Big Sandy
A classic. Tamiya's 1:35 M60A1 with reactive armor. The kit built up nice but showed its age. This was a kit that could have been motorized so the rear end needed lots of filling and sanding. The biggest challenge was the weathering. In nearly all the reference photos I found, the sandy paint color very closely matched the desert sand. It also appears that that sand doesn't stick around and build up. Like most modern tanks, these didn't see extended campaigning and so didn't suffer extensive damage and weathering. The armor plates were painted a lightened shade and did not get filters like the rest of tank. Chipping was applied with bits of foam rubber. I applied a custom mixed MIG powders to give it a realistic sandy effect that also contrasted with the paint. The finished kit is essentially OOB with the exception of the canvas rolls on the sides and in the basket. Despite its age, it was a fun build of a real menacing vehicle. BTW This kit sat on my brother's todo stash since he bought it new way back when. I coveted it for a long time and recently swapped him a Tamiya Challenger I for it.
🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
I will be honest with you Dennis ... this is the first of this type of M60 and it looks good. True the age can be seen in this model, but hey, as can seen, it can hold it's own. Nice work.
I agree with Erik on this...it turned out beautifully, despite being an "old" kit. You've done an outstanding job with this - and hey, Tamiya can't be all bad, right?
Looks great! All that reactive armor detail helps break up the monotone paint scheme, so that it ends up with great visual interest. Subtle weathering and chipping seem just right.
Nicely done. One mean looking machine.
Now that's a fine looking tank Dennis. Great job.
California Steve
I don't think there's much wrong with old Tamiya kits, and you've proved it, great job.
The great thing about armour is that you don't necessarily need a first rate kit, with all the weathering opportunities available. That said, there are plenty of track sets and aftermarket stowage for the more particular build.
Very nice.
Another nice job Dennis! And, I like the "Big Sandy" article title!
Very nice piece of armor! You can't go far wrong with a Tamiya kit, even the old ones! I love the tracks on this.
I think there should be a new category, " Aged In Box". Glad to see it done justice instead of sitting on a shelf in my basement ! I'll try not to let the Challenger sit on the shelf as long as this one did.