Tamiya Kampfpanzer Leopard 1/35

Post by **Schoof** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 7:11 pm

Well ....... after finishing my first Diorama i got uhm "pumped" is the best word i can come up with right now.
Sooooo this is gonna be my First GB entrance ( i`m shaking even writing this

)

Yes i am nerves it`s gonna test my skills ( my new airbrush helps A LOT

) so here we go.

First up a bit of info about the subject :

The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a main battle tank designed and produced in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the Leopard focused on firepower in the form of the German-built version of the British L7 105-mm gun, and improved cross-country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era.

The design started as a collaborative project between Germany and France in the 1950s,[1] but the partnership ended and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr, production starting in 1965. In total 6,485 Leopard tanks have been built, of which 4,744 were battle tanks and 1741 were utility and anti-aircraft variants, not including eighty prototypes and pre-series vehicles.

The Leopard quickly became a standard of European forces, and eventually served as the main battle tank in over a dozen countries worldwide. Since 1990, the Leopard 1 has gradually been relegated to secondary roles in most armies. In the German Army, the Leopard 1 MBTs have been phased out in 2003 while Leopard 1 derived vehicles are still widely used. The Leopard 2 MBTs have taken over the MBT role. Leopard hulls have been re-used in a wide variety of roles.

Development history
Leopard 1

The Leopard project started in November 1956 in order to develop a modern tank, the Standard-Panzer, to replace the Bundeswehr's American-built M47 and M48 Patton tanks, which, though just delivered to West Germany's recently reconstituted army, were rapidly growing outdated. On 25 July 1957 the detailed specifications were released; the new design needed to weigh no more than thirty metric tons, have a power-to-weight ratio of thirty horsepower per ton, be able to withstand hits by 20 mm rapid-fire guns on every side as well as operate in a battlefield contaminated with chemical weapons or radioactive fallout, the then-standard baseline for combat with the Warsaw Pact. In addition the main armament had to consist of a 105 mm caliber weapon (the new British L7A3 105 mm gun was selected), carrying at least as many rounds as current US tank designs. Mobility was the priority while firepower came second; armour was seen as less essential, as it was believed no real protection against hollow charge weapons was possible anyway.
Leopard 1 prototype

France was very interested in the design as its own AMX 50 project had just failed. In June 1957, West Germany and the French Fourth Republic signed an agreement to develop a common tank, designated in German Europa-Panzer. Three German (Arbeitsgruppe A, B and C) and one French design team would be included in a competition, with each team producing two prototypes each. In September, 1958 Italy joined the development program. Several prototypes were entered for testing in 1960. Among the prototypes were Porsche's Model 734 from team A, sporting a cast turret and that of team B (Rheinmetall) whose cast turret was somewhat higher. Team C from Borgward, designing a very futuristic tank, failed to have a prototype ready in time (Possible blueprint: http://www.panzerpower.de/bilder/leo1/e ... rgward.jpg).

Even before these first prototypes were finished, it had (in 1959) been decided that a second phase with improved designs would be started: Team A had to build 26 phase II Prototypes for testing, team B six. Only two tanks of the required six would actually be constructed by team B.
Leopard 1 Prototype II

The Porsche Prototype II was eventually selected as the winner of the contest in 1963; this did not come as a surprise: it had already been decided in 1961 to build a preseries of fifty vehicles based on this design; production of these was started that very year. This "0-series" was modified with a new cast turret and several hull changes to raise the rear deck to provide more room in the engine compartment, and move some of the radiators to the upper sides of the hull. Before mass production of the standard version started it was also decided to add an optical range-finding system for better long-range gunnery, which required the turret to be somewhat taller, and added "bumps" on either side of the turret to mount the optics for triangulation. In 1963 France and Germany had decided to each build their own tank; Germany continued with the Leopard, while France built the similar AMX-30.

Production was set up at Krauss-Maffei of Munich from early 1964 onward, with deliveries of the first batch between September, 1965 and July, 1966. The Leopard was soon being purchased from Germany by a number of NATO members and other allies including in chronological order Belgium (1968), the Netherlands (1969), Norway (1970), Italy (1971), Denmark (1976), Australia (1976), Canada (1978), Turkey (1980) and Greece (1981). Germany has a strict export policy for military equipment; Greece, Spain and Chile, while still dictatorships, purchased the French AMX-30.

Leopard 1A1
German Army Leopard 1A1
Norwegian Army Leopard 1A1

After the first batch was delivered the next three batches were the Leopard 1A1 model, which included a new gun stabilization system from Cadillac-Gage, allowing the tank to fire effectively on the move. The 1A1 also added the now-famous "skirts" along the sides to protect the upper tracks, and a new thermal jacket on the gun barrel to control heating. A less important change was to use rectangular rubber blocks fastened to the treads with a single pin instead of the earlier two-pin "shaped" versions. The rubber blocks could be easily replaced with metal X-shaped crampons for movement on ice and snow in the winter.

