The Other Hellcat

Historical Background

In the aftermath of the Battle Of France, the US Army perceived that in the face of the German Blitzkrieg tactics, its units are expected to be faced by large numbers of German tanks attacking on a relatively narrow front. The enemy was expected to break through the thin anti-tank gun screen. Therefore it was decided that the main anti-tank units, the Tank Destroyer battalions, should be concentrated and made mobile. This was later turned into the so-called tank destroyer doctrine and was championed by Lt. General Lesley McNair, Commanding General, Army Ground Forces. Under this doctrine, the tank destroyer battalions were to be held as reserve at the corps or army level and to be moved quickly to the site of enemy armoured breakthrough, using aggressive tactics to destroy enemy tanks. This led to a requirement for a fast, heavily-armed vehicle. Although equipped with a turret, the tank destroyer was more heavily gunned, but, in order to be more maneuverable, more lightly armoured than a regular tank, This doctrine was considered to cause the delay in introducing the M26 Pershing heavy tank and limited the Sherman's armament to just 3"/76 mm.

The M10 was the first standardised product of this theory but to all intents and purposes it was just an interim vehicle. Back in December 1941, the Ordnance Corps issued a requirement for a fast tank destroyer using the torsion bar suspension, Wright/Continental R-975 engine and 37 mm gun. The requirement for the armament however kept changing, which finally settled on 3"/76 mm as T70 Gun Motor Carriage, standardised in February 1943 as the M18 Hellcat Gun Motor Carriage. The Hellcat was designed by Harley Earl of Buick Motor Company Division of General Motors.  Buick engineers developed an innovative torsion bar suspension that provide a steady ride, even at the road speed of 60 mph (which made the M18 the fastest AFV of World War 2). The Hellcat was subjected to the same tests that were applied to passenger cars at General Motors' Milford Proving Ground. Speed testing was done on paved, banked oval circuit while ride quality was tested on specially developed bumpy stretches. It was also subjected to further tests such as ability to ford six feet of water, climb low walls and ram through structures.

The M18, like other US tank destroyers of the time has an open-top turret which left the crew exposed to the elements, grenades and shrapnel from mortar and artillery. It wasn't really a concern as the maxim 'speed is armor' was applied to the tank destroyer force. In reality however, the high-speed of the Hellcat was rarely applied but when it did, it was used to good effect, allowing flanking moves to be made against the more heavily armoured Panthers and Tigers. The M18 was also designed with simplicity in maintenance in mind, with the engine mounted on rollers which permitted quick removal and maintenance. The transmission could also be easily removed and rolled out onto a front deck plate to facilitate quick inspection and repairs. The M18 was protected by rolled and cast homogenous armour plates,with thickness ranging from 6 mm (floor) to 25 mm (turret front). The main armament was a M1A1 or M1A1C 76 mm gun with 45 rounds (9 ready rounds in the turret). The secondary armament was an M2 12.7 mm machine gun in a ring mount and was provided with 800 rounds.

The M18 first saw combat at Anzio, Italy when T70 prototype was sent there for combat evaluation. Thereafter, the M18 was used on the slog up the Italian Peninsula and later, through the North-West of Europe. The Hellcats were never employed in their intended role per se as the Germans almost never employed their panzers in mass attacks. The TD battalions ended up being distributed among infantry divisions where they provided direct fire support against enemy fortifications or indirect fire against enemy movements. The Hellcat did fought as a pure tank destroyer on many occasions but most notably on 19 September 1944 near Arracourt, France. The 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion was attached to the 4th Armored Division when a platoon from 'C' Company detected a German ambush. The platoon managed to destroy 15 panzers, mostly the feared Panthers for the loss of three M18s. On 19-20 December 1944, during the Battle of The Bulge, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, together with 1st Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, checked the advance of the 2nd Panzer Division, destroying at least 30 panzers. This is one of the cases where the Hellcat's high speed allowed it to be deployed in a blocking position within a short time. The Hellcat was also used by the Chinese Nationalist Army against the Japanese, but mostly in support of the infantry as Japanese armour in China was comparatively rare.

Post-war, the M18 were sold to other countries. The Republic of China operated some and when the vehicles had worn out, transferred the turret to M42 Duster chassis, turning them into Type 64 light tank. Another user was the former Yugoslavia, using them during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. The final user was Venezuela, which still have 75 in reserve. The M18 was produced until October 1944 with 2,507 built. The numbers include the turretless M39 Armored Utility Vehicle.

The Kit

Academy came up with their kit of the Hellcat in 1997. The kit was moulded in dark green plastic and contained 378 parts; the tracks are of single-length vinyl or alternatively, plastic link-and-length type. A length of twine, a small decal sheet and the assembly instructions rounded up the package. Options are provided for guns with or without muzzle brake and also with or without mantlet cover. Despite the year of release, the kit featured slots and holes in the lower hull for motorisation (and that was also perhaps the reason 'static model' was printed on the box top). Being an open-topped vehicle, there were interior details which was adequate in the 1990s. The tracks, both vinyl and plastic. are too thin and are best replaced with aftermarket goodies. Furthermore, I believe there were erroneous parts, especially a round shaped plastic, which I guess is the turret basket floor and the hull floor molded as one. Decals provide markings for two vehicles: 'I Don't Want A', France, September 1944 and 'Dorothy', Germany, December 1944. There are no details about the units those vehicles were assigned to.

