all

Merkava II 1/35 Academy

Merkava tank is one of the most interesting tanks ever built. Modelers around the world tend to follow what is in the spotlight, and what has stories behind it, so they can be told. By told, I mean nice dioramas, which represent some part of the history, that could combine nice landscape and a clever built model.

Academy has a decent line of Merkava tanks, which can be used for that purpose.

The Mk.III and IV are already done and eventually improved by other companies – Meng Models and Hobby Boss respectively, but Mk.II is still available only from Academy.

 

This tank has a history, its fairly old, but it still mean-looking. That makes it a lot of fun to be build. Academy kit has its flaws, since it is almost a copy of Tamiya Mk.1 Merkava, which as far as I know is a model of the prototype. Nevertheless, if you want to be into IDF modeling, it is a must-have kit.
Here you can see pictures of one of my many Merkava IIs that I’ve built along my AFV modeling days. I have sent some around the world, and gave some as a gifts to friends. I think this one is among the nicest.
Since the model itself its not a piece of art like Meng’s IDF line of kits, if you are not into aftermarket fever, you gotta rely on weathering products. I used some AK-Interactive and MIG productions stuff, as well as the usual oil paints.
I have learned, that even a low-level model with fine weathering can be done into a beautiful piece of art. It’s all about the skills and the patience of the modeler.
Since patience itself its not among my virtues, I used to weather all my Mk.IIs differently.

The one shown here combines most of the techniques used on the rest, so I can say its kinda mixed picture of my other Merkava tanks.
There isn’t any tricks about the building of the tank, besides the tracks. There you better have a friend around to help you with the melting procedure, or even better – go with Friul tracks, which will help a lot.
Weathering on those machines varies, from very clean to extremely dirty. And dirty might mean fresh mud or desert dust. Its all up to you how you like your final look of the model.
I hope you have enjoyed mine!
Thanx for watching!