Ron Bell Posted July 18, 2011 Report Posted July 18, 2011 Here's the next installment on my Monogram Goes to War collection. This is an earlier release of their M-48A2. It was re-released several time, including one at the end that was named "Flower Power". Their earlier kits were in 1/35, whereas the later ones were in 1/32. This kit was as good as it got in the early 70's. I always wanted to find a 1/35 scale Elvis that I could paint in fatigues and pose with it as it was the type of tank he drove in life and the movies. The figures are better than usual in this one, but still have a long way to go. Anyway, here 'tis.
Weedeater Posted July 18, 2011 Report Posted July 18, 2011 - Yep, I built "Flower Power" when I was about 12 or 13 in 1974/75. Poor thing ended life with a fire-cracker wedged under the fender a few months later. Just like you Ron, I have re-collected the classic Monogram armor and have started to re-build them the proverbial "right way" as an adult now. I'm lookin to have a dedicated shelf for them all (thank you Evilbay). - Ron, it looks like you used some of that "pre-shading" or "post-shading" on this M-48 that you were writing/asking about on the aircraft side with the Meteor thread. Or is it the lighting from the camera flash? Either way, thanks for the walk down memory lane with these pics. Model on, Brother of the Sprue.
Mark Aldrich Posted July 18, 2011 Report Posted July 18, 2011 This was one the first Armor kits I got as a wee lad! Still biulds into a nice kit!
Ron Bell Posted July 18, 2011 Author Report Posted July 18, 2011 No fancy techniques, just a black wash, then dry brushed and finished with pastels on the lower parts. The highlights on the turret in the photo must be from the flash.
RGronovius Posted July 18, 2011 Report Posted July 18, 2011 It looks good, I'd just fix your tail light painting. A fairly easy fix, only the upper left lens is red. It works just like the brakelight on a car, except it is only active when the service drive (regular headlights) are turned on. It's a two step bulb like a car brake light, dim red when service drive is on, bright red when brake is applied. If the service drive is on, it is the only tail light that is active. This is a close up of an M109A5's left tail light, but it is the same. The lower lens is the blackout marker, just a clear picec of plastic over a black background. The right upper tail light lens is the blackout drive brakelight. It is a white light and is only active if the blackout drive is turned on and the brake is pressed. The lower lens is the blackout marker and is just like the left lens. The blackout markers are just a plain bulb behind a black strip with four tick marks. The tick marks are paired on each side of the rectangle. If the driver behind the vehicle can see all 4 ticks clearly, he is following too close. If the 4 ticks become one big light in his night vision scope, he is too far away. When the two ticks on each side become one small light (he can see just two lights on each lens), he's at the proper following distance.
philp Posted July 19, 2011 Report Posted July 19, 2011 Think I built every one of their US armor kits except this one and only a couple of their German armor kits. Liked them for the Shep Paine dio sheets.
Ron Bell Posted July 19, 2011 Author Report Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) Robin,Thanks for the info, but if you can see the tail lights on the kit, there's no way to paint them in this way. They are simple discs with a raised divider in the middle. That makes two equal half circles. I suppose I could paint the bottom black, but then again, the kit instructions, the end-all arbitor , say to do it this way. Edited March 5, 2013 by Ron Bell
VonL Posted July 19, 2011 Report Posted July 19, 2011 Great nostalgia piece! Sadly, mine long ago fell victim to some brat with a pack of matches in the back yard.
RGronovius Posted July 20, 2011 Report Posted July 20, 2011 It was the first tank kit I ever owned, but my dad built it for me. My first tank kit I ever built was an Aurora MBT-70 that I still own today. I rebuilt it with a parts kit I found on eBay in 1996-97 for $5. I bought another when Monogram reissued it in the late 90s in that vintage long blue box.
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