Construction

The Academy Hellcat went slightly out of the norm by having you build up the interior first. Having said that, the interior is very basic. There was a partial interior for the drivers compartment with just the driver and assistant driver's seats and a rather nice of representation of the transmission. Bumps (instead of tubes or at least a bit more detailed representations) were moulded on the sponson to represent ammunition stored on that location. The motorisation hole, although out of view, has a blanking plate and it's up to the modeller whether to add the plate or not (I did). The back plate was the cemented to the hull and was then followed by the suspension arms. Several parts, mostly for the two boxes at the rear end of the crew compartment, constitute the interior of the hull. While the suspensions arms were all fitted, the wheels were left off at this time.

The upper hull assembly was rather simple. A few details were cemented underneath the forward area and drivers' hatches were cemented in the closed position (they can be posed in the open position too). The fit between the upper hull and the back plate was not good however - the upper hull should sit flush with the top of the back plate but the slot on the back plate caused the upper hull to sit lower, making the top of the back plate standing proud. I managed to pry off the back plate and after some experimenting, decided to remove the slot and reposition the back plate so that the top stays flush with the upper hull. This however means that the sides near the top are no longer aligned while there were large gaps at the bottom and lower sides, requiring filling for the top and supergluing the bottom and also filling the gaps on the lower sides. While the headlights were fitted, the brush guards were left off at this time as a precautionary measure against rough handling (it's quite ironic, I know). The tools were also left off to ease painting. And speaking of the tools, the kit showed another of its eccentricities : having the tools' locations in faint, raised lines.The skirtings were also left off to facilitate the fitting of the tracks (and further fit problems because of the hull modifications stated above, more on this later..).

If one follows the instructions (like I did), turret assembly started with the assembly of the gun breech. Being the most visible part of the interior, Academy has them pretty detailed (I have seen worse for open-topped vehicle, like the old Italeri M36B1). The breech was the set aside and the turret base was next. While things like turret rotating mechanisms, commander's seat and other stuff were cemented to the base, the gunner's and loader's seats were assembled but also set aside at this time. The turret shell was then cemented together, trapping the trunnion between them. Two types of radios were provided for the turret bustle but no indication which belongs to which markings. The turret ammo rack was then assembled - they include ammunition for a full rack but I somehow think that they are rather anorexic for 76 mm rounds. To ease painting, the breech assembly was pre-painted before being put into place. Academy provided two types of mantlet - one covered and one without cover. I chose the covered mantlet with the appropriate parts for the barrel. Academy also provided plain (M1 gun) and braked muzzle (M1A1C) but again, there was no specific instructions about them. The M2 machine gun was left off at this time.

Painting and Decalling

Generally for WW2 US tanks, you can paint them any colour as long as it was Olive Drab. I used Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab for this build. The tyres were painted Gunze H77 Tyre Black. The pioneer tools were originally painted the usual colours - steel for the metal parts and Buff/Red Brown for the handles. Although the pioneer tools for US vehicles were actually painted olive drab, but visual interest's sake, I painted the 'wood' parts XF-64 Red Brown and the 'metal' parts in steel. For markings, as I have already used the muzzle-braked gun, I chose the second option, 'Dorothy' as it would be more plausible (according to the rough timeline stated in the instructions). The decals were typically Academy in-house but apply beautifully, perhaps due to the gloss finish. The tracks, including the spare track was painted XF-64 Red Brown and washed with AK Interactive Track Wash. Oh by the way, I chose the belt-style tracks.

Finishing

The painted tracks was looped and being the of old Tamiya style, needed a heated flat screw driver to secure it. The rather ugly connecting area were placed so that it would be hidden by the fenders (despite virtually every photo showing the fenders being removed in the field). And talk about the skirts, the rear pair was affected by the change in the back plate's position. The port side wasn't bad as it only require a little putty to fix the resulting gap. The starboard side was worse as the fender is now further forward than it should be. The brush guards were next and as the cross-beams were divided into two, resulting in misalignment during test-fitting (similar to the light guards in Hobby Boss's ZTZ 96 kit). So I cut the cross beams off, replaced them with styrene rods and touched up the paint. Although the kit provided a sprue from Academy's Allied and German Tank Supplies Set kit, they were not used and I decided to use packs from the Tamiya Allied Vehicles Accessory kits and my spares stash instead. Vallejo Thick Mud was slathered to the lower hull, wheels and tracks.

Conclusion

Apparently the Academy M18 is a hit-and-miss affair and the worse of the two 1/35 M18s in the market. Some reviewers mentioned the gross inaccuracy of the base kit, being dimensioned to fit motorisation (others beg to differ, saying the Academy kit's dimension was not that bad compared to AFV Club's offering) - it still looks like a Hellcat to me . The fit is 50/50 with the worst regarding the rear of the hull and the fit between the gun and the mantlet. Same goes with details - some good, some simplified (to the point of ridiculous like the sponson-stored ammo) and some missing altogether (like the gunner's sight). While the actual M18 tracks looks thinner than its contemporaries, it should not be as (scale) thin as it was in the kit. With just the two companies offering the type in 1/35 they are just the only game in town when it comes to M18s - it's all up to the modeller to choose which one (the Academy was cheaper and that influenced my decision!)