Between 1974 and 1977 all of the machines in the first four batches were brought to the same Leopard 1A1A1 standard, and given additional turret armor developed by Blohm & Voss. A further upgrade in the 1980s added leftover image-intensifier night sights which were being handed down from the Leopard 2 as they were themselves upgraded. The PZB 200 image intensification system was mounted in a large box on the upper right of the gun, creating the Leopard 1A1A2. A further upgrade with SEM80/90 all-digital radios created the Leopard 1A1A3.
Leopard 1A2
Leopard 1A2 crossing a river at night.

The first 232 tanks of the fifth production batch was delivered as the Leopard 1A2 between 1972 and 1974. The A2 included a heavier and better armored turret, and therefore did not receive the B&V armor add-ons as did the earlier machines. They did receive the other upgrades however; the Leopard 1A2A1 received the PZB 200, the Leopard 1A2A2 received digital radios, and the Leopard 1A2A3 got both.
Leopard 1A3

The next 110 vehicles in the fifth batch were fitted with a new welded turret, which was equipped with a new armour consisting of two spaced steel plates with a plastic filling between them, and a wedge-shaped gun mantlet, creating the Leopard 1A3. Although the level of armor area density was equivalent to the A2's new welded version, the internal volume was increased by 1.2 m³ and the effective protection level was increased by half. The improved TRP 2A independent sight was installed for the commander. Upgrades were identical to the 1A2 models, the Leopard 1A3A1 with the night sights, Leopard 1A3A2 with the new radios, and the Leopard 1A3A3 with both.
Leopard 1A4

The Leopard 1A4 formed the sixth batch of 250 vehicles, delivery starting in 1974. The 1A4 was externally similar to the 1A3, but included a new computerized fire control system and the new EMES 12A1 sighting system to aim it. In addition the commander was provided with his own independent night sighting system, the PERI R12. The new equipment used up space and the ammunition load was reduced to 55 rounds, of which 42 were stored in the magazine to the left of the driver.
Leopard 1A5

In 1980 a research program was undertaken to study further improvements to the Leopard 1, providing it with a completely modern fire control system and fully effective night/bad-weather vision system. This was going to require even more room than the larger turret from the 1A3/1A4 models, so the decision was made to base the upgrades on the earlier models which were no longer competitive.

The resulting Leopard 1A5 was based on 1225 vehicles of the Leopard 1A1A1 model. The turrets were again modified for the 1A5, with a larger section at the back, both in order to store all of the new equipment, as well as to move more of the ammunition into the rear turret, as opposed to the left side of the driver where it had traditionally been stored. The new turret was also able to mount the newer 120 mm gun from the Leopard 2 if desired, although this option has not been used.

After trials the Krupp-Atlas Elektronik EMES 18 fire control system was selected in December 1983, developed from the EMES 15 used on the Leopard 2. The EMES 18 included two new sights on to the top of the turret, and no longer required the "bumps" as did the earlier optical systems. A crucial part of the upgrade was the introduction of more effective ammunition, including new APFSDS rounds.

The Leopard tank could also be fitted with bolt-on lexan armour panels, which have increased the effectiveness of the armour. These "modified" tanks have proved themselves in the field.

The first modified vehicle was delivered in early 1987. Since then almost all users of the Leopard 1 have also applied similar changes to their own vehicles, and in most ways the 1A5 can be considered the "standard" Leopard 1 today.
Leopard 1A6

A single 1A1A1 was also modified with additional armor on the turret and had the 120 mm gun as the Leopard 1A6. The project was ended in 1987, as the Leopard 2 was in widespread service at this point and the 1A5 offered a reasonable upgrade path for a fraction of the cost.

Operators
Brazilian Army Leopard 1A5 tank.

Countries that are current or former Leopard 1 operators:

Australia — 71; 90 Leopard 1A3s were originally delivered as Leopard AS1, later upgraded, and since replaced by 59 M1A1 Abrams from the US
Belgium — 132 Leopard 1A5s(BE); 334 originally; all were originally going to been replaced by 40 Mowag Piranha III with a 90 mm canon (which are going to be resold). 40 Leopards are to remain in service.
Brazil — 128 Leopard 1A1s and 250 Leopard 1A5s
Canada — 114 Leopard C2s (updated Leopard 1A5), reduced to 66 in the early 2000s. The Leopard C2 are likely to remain in active service until 2015.[2] The 66 Leopard C2 are gradually replaced with the Leopard 2's purchased from the Netherlands and Germany.
Chile — 202 Leopard 1Vs, reduced to 150; 120 remaining in service.
Denmark — 230 Leopard1A5DK Replaced with Leopard 2. Only 16 ARVs(Wisent) and 10 Bridgelayers remain in service
Ecuador — 60 Leopard, 30 1A5 and 30 1V, all acquired from Chile[3]
Germany — 2,437 originally. They were replaced by the Leopard 2. Remaining Leopard 1 tanks in long-term storage for resale.
Greece — 520 Leopard 1A5GR in service,104 Leopard 1A3/A4GR and 70 Leopard 1V/INL are converted to support vehicles,parts and the rest will be scrapped.
Italy — 720 (600 A2s, 120 A5s) retired by the end of 2008 (replaced by Ariete main battle tank), the AEVs, ARVs and ABLVs remain in service. 120 Leopard 1 A5 kept in reserve.
Lebanon — 43 ex-Belgian Leopard 1A5(BE)s to be delivered.
Netherlands — 468 originally; replaced by Leopard 2. Only ARVs, BARVs and Bridgelayers remain in service.
Norway — 172 originally; Replaced by Leopard 2. The final remaining Leopard 1A5 were decommissioned in 2011 after a ceremony marking 42 years of service,[4] ARVs and Bridgelayers remain in service.
Turkey — 337[5]
United Kingdom — 4 Leopard 1A5 hulls have been adapted through extensive modification to create the Hippo BARV (armoured amphibious recovery vehicles)

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 9:45 pm

A bit info?!

Holy smokes! You are putting Wikipedia out of business!

Going to be a awesome build mate, can't wait to see you tackle this puppy...

Good luck, and happy building!

Post by **Lee** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:09 pm

Nice choice schoof - Looking forward ot it

Post by **wappynutter** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:42 pm

Good Luck Sebastian...

I for one will be watching patiently...

Post by **Schoof** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:15 pm

I already did a kit review on this

You can find it here
http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.php?f=98&t=2446

Post by **Schoof** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 9:52 pm

Ok so i started the build ...and ...... I tried to film it !

I will post the link here when it is up.

[youtube]aLtz5am-p-0[/youtube]

But i also run into a small kit problem...:

now i have to find a way to fix that.....

Not a hopefull start !!

Post by **wappynutter** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:29 pm

Shame mate... darn shame..
Couple of choices Sebastian....
1) contact Tamiya via email sending picture of badly moulded piece and see if they play nice with a replacement.
2) find some tube/same diameter pen and glue in place and milliput some detail and try and disguise with weathering and mud effects the bad wheel.
3) recast/mould off of one of the good wheels if you are confident enough at that type of thing.
I'd try option 1 first but if no joy option 2...

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:37 pm

Great video

Man that wheel sucks! Must be a miss mold. Not a normal thing with Tamiya kits.
I;m with wappy! Contact Tamiya with a clear pic of the miss mold.
or you can look for aftermarket wheels. Shame that I don't have a spare wheel in my scrap box for you...
Good luck buddy!

Post by **gosselin2112** » Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:38 pm

Ditto on the above. That is a disappointment

Nothing like a little scratch building. Let us know if you need any assistance.

Russ.

Post by **Schoof** » Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:17 pm

Email is send ...... now i wait and see

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:26 am

*UPDATE*

Well i thouth i go on insted of waiting for an anwser from Tamiya about that wheel , soooo The Turret and the gun.......

well that needed a lot of cement and pressure it was worped :

and this is also the first time i am gonna need Putty .....:

The Turret is comming together very nice ... no complaints there:

Put the barrel and the "Commander" in its place ......

and now connected with the lower Hull:

Post by **gosselin2112** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 4:59 am

You are taking me to memory lane with this build. I built this when I was a kid (1987 I think). You can also slap a bead of slow setting glue over those seams on your barrel. Just a thought, as that is mainly how I go about it with stock barrels. Looking great! Good luck!

Russ

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 9:20 am

Great progress Shoof

It's a big tank!

Post by **Schoof** » Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:05 pm

*UPDATE*

(just trying new things here

)

[youtube]j01VHUpAQkM[/youtube]

Post by **ForbesHutton** » Thu Oct 24, 2013 3:43 pm

I finished one of those older Leopards a couple of months ago. Mine was probably from the 80s. No problems other than the decals, they crumbled I guess due to their age.

Post by **UKscalemodeller** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:16 am

looking nice so far, I have never tried a Tamiya kit.

Post by **Coen** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 2:30 pm

Hey Sebastian,
I did a video last night for your short shot wheel and airbrushing.
I hope is helps a bit and saves ya a bit of a PITA.

[youtube]BdQOeIOUoUo[/youtube]

Post by **Schoof** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:56 pm

Coen wrote:Hey Sebastian,
I did a video last night for your short shot wheel and airbrushing.
I hope is helps a bit and saves ya a bit of a PITA.

