Meng Merkava MK-3D with experimental barrel

sykotik · July 13, 2018, 07:07:33 PM

hi guys

I have been plugging away at this for a couple of weeks now and am thoroughly enjoying building some armour for a change.
I love the Merkava's streamlined, quite futuristic profile but the barrel seems a bit ... meh
So I scoured the net for inspiration and found something pretty cool so I went with that but with some mods.
I have kept the kit part that mates to the barrel base but everything else is scratch built (not that it was terribly hard to do mind you)
The design lends itself to being a good base point for some other sci-fi tank stuff I have in mind for another day. I have tried to keep this one within the realms of today's technology

What I am struggling on though is the paint work. I am not going to paint this in that sand colour of olive green as that's just boring. I was thinking either a 3 tone Grey splinter/shard camo or a regular camo pattern in 3 tone grey?
Other colour combo ideas I have are Medium Grey, NATO green and NATO black, or just NATO black all over.
Which one would you recommend?
I know a lot of this choice would be decided on where it's being stationed, which leads me to wonder if this tank type is equally as capable in the forest as it is the Jungle, or even an urban setting? Bear in mind that I also chose all steel wheels (why I don't know but that's what I ended up with)

Anyway, I took a couple of pics of the barrel to show:

That's it as far as pics goes until the end. It still has a lot of work to do, but it's getting there. I am very keen to hear your thoughts on a paint job.
Thanks in advance
Simon

Old Wombat · July 14, 2018, 01:22:54 AM

I'd go for a 3-tone grey-green-brown (of your choice) but, as that's pretty close to what I'll be painting my more modern RAM builds (they'll be 4-tone), you may not want to go with it.

The 3-tone greys would be my second option.

As I forgot to state "over there"; the gun has that futuristic look characteristic of some modern auto-cannon on ICV's & APC's.

Dizzyfugu · July 14, 2018, 02:19:18 AM

Yep, the cannon reminds me of 75mm autocannon experiment of the US Army in an unmanned turret (IIRC, on a Sheridan chassis?). Looks pretty futuristic, but suits the Merkava well.

What I find quite sexy for a potential jungle livery is one of the US Army MERCD schemes, in two green tones (AFAIK FS 34079 and 34127), plus black and cream/off white contrasts:

Another favorite, even though it's originally a uniform scheme, is the German Army pattern, nicknamed "Erbsenpüree" (pea mash):

No less than five colors (three greens, plus black and leather brown), layered. Complex and hard to apply, but I tried to use it on a mecha kit some time ago:

Dorvack +++ 1:24 PAM-48Y "Spatha" (fictional German Bundeswehr use; kit conversion/scratch-built) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

NARSES2 · July 14, 2018, 02:28:06 AM

How about a simple dark scheme, but with a winter whitewash ?

wikxie · July 14, 2018, 04:02:51 AM

How about some sort of blocky urban scheme, a variation on the Berlin Brigade Cheftains? Maybe with greys and tans?

sykotik · July 14, 2018, 08:03:53 AM

The jungle one also caught my eye too. I like the colour combination. I am leaning towards a 3 tone dark grey splinter but do also like the 2 green and 1 grey mix with maybe a dash of black.
What style would suit this best? A splinter pattern? Or the standard wave style?

Old Wombat · July 15, 2018, 12:12:01 AM

I'd recommend a standard wave style or something like the German scheme below but without all the little spots.

(PS: Did I mention that all my modern RAM tanks are Merkavas, I-through-IV?

)

rickshaw · July 15, 2018, 01:02:55 AM

Personally, if your vehicle is going to be used in a terrain where one colour predominates, then just paint it that colour (or a close match) and apply plenty of mud/dust. In the end, they all tend to merge anyway in my experience. Most modellers and many militaries go for over-complicated camouflage patterns. They may look interesting on the Parade Square but once your out in the field, it all tends to merge together under a generous coating of mud/dust. Downunder, the Australian Army just painted it's AFVs for decades just in an Olive Green colour (which was unique to it for some reason, nothing matched it) and then applied wheel grease and mud/dust to the sides when on exercise. Then, in the early 1980s, they rediscovered camouflage and came up with a fetching combination of green-brown-sand-black which was a fairly close match to the Australian bush. In the Jungle, a plain green would work quite well.

Mossie · July 15, 2018, 05:27:07 AM

I do like that gun, very nice mod!

+1 for the berlin style block pattern, simply because it would suit an engagement in the Gaza strip

PR19_Kit · July 15, 2018, 05:40:24 AM

Quote from: Mossie on July 15, 2018, 05:27:07 AM

+1 for the berlin style block pattern, simply because it would suit an engagement in the Gaza strip

Exactly my thoughts too, but I know naff all about tanks really.

The Berlin Brigade camo was MOST effective and I can attest to that myself having nearly driven into the side of a Challenger (I think....) when driving through Spandau one sunny day. I just didn't 'see' the shape of the tank amidst those blocky shapes it was painted in!

Old Wombat · July 15, 2018, 05:45:55 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 15, 2018, 05:40:24 AM
Quote from: Mossie on July 15, 2018, 05:27:07 AM

+1 for the berlin style block pattern, simply because it would suit an engagement in the Gaza strip

Exactly my thoughts too, but I know naff all about tanks really.

The Berlin Brigade camo was MOST effective and I can attest to that myself having nearly driven into the side of a Challenger (I think....) when driving through Spandau one sunny day. I just didn't 'see' the shape of the tank amidst those blocky shapes it was painted in!

Would be interesting explaining to the insurance people how you'd collided with a tank; "I didn't see it, guv! Honest!"

PR19_Kit · July 15, 2018, 06:06:52 AM

Quote from: Old Wombat on July 15, 2018, 05:45:55 AM
Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 15, 2018, 05:40:24 AM
Quote from: Mossie on July 15, 2018, 05:27:07 AM

+1 for the berlin style block pattern, simply because it would suit an engagement in the Gaza strip

Exactly my thoughts too, but I know naff all about tanks really.

The Berlin Brigade camo was MOST effective and I can attest to that myself having nearly driven into the side of a Challenger (I think....) when driving through Spandau one sunny day. I just didn't 'see' the shape of the tank amidst those blocky shapes it was painted in!

Would be interesting explaining to the insurance people how you'd collided with a tank; "I didn't see it, guv! Honest!"

Hehehe, indeed so. Specially when I was driving a RH drive car over there too! The mind BOGGLES at the amount of paperwork that would be involved.

Can you imagine the tank driver's insurance paperwork?

'What car where sir?'

Steel Penguin · July 15, 2018, 07:54:28 AM

" ang on that's the COs !"

nighthunter · July 15, 2018, 10:43:27 AM

Suggestion, if it's Israeli:

Flat Gull Gray/Armor Sand

Old Wombat · July 15, 2018, 11:04:01 AM

Quote from: sykotik on July 13, 2018, 07:07:33 PM
I am not going to paint this in that sand colour of olive green as that's just boring. I was thinking either a 3 tone Grey splinter/shard camo or a regular camo pattern in 3 tone grey?
Other colour combo ideas I have are Medium Grey, NATO green and NATO black, or just NATO black all over.

I think that answers the question.