Extreme Makeover : Tank Edition

Historical Background

In 1939, the United States Army was equipped with 400 tanks, including 100 M2 Medium Tanks. The M2 was armed with a 37mm gun and seven .30-cal machineguns and protected with 32mm of armour. The success of the Blitzkrieg, spearheaded by the Panzer III and IV tanks came as a surprise, and led the US Army to order a new tank armed with a 75mm gun. That tank eventually turn out as the M4 Sherman. However, although the design was ready in mid-1940, the US industry was incapable of producing the required items such as a large enough fully-rotating turret (and the turret ring) capable of mounting a 75mm gun. An interim solution was found in the T5 medium tank design. The T5 was basically a scaled-up M2 design with a thicker armour. The new tank has a higher and wider hull to mount an offset75mm gun in a traversable sponson on the right side. A fully-traversable turret was placed on top of the hull, mounting a 37mm gun. The 75mm gun was intended to deal with hardened targets (including tanks) and infantry while the high-velocity 37mm gun was intended solely to deal with enemy tanks, A cupola armed with a .30-cal machinegun was placed on top of the turret, completing the 'battleship' looks of the tank. A further one to three .30-cal machineguns compeleted the armament fit. The hull mounted gun allowed the M3 (as it was officially designated) to be developed in the shortest possible time. This was further aided by using the tracks, roadwheels and most of the suspension system of the M2.

The interior of the M3 was roomy and protected by up to 51mm of armour. Power was provided by a Wright (Continental) R975 EC2 radial engine rated at 400hp allowing a speed of up to 16mph (off-road) and 26mph (road). The vertical volute suspension system include a self-contained return rollers, allowing easier maintenance in the field. The sponson gun was provided with 46 rounds, the 37mm gun with 178 rounds and up to 9,200 for the machine guns. Overall the M3 was tall, 10 ft high, earning it the nickname 'iron cathedral', and later, appropriately enough by the Germans as 'splendid targets'! The Russians meanwhile has a more poignant-sounding nickname - 'a grave for seven brothers'.

Back in Europe, the British Army found itself without many of its heavy equipment, abandoned after the evacuation from Dunkirk. The British armaments industry was unable to adequately supply the Army with enough armoured vehicles to defend the British Isles and the Empire and so the UK government had to turn to the US. Although not yet at war, the United States was willing to sell war materials to the UK, including armoured vehicles. The British had requested that the American factories build the Matilda and Crusader tank, but these were rejected. The M3 was offered to the British Purchasing Commission, but they were not entirely satisfied with the design, namely with the height, insufficient armour, sponson-mounted main gun, riveted hull and hull-mounted radio. However, since the production was ready to commence and lacking other alternatives, an initial order was placed for 1,250 M3s. The British however required some modifications:  a cast, rather than riveted turret  with a bustle at the back mounting the radio, a  thicker armour and a simple hatch replacing the cupola. The British-spec prototype was completed in March 1941 with production commencing July 1941. To make up their losses in North Africa and Greece, the British realized that they need to accept both types of M3s. When the British received the American tanks, confusion rose because of the 'M' designation of American vehicles as M3 was the designation for both a light tank and a medium tank. To avoid this, the American tanks were given American Civil War General names. The original M3 Medium Tank became General Lee (or just 'Lee') after General Robert E. Lee and the modified M3 as 'General Grant'/'Grant' after General Ulysses S. Grant. To help the UK (and later, other Allies) in securing the weapons from the US, the Lend-Lease Act was passed.

The Lee/Grant first saw action during the Battle of Gazala on 27 May 1942, where their presence surprised the Germans, who were unprepared for their 75mm gun. The Lee/Grant's primary armament allowed them to engage Afrika Korps tanks and anti-tank gun emplacements beyond the range of the KwK L/42 gun arming the Panzer III and Pak 38 50mm anti-tank guns. Despite the earlier misgivings, the Lee/Grant provided the British 8th Army with a sturdy, reliable and adequately protected and armed tank. The drawback of the Lee/Grant was its height, coupled with the low mounting of the 75mm gun, preventing them from fighting in the hull-down position. The use of riveted armour caused 'spalling' when impact of enemy shells caused the rivets to break off and caroming inside the tank with grievous results. Nevertheless, the lessons learnt were applied to the design and production of the M4 Sherman. The British Lee/Grant were joined by American M3s following Operation Torch in November 1942. The M3 Lee/Grant was used in North Africa until the end of the North African campaign in May 1943.