[youtube]BdQOeIOUoUo[/youtube]

You Sir are 1 out of 100000000000 ( just a million isnt enough)

Post by **Coen** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 7:50 pm

So... that's good?
You're a happy Schoof?

Post by **Schoof** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:51 pm

Coen wrote:So... that's good?
You're a happy Schoof?

YES that``s good ...... i am very happy ( so will be my local hobby shop )

now i know how i can fix that damned wheel

Post by **Coen** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:07 pm

Yeah!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/longlance67 · Post by **longlance67** » Fri Oct 25, 2013 10:00 pm

very nice build cant wait to see what you do with it

keep up the great work

Shane

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:30 pm

went to the HS...... scratch building time.....

Post by **Coen** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:45 pm

But Sebastian ... Did you get enough? Haha

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:53 pm

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:55 pm

Coen wrote:But Sebastian ... Did you get enough? Haha

dont know ....... but there a bit more expencive here .....

1 pack of 10 is €4,25 that`s about 5.85 cnd

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:50 pm

Just applied the first coat with my new airbrush....... i`m happy with it

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:52 pm

And the coat is dry........... it came out very nice if i may say so myself

Post by **Coen** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 7:51 pm

Looks goo there Sebastian buddy.
How did that wheel repair go?
It looks like it worked.

Post by **Paul** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:03 pm

Nice work Schoof

http://m.youtube.com/user/MrBobsBuilds · Post by **Rob** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:24 pm

Very nice Schoof - paint here we come!

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:28 pm

Coen wrote:Looks goo there Sebastian buddy.
How did that wheel repair go?
It looks like it worked.

went perfect your way was so easy to do typing an email would have took me almost more time !!!!!

Post by **Radzy** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:37 pm

Nice progress, Sebastian.

What primer did you use?

And good luck with the wheel.

Post by **Schoof** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:38 pm

Radzy wrote:Nice progress, Sebastian.

What primer did you use?

And good luck with the wheel.

not a real primer but it works very well as a primer i found out .....

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 11:25 pm

Lovely model so far, you did a great job! its amazing how nice those old tamiya kits still are measured by modern standards.

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:11 am

Heinrich got his coat off paint slabbed on to him today ..

Post by **Coen** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 11:21 am

Whoa!! Extreme close up haha!!
I'm glad that the fix worked for you Sabastian.
Well done buddy

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:05 pm

Looking good Sebastiaan!

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 1:44 pm

Heinrich got a beating with a drybrush .... now his uniform looks worn......

Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:25 pm

Looking good schoof

Post by **Radzy** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 3:45 pm

Nice work on Heinrich, Sebastian

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:15 pm

The first coat of paint is applied.......

i`m pretty happy with the result

I used this paint for it

oh and Coen ........

Post by **Paul** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:42 pm

Nice work schoof

How are you finding the ak paints?

Post by **JayCub** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:59 pm

Nice to see your work progressing, and looking how well the air brush has worked out for you, also good to know if you get stuck that you can work your way out of it fantastically well

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:42 pm

Paul wrote:Nice work schoof

How are you finding the ak paints?

They spray very easy and cover the surface very nicely but they seems a bit thin out of the bottle

i applied only a thin coat to the lower hull at +- 40 psi and it went on easy thin and it covered everything very nice
but i did the turret the first time at 15-20 psi and i think that that is to lowand i had a pretty thick coat witch got me worried because it seemed very wet but after 20 minutes i could only tell the difference becausr the turret is a bit shinny and that is the only thing all the detail still remains

soo..... i like the paint

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:48 pm

Nice on Schoof!

It's coming along nicely!
I think you are a very happy man with your airbrush now!

Keep it up buddy!

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:49 pm

fly1ngdutchm4n wrote:Nice on Schoof!
I think you are a very happy man with your airbrush now!

Keep it up buddy!

Oh H*ll yeah !!!

The best thing i bought all year

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:53 pm

Now i have to let it dry for a couple of days (something to do with work

)

Then i will do the detail painting and the gloss coat after that the next big ( in my eyes ) hurdle will appear

I want to try my hand at the ( uhm danm cant remember the name but i think it was.. ) dot-filter so i`m gonna watch Coen`s Panther build AGAIN

to see how he did that .....

Post by **Coen** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:09 pm

You can either watch the Panther vids or the BF 109 vids Sebastian. I did dot filters in both of them.

That fix looks pretty good buddy. A bit of mud on that and no one will ever know Haha.
Well done.
Heinrich is lookin pretty good too.

Post by **Schoof** » Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:03 pm

Coen wrote:You can either watch the Panther vids or the BF 109 vids Sebastian. I did dot filters in both of them.

It will be the Panther

i`m an armor kind of guy so that and i really like your Panther i think i went trough them twice already there is much te learn for me in there