Israeli M247 DIVAD

[NARSES2]

As my old gran used to say "these things are sent to try us", You've more patience, skill and dexterity then me sir 

[Jakko]

Progress on the track is very slow because I just don't feel like it, though ... But the only alternative is to buy yet another set, so I'll stick with these. I first purchased the Legend set, but it's link-and-length, which I don't like, and it's in resin, so even harder to use that plastic link-and-length, and every length is curved sideways ... After some research I decided to buy the Meng Magach kit for its tracks, rather than, say, a set of Friul tracks and a drive sprocket from another manufacturer, but by now I'm kind of wishing I had taken that route instead.

[zenrat]

The joining method on your Meng tracks is similar to the RFM tracks I just put on my Hydra P iv.  Except those have the comb/pin set up on both sides and being winterketten tracks there was, on the outside, even less room than you have to get at the pins.
I found that a nice sharp new #11 scalpel blade was thin and pointy enough to reach in and cut the pins from the comb. 

[Jakko]

I'll mentally note those as a set I won't be buying, then

I can report, though, that putting a drop of gel-type superglue onto the ends of the pins works very well, after making sure the pins are pushed all the way in. The glue doesn't creep between the links but will retain the pin.

[Jakko]

We're approaching the painting stage:

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On the bow are towing cables like on the later Magach 6 en 7:

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These are by EurekaXXL, but I'm not all that enamoured by them. The quality is good, but the instructions are notable mostly by the total lack of them. Only by browsing around their web site did I find some pictures of assembled cables, which finally made me understand how they're supposed to go together. And even then, the set doesn't fit what you see there: they appear to sell two sets for the Merkava 1 and 2 (that is: two different sets meant for both of those tanks) and one set for the Magach 6 — but going by what's in the set I have, you get the same things in all three. You can build three or four cables from what's supplied: two thick cables with small eyes on the ends, and two slightly thinner ones with a larger eye, that you can then also connect to make one double cable of twice the length, just like on Centurion tanks.

I drilled out the eyes with plates in them and didn't fix the two cables together, so that I had two to put onto the bow. Also, I used cable from Trumpeter, because it's softer than the one supplied by EurekaXXL, making it easier to bend into the necessary curves.

The brackets on the mudguards are nothing more than a piece of 1 mm plastic rod, glued into a hole I drilled into the mudguard, with a 4 mm disc on top and then a smaller disc of 1.2 mm diameter.

The little number plate next to the hatch comes from the Meng Magach, which gives you three different ones (times two each, there's another one on the lower rear hull).

The right-hand air cleaner has a shovel, again like the Magach:

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I think the shovel is from Tamiya British infantry, the brackets for it are scratchbuilt based on those of Meng's Magach once more.

On the left rear are two spare track links and a stretcher:

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Those links are Meng too, just like the ones on the side of the turret, but I drilled them out because oddly, these aren't moulded hollow, unlike the links for the actual tracks. The stretcher is from AFV Club. On the Magach this is carried on the left front mudguard, but that is difficult on an M48 hull because of all the supports on top of it. On the rear here is a good spot for it, if you ask me.

[NARSES2]

Terrific work    Looking to see this painted.

[Jakko]

Almost there I need to fill some gaps that I keep forgetting to, around the edges of the engine deck, and maybe add a few more bits, but then it's ready for paint.

[Dizzyfugu]

Very nice, love the small mods. 

[Jakko]

That comes back to the research we talked about earlier, I think I aim to build models like this as they might realistically have been, had they actually existed. I can't just stick bits of different models together because they look cool that way — there has to be a believable reason for it to be like that, one you can justify in the real world. Which is why I'm basically copying a lot of Magach 6/7 stuff here, because I think the Israelis would base their modifications to the M247 hull closely on what they were doing with the M60 around the same time. Except the ERA, which I considered but discarded because a vehicle like this should probably not be exposed to the kind of enemy fire that requires ERA to ward it off in the first place

[buzzbomb]

Top marks all around.. terrific build

[Jakko]

Thanks

[Jakko]

Everything for this model together:

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Well, minus the radar covers, as I forgot to put them in the picture ...

The tracks are finally fully assembled, which was the last bit that needed to be done, and I hope Meng's recommended 101 links are correct. If not, then at least Meng is not one of those manufacturers that give you only just enough links. This is what I had left after building two full tracks and losing some pins early on before I worked out how to best put the links together:

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On the tank, the guns are still loose, as is the Stinger launcher. I'll only remove the wheels from the sprues once they've been painted. The commander is from MiniArt, though he still needs a lead for his headphones, and the jerrycans are from Academy.

[Wardukw]

Ready for the fun to really begin 😊..nice 

[Jakko]

At least the scheme is easy enough: IDF brown all-over

[Scooterman]

Dude I do enjoy your attention to details ...reminds me of me before I got lazy 

no lie