When the British received the Shermans, approximately 1,700 Lee/Grants, which were by now outclassed by 50mm L/60-armed Panzer III and 75mm L/43-armed Panzer IV, were transferred to South-East Asia. 800 were received by the Australians with the remainder used by the Indian Army. The Lee/Grants gave excellent account of themselves during the campaign, most notably during the Battle of Imphal. Japanese armour in the area, consisting mainly of Type 95 Ha-Gos and captured M3 Stuart light tanks found themselves totally outclassed by the M3. The Lee/Grant was used in this theatre until the end of hostilities, mainly supporting the infantry.

The Kit

Academy released a new-tool 1/35 M3 Lee in 2006 and was followed by the Grant in 2008. While they feature vast improvements over the ancient Tamiya kit, both of them suffer from 'too-tall' bogies. The Grant was more regrettable as the bogies were corrected in the M7 Priest kit released in-between the Lee and Grant in 2007. Apart from the bogies, comments on the internet include issues with the turret, being too high and of the wrong shape (others digress about the shape, however). Anyway in 2009, Academy re-released the Grant kit as 'M3 Grant El Alamein 1942'. The re-release finally corrected the bogies although other issues remain. The kit comes in 486 parts and two one-piece vinyl tracks. As with the original release, the tracks are still the T51 type rather than the more usual WE210. The plastic spare track links however were of the WE210 type...hmmmm. As with the original release the kit featured a fairly complete interior details. Three gun barrels were provided for the main gun. Academy also included the complete figure set from Miniart's British Tank Crew set. While a nice addition, they weren't really suitable for North Africa as the set depicted them in European theatre-style uniforms (they however would be very useful for other British AFVs in my collection). Markings are the same with the original release - T24334/Atlanta II, Royal Army (sic), North Africa 1943 and Fosios II, 'Royal Army', 8th Army, El Alamein 1942.  

Construction

The bogies were assembled first. They have simpler construction than some other companies (plus the real thing is also a bit simpler than the M4 bogies). Just a little cement was deposited on the contact points of the suspension arms to allow free movement of the wheel. The completed VVSS suspension and the sprocket wheel was then set aside. Academy included some interior details, including part of the transmission but since I'm going to close all the hull hatches, I decided not to add them. The hull floor was then cemented to the lower hull shell and was followed by the rear panel and the transmission cover. Academy has you add Parts G7 and G8 to the transmission cover but I found that the fit is better if the parts are glued to the hull instead. The internal bulkhead was inserted although I didn't add the ammunition included. The addition of the front fenders finished the construction of the lower hull.

The upper hull consists of a single upper panel and separate walls. Although fit is excellent, care has to be taken to ensure that the separate hull panels align correctly. I cemented parts F6 and F7 and checked the alignment by dry-fitting it over the lower hull. The bulkhead installed earlier helped in aligning the upper hull panels. Once I was satisfied, the rest of the panels were cemented together, The hull machine guns were painted first and then inserted into place. the main gun was then assembled, even though I didn't paint the parts inside the hull. Academy provided three barrels : short, long and long with counterweight. However Academy did not mention which barrel to use for the tanks depicted in the kit. I used the short barrel just because I like it, ha! The completed gun assembly was placed in position and the upper hull was then cemented to the lower half. The stowage boxes were then assembled and cemented onto their places.

Moving on to the turret, I believe the Academy Grant is one of the few tank/AFV kits which include a turret basket. Although not comprehensive, it does include a whole bunch of 37-mm rounds. The turret basket was assembled but I decided not to paint it, and neither did I add all the ammo parts. The gun was assembled and placed into the front plate. Some online build reviews mentioned that the gun sits too low (or was it too high?) and suggests that the gun assembly from Tamiya's Grant, which despite its age, is more accurate. While I do have that old kit (now serving as a weathering technique test-bed), I couldn't find any difference between the two. Anyway, the kit parts was used, cemented onto its place and it was off for painting.

Painting and Decaling

The colour options for the kit only depict the Grant in the theatre where it was well-known: North Africa. The basic colour recommended by Academy was Sandy Brown (or Gunze H66). The article written by Mark Starmer stated however that British tanks in North Africa were painted Light Stone. Using the mixture given by him (7 parts XF-2 Flat White + 2 parts XF-59 Desert Yellow + 2 parts XF-3 Flat Yellow) the model was painted so. To make it less boring, I decided to finish the model as 'Fosios II'. The camouflage colour was Khaki Green as per the instructions but I painted it XF-62 Olive Drab (it didn't look like OD as I was using the 'wrong' batch of Tamiya XF-62). The tracks were painted the usual red brown/flat black mix. Afterwards it was time for the decals. As usual I was quite apprehensive about Academy decals but this time only the decals for the tank's nickname misbehave by silvering, and not even Mr Mark Softer can rectify that. The model was then given the usual wash.

Before weathering the model further, I added some stores. A pair of folded canvas from Tamiya Aliied Vehicle Accesories Set was hanged on the right-side hangers while two 4-gallon flimsies from Bronco were placed on the rear deck. I also robbed the tow cable from Tamiya's Grant and placed it on the engine deck. The model was then subjected to an overall application of Mig Productions pigments; thicker on the lower hull and thinner elsewhere. For figures, I chose two from the Masterbox 'Commonwealth AFV Crew' set: a sitting figure set inside the turret hatch and a leaning and eating figure which I put next to the turret.

