tank M-48, and 105mm Gun Tank M-60.... They were all given the unofficial nickname "Patton".... They all had their variants designated as A1, A2, A3 the same as the earlier M-4's and M-26's did... The last of the Patton series was the M-60A3...

 

Those tracks, if left to their original connection method will fail, that's what happened to mine... I came up with the same solution after they fell off, stitching them together, unfortunately, being made of vinyl, they eventually disintegrated completely... It got relegated to the shelf of doom where it eventually was sacrificed as parts/materials to more modern builds.... Todays aftermarket will allow it to be built into a very nice representation of a late model M-48 more early vietnam era than european era... 

 

Looking good my friend...

 

 

[Canute]

Denis, you're doing a bang-up job fixing this ancient kit. Has to be old, original run since there is box art on the lid, rather than the now required photo. I'm always interested in how modelers have to re-engineer one of these oldies. Keep on truckin' with this one. 👍

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Egilman and Ken     yea....the fix for the lead bogies went well.   I ran a hollow brass tube through the body,  and then the brass rod through that......the rod was the same size as the I.D. of the tube.  compensated with a pair of spacers,  slid on the bogies and hub caps,  and that took care of it.  

   I didn't do any painting to hide anything..... with the tracks on,  the repair can't be seen at all!  big win!   older kits aren't really that bad.......if one has a stash of parts like backer has,  you got it made    there is a lot of upgrade stuff out there,  if you want to add extra detail.  I didn't do any filling of seam lines......the underbelly was the worst of it,  and if it's not picked up,  it won't be seen    it is pretty much done now.......I should have final pictures soon.

  I'll make sure I do them in better light    thanks for look'in in.....with all the projects I have on the go,  I was hesitant posting it.  but with all the tanks that have been showing up,  I couldn't help it {curse you OC}.........

 

I should get back to Leopold.........I may just do some scratch building,  to make use of those tanks  

[Baker]

14 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

if one has a stash of parts like backer has

I would like to help, but all my spare tank parts are 1/72 scale 

Nice work on this Patton 👍

 

[jct]

Hey Denis...nice work cant wait to see the weathering

[popeye the sailor]

   oh I'm all set Patrick.......I was just referring to your rather hefty parts stash    these older kit surely can benefit from a stash such as yours,  and I'm aware you dwell in the world of 1:72.  I actually had fun with those two tiger tanks.......I can see why you like that particular scale.

 

these older molds were acquired by companies like Round 2 and Atlantis.......I'm sure there are others.   so far from what I've experienced,  no retooling has been done to any of the kits I've purchased.  rest assured that there will be plenty of nostalgia out there for everyone!   

 

well hello J.........good to see your look'in in    actually,  I wasn't planning to do any weathering on it........no camo for it to speak of.  I could have done more....like hollow out the muzzle and choke on the gun.  but I did highlight the venting on the deck and back end.  come to think of it.......I did buy 2 bottles of Testor's CreateFX........bottle of mud stain and a bottle of rust stain.  perhaps I will have a go........good that you caught me before I took the gallery pictures   

 

wait till you see what I just bought?!?!?!

[jct]

Can hardly wait

 

[popeye the sailor]

hello gents.......her are a few more pictures of the tank.......almost forgot I took these.   they were still in the camera.   I did the odds and ends,  like highlight the grates and rear vents with flat black.........headlights........tools and cables.......just finish things.  the decals are on it now,  but I've yet to do the weathering thing......I will when I calm down.  frantic search....don'tcha know  

 

 

 

 

yep.......been kinda crazy 'round here........enough that I truely believe that the admiral wanted to kill me   but I persevered   there is quite a story here.....so much so,  that I even wrote a blog about it..  I'll tell ya the story in the next log   {you'll love it J}

[Old Collingwood]

Looking great Denis,   and with your blog/story  I and probably  the rest of the guys  will pull and extra cozy  chair  up  - to hear  it..........   "Who's  got the popcorn..........."Mark"

 

OC.

Edited March 10, 2022 by Old Collingwood

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC.........I have so many blog....... Blogger......Word Press,  and Weebly.  most of them are build logs,  but whenever I found something that was worth writing about,  I would.  I love to write.......I think you'll get a kick out of it   

[jct]

Hey Denis...if you need some weathering tips check this guy out on the youtubes....his armor models are truly amazing

 

https://www.youtube.com/c/NightShiftScaleModels

 

[popeye the sailor]

good stuff!.........there are so many that can do amazing work!  

[popeye the sailor]

darn it.......I just remembered......I still have the Jerry cans on the table here?!?!?!  so it's not totally complete   I tried that mud stuff I got.......to me it's totally crap!  all it does is make the tracks look shiny.  I'll just stick to my paints.  anyway......I thought these would be the finish pictures.......I guess not 

the shiny stuff on the bogies is the junk I used.........might as well say I went through a puddle 

but the decals are on and the painting is done.......

 

 

maybe I can think of something to put in the rack......

 

so there will be a few more pictures when I do what I need to do

[Old Collingwood]

Looking really nice  Denis.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC  

[Egilman]

That looks good, excellent in fact, like a newly minted Patton just issued to the troops.. it hasn't had time to fade out yet... if you want to give it a couple of months in country, throw some brown dust on it, that's all you really need... And the tracks? throw a brown and rust wash on them, they were rubber cleated so there wouldn't be a lot of shine to them anyway...

 

Really, really nice job in my opinion... Not all armor has to be mud gooped up to look good... (and this looks very good my friend)

Edited March 18, 2022 by Egilman

[Ras Ambrioso]

Great job Popeye. And, yes, you should add some stuff to the tank deck. At 1/35 scale there are a million accessories you can add. Keep up the good work.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks for the likes folks    yea.......I think the time to do any of the deeper weathering should have been done before the decaling was done.  god knows that I have a bunch of different hues of olive......heck,  even some of the tan colors would have worked well.  true on the rubberized tracks...kinda hard to get them to rust.  a lot of what I put on there has disappeared...you'd never know that I applied anything....so I may leave it at that    I did remember to do the rubberized bogies.........got me a few points anyway     it is what it is.........it's an old kit that has stood the test of time.  I've even seen a few older kits out there.......this one even newer,  since I bought it off the shelf.  it is an interesting kit though.......shows the advances and evolutions that the model tank has made though the years.  the more modern kits sport interiors and oodles of external details......more than the older kit can provide.  thank the good lord for the detail kits......I'm sure there is one for this kit.  the formal finish is soon........

[popeye the sailor]

I was in the process of putting on the Jerry cans,  when I though to do this.   for now,  I will put the finish on this one.  the stain that I used a while ago is yech!.....all the darn stuff did was make the track sticky.  to top it off,  the admiral knocked the antenna off the other day.  as luck would have it,  this turns out to be a very weird plastic...........when she knocked it off,  it came out of the hole undamaged...the pin was still on the end!  she though I'd be angry about it.......but no......I've learned not to be too crazy when something breaks.  I haven't had the time to look up add ons for it.......so until I do........or buy another kit trying ........I will put it away so it doesn't get damaged again.  not only that........it gets the Jerry cans off my table   

thanks all for look'in in.....you've made it a fun log  

[Kevin]

that turned out very nice

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Kevin..........the other day I got to see the box art for the Monogram kit.  same kit,  different box  

[GrandpaPhil]

 Nicely done!