M60A1

This is my first time building something that is not from WW1, or WW2. My uncle was a gunner in the M60A1 back in the 1970s, so my son and I are building this for him as a surprise. I have built Takom kits before, but even though this kit went together beautifully, I still found it to be a difficult model to build. Lots of very little parts.  

The tank is much bigger than I was expecting. I guess tanks have gotten a lot bigger than the Shermans, and Pazers of WWII.  

The venal tracks are really nice. I normally don't care too much for the rubber tracks, but these are connected with a metal rod that you push through and connect the two ends. Its so much nicer than trying to melt the two sides together.  

This PE basket on the back of the turret was not easy. I had a hard time getting the PE part to stay bent into shape. I am very happy with the final outcome, but if you start looking closely at the model, so can see that I struggled some with it. It looks great from five feet away. 

 

All I have left to build is the giant spot light that goes on top of the cannon.  

I decided to prime it with Mr. Finishing Surfacer mahogany 1000, instead of the black 1500. The surface is very nice, but I think I like the 1500 black better. It still looks pretty good to me though.