Conclusion

After a wait of more than 30 years, modelers finally have a successor to the ancient and mainly inaccurate Tamiya Grant. The Academy Grant however received rather vicious reviews on the internet, with many so-called experts bashing the kit of a number of inaccuracies. Cooler heads however prevailed and pointed out that the worst features of the kit were the too-tall bogies and some contour issues on the turret. Academy however listened and released this revamped version (and throw in the Miniart figure set for good measure). The Academy kit is a nice kit anyway and can be build by anyone. My true grouse with this kit are the less-used T51 tracks and the too-small selection of markings and the lack of information about the markings provided.

Patton: The Final Generation

Historical Background

During the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, a captured Soviet T-54 was driven onto the British Embassy's garden at Budapest. After the armour and the gun were inspected, it was concluded that the armour is able to withstand hits from 20-pounder rounds of British Centurion tanks and 90-mm rounds used by the US M47 and M48 Patton tanks. Royal Ordnance took note of this development and consequently developed and produced the famous L7 105-mm gun. In Europe it led to a discussion between the UK, France and West Germany to develop a 'Europanzer' based around the gun (the programme broke down and the parties went with their separate ways with the UK adopting a 105 mm-armed Centurion, the French with the AMX-30 and the West Germans with Leopard 1). In the US, it led to a decision to adopt and produce the gun under license (as the M68) and design a new platform based on the M48A3 Patton. Studies were started in 1957 and was designated M68 in 1959. However the Bureau of Ordnance renamed it as the M60, after the year of its acceptance.

The M60 is based on the M48, with a one-piece steel cast hull divided into three compartments : driving at the front, fighting in the middle and engine to the rear. The bottom hull is still boat-like although it has a straight front slope (the M48 has rounded slope). The M60 series was powered by a Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12 air-cooled, twin-turbo diesel engine, allowing a range of up to 480 km while reducing fuel consumption and servicing. Initially, the M60 had the same clamshell-shaped turret as the M48, but this was changed to a 'needle-nose' shape in 1963 on the M60A1. The new turret face presented a smaller frontal profile to the enemy, while at the same time optimising the layout of the turret on the same width as before. The original M60 had no commander's cupola, which was introduced in the M60A1. The fully rotating cupola is armed with a 12.7mm M85 machine gun, allowing the commander to operate it from behind cover. A M73 7.62mm machine gun was provided as a co-axial weapon. The main armament is a licence-built L7, known as the M68. The M68 can fire a whole range of American-built rounds: be it APDS, HEAT, HEP (HESH) and APERS (HE) but also foreign-manufactured ones should the need arise.

The original M60 was upgraded to M60A1 in 1963. Apart from the new turret, it was two tons heavier, requiring a shock absorber on the second wheel pair and the relocation of the first return roller. The armour was thickened further (e.g. 254mm RHA equivalent for turret face compared to 217mm RHA equivalent for M60). In 1972, the Add-On Stabilization system was fitted, but still not allowing the the tank to fire on the move. In 1974-75, the M60A1 received the RISE (Reliability Improvements for Selected Equipment) upgrade program, which include upgraded engine design and a new track type. In 1977, they were given RISE Passive program, consisting of passive IR sights for the driver, gunner and the commander, eliminating the need for the IR searchlight above the gun. USMC M60A1 RISE Passives were outfitted with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks in the 1980s. In 1969, the M60A2 appeared. Nicknamed 'Starship' because of its 'space age' looks and technology, it was intended to be an interim design pending the introduction of the MBT-70. It has a different, low-slung turret than the rest of the family, which was somewhat spoiled by the rather high machine gun cupola. The main armament was the M18E1 152 mm gun-missile launcher, similar to the one arming the M551 Sheridan and capable of firing the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile. The M60A2 was a disappointment, with many rebuilt as M60A3 or converted to AVLB vehicles when the MGM-51 Shillelagh system was withdrawn in 1981. 

In 1978, work for a vastly enhanced version, designated M60A3 was begun. The hull and turret remain as the M60A1, but it was fitted with two banks of smoke grenade dischargers, AN/VVG-2 laser rangefinder, M21 ballistic computer and turret stabilisation system. From mid-production onwards, the commander's cupola was eliminated, as it actually created a shot trap, and was replaced with the Israeli-style 'Urdan' cupola. Some M60A3s were fitted with AN/VSG-2 thermal sight, creating the M60A3 TTS (tank thermal sight). Other variants of the M60 family include M60AVLB (Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge, with 60-ft scissors-type bridge) and M728 CEV (Combat Engineer Vehicle) with a folding A-frame crane and winch and armed with a M135 165 mm demolition gun. It was also commonly fitted with a D7 bulldozer blade.

The M60 family first saw action with the Israeli Defence Force during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The M60 proved superior to the T-54/55 and T-62 facing them, but suffered losses when confronted with the portable 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 Sagger) anti-tank missiles. The Israeli M60s were later upgraded to Magach 6/7 standard and saw further combat during Operation Peace For Galilee in 1982. Iranian M60s saw combat during the Iran-Iraq War despite being handicapped by spares problems and acquit themselves well against the Soviet-made Iraqi tanks, including the T-72.  In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, 200 Marine Corps M60A1s took part in the battle at Kuwait Airport, destroying some 108 Iraqi T-54/55, T-62 and T-72 tanks for the loss of just one M60A1. The M60, by this time relegated to training role,  was phased out of US Army service in 2005. The type however still see service with several other countries.

