Hosted by Darren Baker
M60A1 Blazer
Posted: Monday, July 20, 2020 - 11:43 AM UTC
This is the Academy M60A1 Blazer. The kit came with the KMT-4 mine roller but I have some other kits with mine rollers, none with a dozer blade, so I decided to use a blade I had from a kit that included an option of a blade or mine rollers. This is an older Academy kit, but is still a good kit. This kit comes with a decent amount of stowage out of the box. The Israelis are masters at taking the M60 and improving on it. This is a mean looking version and it was a fun build. Please forgive the photos being a bit blurry. The lens is messed up on my camera and it won't focus properly. Hoping to get a new one soon.
Posted: Monday, July 20, 2020 - 01:44 PM UTC
Fine work! I like IDF vehicles very much and it's always good to see another one.
Posted: Monday, July 20, 2020 - 06:27 PM UTC
It's hard to tell if it is indeed fine work, as the model is barely visible in your photos. You should try to experiment with your photography a bit more to achieve clearer and sharper images, as now it is unfortunately just a blurry mess... 
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 12:54 AM UTC
Quoted Text
It's hard to tell if it is indeed fine work, as the model is barely visible in your photos. You should try to experiment with your photography a bit more to achieve clearer and sharper images, as now it is unfortunately just a blurry mess...
Building and posting is a learning experience like everything else. So how how about cutting this modeler a little slack.
Sincerely,
Ian
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 01:08 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextIt's hard to tell if it is indeed fine work, as the model is barely visible in your photos. You should try to experiment with your photography a bit more to achieve clearer and sharper images, as now it is unfortunately just a blurry mess...
Building and posting is a learning experience like everything else. So how how about cutting this modeler a little slack.
Sincerely,
Ian
I agree, better photos from a bit of a distance and then slightly edited would give us better impression.
I am really interested to see the model as I have the very same kit made a couple of years ago as az IDF vehicle fan.
Tamás
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 02:05 AM UTC
From what I can see in the blurry pics, it looks like it is pretty good. The basic build looks OK. The blade is all wrong though. It looks like a blade off either a Stryker or possibly a ABV. The IDF never used that blade on M60s.
RobinNilsson
TOS Moderator
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 02:42 AM UTC
Quoted Text
From what I can see in the blurry pics, it looks like it is pretty good. The basic build looks OK. The blade is all wrong though. It looks like a blade off either a Stryker or possibly a ABV. The IDF never used that blade on M60s.
"from a kit that included an option of a blade or mine rollers"
Stryker ESV, Trumpeter 01574 comes with LWMR (rollers) and SOB (blade, who came up with SOB as abbreviation?)
http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/FirstLook/Trumpeter/Tru_M1132_Stryker/Tru_M1132_Stryker.html
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 03:39 AM UTC
The photos enlarge well enough to show a few things that may need improvement.
First, if you go back and paint the rubber on the inboard road wheels that will vastly improve the look. I also don't recall (italics used because inevitably someone will spend days looking for evidence to the contrary) the bands on the thermal sleeve being painted, nor the bore evacuator for that matter.
And your bedrolls should hang from those rails from some sort of straps. I suggest making them yourself as they always look better than plastic. The bedrolls that is. For straps you might consider thinly cut strips of bandaging tape. They have a very fine woven texture to them. And yes, some clearer photos would be nice, coming from a guy who has posted his share of blurry photos...
First, if you go back and paint the rubber on the inboard road wheels that will vastly improve the look. I also don't recall (italics used because inevitably someone will spend days looking for evidence to the contrary) the bands on the thermal sleeve being painted, nor the bore evacuator for that matter.
And your bedrolls should hang from those rails from some sort of straps. I suggest making them yourself as they always look better than plastic. The bedrolls that is. For straps you might consider thinly cut strips of bandaging tape. They have a very fine woven texture to them. And yes, some clearer photos would be nice, coming from a guy who has posted his share of blurry photos...
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 04:39 AM UTC
Sorry the photos are blurry. All I have is my phone to take pics and it got dropped and the lens damages and it can't focus very well. Until I get a new phone unfortunately, it is the best I can do in terms of crisper images.
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 04:42 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextFrom what I can see in the blurry pics, it looks like it is pretty good. The basic build looks OK. The blade is all wrong though. It looks like a blade off either a Stryker or possibly a ABV. The IDF never used that blade on M60s.
