Tamiya 1/35 U.S.M1A1 Abrams main battle tank build

[ThatParkaGuy99]

Hi!

Soon I will be starting the 1/35 scale Tamiya U.S.M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. I am having a bit of trouble trying to determine the best base colour for the tank as the instructions list multiples but from reading I have done online and on the forum many people say that the recommended colours are not accurate, so has anyone built this kit or a similar one and able to suggest the required colour/s?

I will keep this topic as a running progress report I guess you could say, and any feedback on the various parts that I complete would be greatly appreciated (please dont hold back if giving feedback, if its bad, tell me )

Thanks!

[schweinhund227]

Which variant will you be painting the Tank in ? Desert Storm colours or NATO tri-tones camouflage ?

Since I don't know the brands of paint you will be using ?
lets cover all the bases. Try to match

FS33446 which is the federal standard colour FS 33446
a few paint manufacturer like AMMO or AK or Model Master and others make something close if not dead on that colour !
take a look at this set from AMMO "AMIG7159" it covers it all

as for NATO 3 tone camouflage... Tamiya has a great set; I use them all the time !
XF67, XF68 and XF69

also... if you are Hand painting it ? we need to know as Tamiya may not be your best choice for that... unless you use their Retarder.

Best of luck ! have fun !

[ThatParkaGuy99]

Thanks for the tips,
I will most likely be using the tamiya paints as they are readily available near me, and i will be airbrushing the model. Im yet undecided whether to do the NATO 3 tone camo or the desert storm, but i think i will most likely be using the desert storm paint scheme.

Thanks again!

[ThatParkaGuy99]

UPDATE #1

I finally finished my previous kit (Tamiya Mig-29) and have started constructing the Abrams. So far i have not done much, just constructed the wheels and added some detail parts to the lower hull, including the rear panel of the tank.

IMG_0436.jpg

IMG_0435.jpg

Although the wheels have been put together, I'm not going to glue them on yet as I want to prime and paint them first.

Thanks!

[ThatParkaGuy99]

Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of updates to this post, but i haven't had much time to work on the kit because of school etc. so here is a quick update.

I have constructed the upper part of the hull and added all of the detail parts. I have started working on the turret, having stuck the main body of the turret together and made the barrel. All that is left now in the construction steps of the model is to finish adding the more detailed parts to the turret. Hopefully within the next few days I will be able to prime and paint the model!

Here are some images of the current state of the tank:

IMG_0440.jpg

IMG_0439.jpg

IMG_0441.jpg

(Again, sorry about the crappy images...)

Thanks!

[schweinhund227]

For any NATO Future builds you may have... This Page contains most of the US inventory.. not all but most !
while on the page... you can Hit.. CTRL and F and type what you are looking for and if there... it will show you the Nato scheme outline you need for said vehicle... feel free to wander around !

http://automotiveaccessories.tpub.com/TB-43-0209/

take care and good luck !