The Kit

The Academy 1/35 kit of the M60A1 RISE Passive was released in 1993. The parts are spread among five dark green sprues, upper and lower hull halves, vinyl one-piece tracks, polycaps and tyres, plastic mesh and a decal sheet. I have never actually seen the Tamiya version of the M60A1 but the Academy seemed to be a reworked copy of the Tamiya kit (the motorization hole under the hull gives the clue). The parts are well-moulded, with the usual exceptions for injection-moulded parts, such as solid fender support brackets (which should be hollow). The kit also allows one to build an M60A1 without the ERA blocks while equipped with the passive IR sight. A small number of accessories are also included. Decals provide markings for two tanks : 'Rolling Thunder' in desert camouflage and an anonymous M60A1 in NATO 3-colour camouflage.

Construction

As usual with armour kits, construction starts at the bottom of the hull. Another attack of laziness strikes again and I decided to leave the motorisation hole as it is, afterall, the hole is at the very bottom of the hull and not visible to the casual observer. The upper half of the side hull was cemented into place which resulted in a small gap. Nothing to pull my hair about, it just need a bit of putty and sanding. Next, the assembly of the shock absorbers. It was quite a shock (pun intended) when I realised that the struts don't meet up with the suspension. So I used a road wheel to see if this would be unsightly. Luckily the road wheels hide this major problem and I left the absorbers as they were. The suspension arms are of a very tight fit and I have to sand them down. I decided not to fit the wheels at this time and finished the lower hull by cementing the rear panel into place.

Construction then moved to the upper hull. There weren't much to do here, just assembling the exhausts, some stowage bins, the headlights and their guards and some other items on the rear deck such as the gun travel lock. The driver's hatch was made moveable but I decided to glue it shut. The ERA blocks that need assembly were done so but I decided to leave them off the model at this time to facilitate painting and decaling later on. The upper and lower hull were then mated together. There are gaps at the rear which need to be filled. Next was the turret. The turret shell was assembled and there is a gap where the mantlet meet body of the turret. The turret is also the place where most of the options for building an ERA-less M60A1 were noted. Having already decided to build an ERA-equipped M60A1, most of the parts for the plain M60A1 were discarded. The gun barrel is the usual two-piece affair but no gaps was encountered the halves were cemented. For the bustle rack, Academy provided jigs to assemble it, easing the task. They also provide templates for the wire mesh (somewhat inexplicably, I used the one for the floor of the rack only). The commander's cupola was also assembled but remain separate from the turret. The hatch cover remain loose as I was still undecided whether to use the commander's figure or not.

Painting and Decaling

I decided to paint my M60A1 in the desert scheme. I used the same concoction I used for my M1A2 SEP, that is 40% XF-59 Desert Yellow, 40% XF-57 Buff and 20% X-2 White. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown and washed with AK Interactive's Track Wash. The rubber parts of tracks were painted H77 Tyre Black. The vision blocks were painted Gloss Black - a colour I believe more suitable for a buttoned-up tank. I then sprayed some Gloss Clear to help the disreputable Academy decals conform to the surface, although I still doubt their ability to cling over raised details, such as the bolt heads on the ERA blocks. The decals were then applied and as I thought, their cardboard-like stiffness made them unable to cling over the raised details, tearing them. I ended up using only the decals for the lines and the nickname on the gun barrel and the tank serial number. The ID markings, of which a few were torn, was done using paint. The stencil on the left rear fender has a spelling mistake: 'Two' instead of 'Tow'! It wasn't used however as it folded upon itself and cannot be salvaged. The rest of the decals however suffered from silvering despite repeated baths in Mr Mark Softer. The model was then washed with a wash mix of Flat Black and Red Brown.

Finishing

I started off by putting on the tracks. They are of the old-style heat-type and I have to hide the joint underneath the fender. They are also quite loose and I have to superglue them onto the return rollers. The commander's cupola was then inserted into place and I finally decided to close the commander's hatch. The ERA blocks can now be placed. However, Academy chose to simplify matters here (not always a good thing) by having the blocks attached directly to the main body while the Tamiya kit (upon which this kit is apparently based on) include the mountings which were placed onto the turret before attaching the blocks. This apparently affected the fit of the blocks. To make them adhere better, I used superglue rather than the normal cement. I then apply Mig Productions' Gulf War Sand pigment in enamel thinner all over the lower hull and rather sparingly on the wheels and the tracks. Once dry the excess was removed with a stiff brush while those on the track pads was removed with a tissue paper dipped in thinner.

I then add some of the accessories that came with the kit ( 'some' because the rest were used in my M1A2 kit). It looked bare and I added more stuff from Academy and Tamiya accessory kits and also the spares box. They include MRE boxes, 105mm ammo crates, water cans, 40mm ammo box, a sleeping bag, an M60E3 machine gun and a portable stereo.

