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| Type: |
M1A1 Abrams |
Armament: |
105mm |
| Built: |
June 2008 |
Armor: |
Classified |
| Builder: |
Tom Lum |
Rating: |
40/4 |
| Status: |
Operational |
Battles: |
2 |
| Owner: |
Tom Lum |
Points Earned: |
3,000 |
| Call Sign: |
TBD |
Points Given: |
3,000 |
| Notes: |
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Click Photo For Enlargement (79 Kb)
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June 2008:
The brand new M1A1 Abrams is ready for action in the
Green War
with only a couple minor issues
to resolve before hostilities begin.
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Although the Abrams was longer than most tanks, at 1/7th scale, a few space constraints popped up that needed to be addressed. I was unhappy with the paintball feed system, the drive belts slipping, the "plain-jane" look and it's overall image. Something needed to be done... |
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Click Photo For Enlargement (177 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (140 Kb)
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With barrel, the Abrams came in over 4 foot long, and a little over 125 lbs. The cylinder on top was a make-shift paintball feed system, it proved to be ineffective... |
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My biggest problem with my tank was the lack of room in the turret. Total interior space was limited to less than 4" in height. After trying several methods of technology over gravity (Warp-Feed & Q-Loader) what I really needed was more height to make a reliable gravity feed tray for the paint. In the last battle, I was reduced to a pipe sticking out of the turret holding 8 paintballs, which still worked better than any of my previous methods. |
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Click Photo For Enlargement (106 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (114 Kb)
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In 1/7th scale, the overall hull length was about 45" Although it sounds huge, 1/3 was taken up with the drive train alone. This left little space for batteries, speed controller, turret rotate motors and other necessary items. |
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The interior width was exactly 12" but was a little tight for the changes I wanted to make. M01 motors need a minimum of 11 3/4" but with my 1/2" plywood gussets on each side, I was actually under 11" total. |
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Click Photo For Enlargement (91 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (114 Kb)
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With all the changes and improvements I wanted to make, going to 1/6th scale was an easy call. After disassembling the old hull, I realized I had miscalculated the total height, hence the extra gain on the new hull. |
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I am trying to save weight wherever I can. The old hull was 3/4" oak with 1/2" runners, but the new hull is 1/2" MDO with 3/4" runners. The MDO plywood comes with a smooth thin coating on the exterior and I purchased mine pre-primed. MDO is an exterior grade plywood used for signs and is bonded with exterior grade glue. |
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Click Photo For Enlargement (86 Kb)
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Click Photo For Enlargement (81 Kb)
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The new hull comes in a little over 52", quite a target for the veterans! |
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