"from a kit that included an option of a blade or mine rollers"
Stryker ESV, Trumpeter 01574 comes with LWMR (rollers) and SOB (blade, who came up with SOB as abbreviation?)
http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/FirstLook/Trumpeter/Tru_M1132_Stryker/Tru_M1132_Stryker.html
Yeah, that's the one. I know the blade is wrong, just wanted to kit bash it and see how it came out. The IDF did have a M60 with a dozer blade, just not that particular dozer blade. Dragon makes a kit with the correct blade.
Johnnych01
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 05:33 AM UTC
Well done Bo, I think you have done a decent job on it and the things some of the guys have mentioned are just normal constructive feed back which we can all learn from when needed to improve our modelling skills.
Like you said, you enjoyed it and thought it was a fun build so win win in my book.
Like you said, you enjoyed it and thought it was a fun build so win win in my book.
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 08:52 AM UTC
Hi Bo,
Having a look again to the pics posted it seems to me that the two side-mounted MGs are different: one FN MAG on the left side and an M1919 cal .30 on the right side of the turret. I am not an expert but it looks incorrect. I think both side MGs would have been replaced with FN MAG on any M60s of the IDF. Never seen a mixed version - again, I am not expert on it, any expert could correct me if I am wrong.
About the pics: you can easily remake the photos from a longer distance where the focus would not matter, and simply crop out the model as main subject of the photo, resulting a kind of “closer look”. I always do it on my models and some photos are really very realistic, like this one (made with my iPhone on a shiny afternoon):
And a last advice: your pics are probably over-edited in a photo editor software. This post-processing surely made the pics worse than they were originally. I rarely post-process my photos to avoid blurs and discolorization.
I am sure you can make much better photos in the future, just try different setups and perspectives...
Tamás
Having a look again to the pics posted it seems to me that the two side-mounted MGs are different: one FN MAG on the left side and an M1919 cal .30 on the right side of the turret. I am not an expert but it looks incorrect. I think both side MGs would have been replaced with FN MAG on any M60s of the IDF. Never seen a mixed version - again, I am not expert on it, any expert could correct me if I am wrong.
About the pics: you can easily remake the photos from a longer distance where the focus would not matter, and simply crop out the model as main subject of the photo, resulting a kind of “closer look”. I always do it on my models and some photos are really very realistic, like this one (made with my iPhone on a shiny afternoon):
And a last advice: your pics are probably over-edited in a photo editor software. This post-processing surely made the pics worse than they were originally. I rarely post-process my photos to avoid blurs and discolorization.
I am sure you can make much better photos in the future, just try different setups and perspectives...
Tamás
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 10:49 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Bo,
Having a look again to the pics posted it seems to me that the two side-mounted MGs are different: one FN MAG on the left side and an M1919 cal .30 on the right side of the turret. I am not an expert but it looks incorrect. I think both side MGs would have been replaced with FN MAG on any M60s of the IDF. Never seen a mixed version - again, I am not expert on it, any expert could correct me if I am wrong.
About the pics: you can easily remake the photos from a longer distance where the focus would not matter, and simply crop out the model as main subject of the photo, resulting a kind of “closer look”. I always do it on my models and some photos are really very realistic, like this one (made with my iPhone on a shiny afternoon):
And a last advice: your pics are probably over-edited in a photo editor software. This post-processing surely made the pics worse than they were originally. I rarely post-process my photos to avoid blurs and discolorization.
I am sure you can make much better photos in the future, just try different setups and perspectives...
Tamás
One of the MGs was snapped in half on the sprue, so that is why the two are mixed.
The photo editing is usually just contrast adjustment. But since my camera isn't focusing properly, it also isn't handling the lighting very well, so I had to do some background editing also, and that always leaves a hazy edge. The lens on my camera got damaged. Normally it takes much clearer images. The last couple of builds I have used it for I have really be unhappy with the image quality of them, it won't focus properly anymore. They are always slightly out of focus now. Unfortunately until I get a new one it is what it is.
Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2020 - 07:43 PM UTC
Some of the photos seem to show that the teeth of the sprockets aren't into the apposite openings on the tracks. I suggest to improve their positioning.
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