Conclusion

Being the main battle tank for the US Army for decades, there are a number of kits dedicated to it. However they are all  using 1980s (or even earlier) technology for kit-making. However of all the existing M60A1s to date (the AFV Club M60A1 is yet to be released at the time of writing), the Academy offering is the best (well at least to me). I heard that the ESCI kit is better but as it wasn't readily available, the Academy kit took the top spot. The Academy kit have generally good fit although the ERA blocks should be better represented a la the Tamiya kit. Above all it does look like an M60A1 to me!

Spitfire Part II : Mythical Beast Power

Historical Background

Supermarine's (or rather, Vickers-Armstrong's) Spitfire was the most celebrated British fighter of World War 2. The prototype first flew in 1936 and it eventually became the only British fighter in production throughout the war, As a type, the Spitfire was ranked as one of the finest combat aircraft, thanks to its involvement in the early, dark years of World War 2, especially during the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire was built in numerous variants, called Marks, eventually totalling more than 20. While the Marks identify the variants, they were not in chronological order (for example, the Mark IX appeared before Mark VIII). The early Marks were powered by versions of Rolls-Royce's excellent Merlin V-12 engine with power output ranging from 1,030 hp Merlin II in the early Mark I to the 1,720 hp Merlin 66 (and Packard-built Merlin 266) in the Spitfire IX/XVI.

As early as December 1939, Supermarine staff mooted the idea of using the Rolls-Royce Griffon 37-litre, V12 inline engine with a predicted speed of 423 mph at 18,500 ft. However constant problems with the Griffon delayed the installation of the engine until late 1941 with successful trials of the Spitfire Mk.IV. The Griffon IIB which powered the Mk.IV was a single-stage supercharged engine rated at 1,735 hp. Stronger main longerons were needed to cope with the increased weight of the Griffon. The new engine had a lower thrust line than the Merlin and the engine was set with a -0.5 degree of downthrust. The lower line of thrust and greater engine capacity changed the contour of the cowling with more prominent bulges over the cylinder heads, a teardrop-shaped fairing over the upper cowling to clear the magneto and a deeper curve to the spinner. The lower cowling lost its 'pigeon-chested' looks. The Mk.IV was then designated Mk.XX to avoid confusion  with a renamed PR version.

The Mk.XX was eventually redesignated Mk.XII. The MK.XII suffered from poor high altitude performance due to its single-stage supercharged engine. By 1943, Rolls-Royce had developed the 61 series of the Griffon with a two-stage supercharger. The Griffon 61 entered service as the slightly modified Griffon 65 and was installed in Spitfire Mk.XIV. To harness power from the Griffon, a new five-bladed Rotol propeller was used. The nose was made longer and because of this and increased slipstream from the propeller, a larger fin was installed. And because of the greater cooling requirement, the radiators were bigger, which required bigger housings. Improved VHF radio meant that the aerial mast can be dispensed with and was replaced with a whip aerial.

Griffon-engined Spitfires entered service in early 1943 when No.41 Squadron received their Mk.XII in February and No.91 Squadron in April. These two squadrons were the only users of the Mk XII. In June 1943, the two squadrons moved to RAF Westhampnett, forming the Westhampnett Wing.  The first kill by a Griffon Spitfire was scored on 17 April 1943, when a Ju 88 was shot down. At low altitudes, it was one of the fastest aircraft at the time. However, the advantage was not fully exploited as German Jabo pilots refused to be drawn into dogfights below 6,100m. When the Mk XII was able to engage enemy fighters, it was indeed a formidable combat aircraft. The low-altitude performance became useful again towards the end of its front line service in Summer 1944 when it was used to intercept low-flying V-1 flying bombs. The Mark XII was retired in September 1944. The Mk.XIV entered service in January 1944 with No.610 Squadron, being the first full production of the Griffon Spitfire. When the V-1 attacks began, the Mk.XIV was also used in the 'anti-Diver' patrols together with the Mk.XII, P-51 Mustang, Hawker Tempest and later, the Gloster Meteor jet fighter. The interception was dangerous as cannon rounds may (and did) detonate the warhead, resulting in the loss of the interceptor. Other methods were used to down these early cruise missiles, such as by aerodynamically tipping the V-1 using the wingtip of the intercepting aircraft

Following the invasion of Europe, the Mk.XIV was used as the main air superiority fighter by the 2nd Tactical Air Force in North-West Europe.The Mk.XIV can also be used as a fighter-bomber, for which four squadrons of Mk.XIVe were set up for this task. In the Far East theatre, the Mk.XIV was only delivered in June 1945 when No.11 Squadron became the first unit so equipped in the theatre. It was however too late to make any impact as there was hardly any Japanese aerial activity in-theatre by that time. The Mk. XIV was actually supposed to be an interim design, pending the availability of the definitive Mk. XVIII. However, in a repeat of the Mk. VIII/ Mk.IX story, 957 Mk.XIVs were built compared to 300 Mk.XVIIIs. The Mk. XIV came in two versions - Mk.XIVc with 'C' wing and 'fastback' fuselage and FR. XIVe with 'E' type wing (4 x 20mm Hispano cannons or 2 x 20mm cannons and 2 x 12.7mm Browning MGs) and 'bubbletop' canopy.

