Looks like this one is just about ready to be wrapped up in a blanket. There is something about paint that gives a model a whole new look- besides the color I think it is the texture. Tamiya paints add such a nice texture to my models, which is why I use them. There isn't a lot of information regarding this kit out there (other than on Armorama.com) so I thought I would talk about it.
Like all the armor kits I've been buying lately the Merkava is a re-issue of a later 1980's kit. You can appreciate the detail that went into this kit at the time it was made- injection markers, flash and other obscenities are absent on the side the detail is presented. Since my selection was limited to Korean War and WWII subjects, I was not ready for the size of the Merkava- this was a big tank! I had no idea that modern tanks were this much bigger than their WWII ancestors.
The geometry of the Merkava, especially around the turret is unconventional and interesting. Construction of this tank wasn't bad, but if this kit were made within the past 5 years I would say that they were cutting corners so to speak. This tank falls into the category of the "old" building method I have- two edges are glued together with minimal supports, thus it is hard to glue them at (the typical) 90 degrees. Namely, the skirts were somewhat challenging to install- I don't want to call the installation difficult. Plastic weld helped in this respect- it literally fused the parts together. The Engineers thought ahead with this kit for its time- two polycaps in the front allowed you to snap the lower hull to the upper hull necessary. I thank them for this because I would have had to seal the hull, and then attaching the tracks would have been a real pain because I installed the skirts already, and they wern't moving.
I was suprised the paint came out so well for an older kit- the spraying temperature was around 60 degrees farenheight, a little lower than I wanted. Now all I need to do is add some gunmetal, black to the front rubber panels (you know the things behind tractor trailer wheels? I am talking about those). For $26.00 MSRP this is still a pretty good buy- I was able to produce a good kit out of it. Merkava enthusiasts will nark on me for this that I did not include the cage behind the turret or the cables. This is because I messed up the cage and the ropes broke- I am not a big stickler for detail and I'm happy with the Mark II that I have.
Merkava comes from the Hebrew word "Merkabah", referring to the Chariot of God from the Book of Ezekiel.
Like all the armor kits I've been buying lately the Merkava is a re-issue of a later 1980's kit. You can appreciate the detail that went into this kit at the time it was made- injection markers, flash and other obscenities are absent on the side the detail is presented. Since my selection was limited to Korean War and WWII subjects, I was not ready for the size of the Merkava- this was a big tank! I had no idea that modern tanks were this much bigger than their WWII ancestors.
The geometry of the Merkava, especially around the turret is unconventional and interesting. Construction of this tank wasn't bad, but if this kit were made within the past 5 years I would say that they were cutting corners so to speak. This tank falls into the category of the "old" building method I have- two edges are glued together with minimal supports, thus it is hard to glue them at (the typical) 90 degrees. Namely, the skirts were somewhat challenging to install- I don't want to call the installation difficult. Plastic weld helped in this respect- it literally fused the parts together. The Engineers thought ahead with this kit for its time- two polycaps in the front allowed you to snap the lower hull to the upper hull necessary. I thank them for this because I would have had to seal the hull, and then attaching the tracks would have been a real pain because I installed the skirts already, and they wern't moving.
I was suprised the paint came out so well for an older kit- the spraying temperature was around 60 degrees farenheight, a little lower than I wanted. Now all I need to do is add some gunmetal, black to the front rubber panels (you know the things behind tractor trailer wheels? I am talking about those). For $26.00 MSRP this is still a pretty good buy- I was able to produce a good kit out of it. Merkava enthusiasts will nark on me for this that I did not include the cage behind the turret or the cables. This is because I messed up the cage and the ropes broke- I am not a big stickler for detail and I'm happy with the Mark II that I have.
Merkava comes from the Hebrew word "Merkabah", referring to the Chariot of God from the Book of Ezekiel.