The Kit

Academy's 1/48 kits of the Spitfire XIV came out in 1996. In fact, as of November 2014, the Academy kits are the only 1/48 scale models of the Mk.XIV (I believe the Kitech kit is a knock-off of the Academy kit and do not count in my books). Both versions of the Mk. XIV were kitted. The joy of hearing the news soon turn into dismay when the models hit the shops. The kit suffers from many shortcomings, of which the most noticeable is the shape of the nose. While the nose of Griffon-powered Spitfires are longer than Merlin-powered variants, the profile still looks sleek unlike the Academy kit, which looks bloated. Other problems include:

- sidewalls of the oil cooler housing not perpendicular to the ground

- poor propeller blade profile

- 'fishtail' exhausts not included

- four-spoke wheels (Mk.XIVs use three-spoked wheels)

- ...and have I mentioned about Academy decals?

Otherwise, the kit looks very good with nicely engraved surface detail. Only one marking option is supplied: AP-D/RM619, No.130 Squadron RAF.

Construction

The cockpit parts and the side walls were first painted. Instead of using Tamiya's mixture to get the British Interior Green, I used Tamiya XF-71 IJN Interior Green. Well, the shade is almost similar, plus even the real pilots can't remember minute details of the aircraft they flew and were amused (even bemused) when modellers asked them about the intricate details! The instrument panel was painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black and Gunze Silver was then dry-brushed to pop-up the details. Other details in the cockpit were painted XF-1 Flat Black where approriate. The Spitfire is another of the floorless cockpit design. To assemble it, the front and rear bulkheads were first cemented onto the right fuselage, together with the instrument panel. The control stick and cable assembly was then inserted between the bulkheads and was then followed by the seat assembly. The fuselage was then cemented together, but before that, the propeller 'shaft' was inserted in its place. The two-piece tail planes were then assembled and inserted into their places and to finish the fuselage at this time, the pilot access door and the bulges at the nose were cemented - there was no positive placement markers for the bulges however.

Next were the wing sub-assembly. Academy included rudimentary parts for the cannon bay i.e. just the cannons/machine guns. While not really necessary and adding thickness to the wing, the gun assembly was wrong for this kit as the parts are really for the 'E' wing configuration (1 x 20mm Hispano cannon and 1 x Browning 12.7mm HMG) - modelers who want to open their cannon bay can either replace them with aftermarket parts or cut the inner gun off. I didn't and the cannon bays were closed. The cannon barrels and the cannon port plugs were then cemented and was followed by the separate wing tips. The insides of the radiators and the air intake was then painted before I moved on to painting.  

Painting and Decaling

European-theatre RAF fighters were painted 'Temperate Day Scheme' of Dark Green, Ocean Grey and Medium Sea Grey from mid-1941 onwards. To paint these colours, I used Gunze Aqueous H335 for Medium Sea Grey, the Dark Green was a 5:1 mix of Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab and XF-58 Olive Green respectively and the Ocean Grey was a 1:2:2 mix of  XF-18 Medium Blue, XF-21 Sky and XF-24 Dark Grey. The prop blades were painted XF-1 Flat Black with XF-3 Flat Yellow tips while the spinner was painted XF-21 Sky.

Next came the dreaded part of building an Academy kit OOB - the decals. They showed all of the typical Academy decal characteristics of being thick, not easily conform to raised (and recessed) details and totally unresponsive to decal softening solutions. As if that weren't enough, the aircraft code and serial number, together with the fuselage roundel were printed together and therefore depriving modellers the choice of painting the invasion stripes (unless an aftermarket set is used). I quite struggled to get them in place and totally gave up with the ones covering the cannon bulges. I ended up painting the portion Flat White and Flat Black. And, on other thing, Academy did not include any stencilling in the decal sheet, just one for the inside of the cockpit access door. The model was actually left for a long time on the shelf unfinished and the decals cracked in the meantime. I have to touch up using paints, not satisfactorily I might add.

Finishing

There wasn't much to do at this stage with this model - just installing the landing gear and its doors, the tail wheel and its doors and finally placing the canopy and the propeller. The sliding portion was however too thick and there is something odd-looking between the sliding portion and the fixed rear portion of the canopy. The rear-view mirror became a victim of the carpet monster and I yanked one from my Spitfire V to replace it. It wasn't terribly accurate (the kit mirror is a circle while the Spit V mirror is a rectangle), it will have to do. I decided not to wash the entire model, just on the flying control panels only.

Conclusion

Despite the numerous shortcomings, as of November 2014, the Academy kits of the Spitfire XIV are the only ones available for this mark in 1/48 scale.  The kits' problems can be rectified through aftermarket parts but that was a rather expensive option. Another method is to subject the kit to plastic surgery, for urm, 'nose job' in order to correct the worst of the mistakes plus a number of others to correct the rest. I can live with the mistakes however (until somebody came out with an accurate, new-tool 1/48 Spitfire XIV!).