IDF Armored Personnel Carrier
Mai 16, 2008
 

Some vehicles are mind boggling. It's some sort of a tradition to find these vehicles in the Israeli Armed Forces.

"Things" like the Nagman, Nagmachon etc are so strange and unusual that they may even become likable.

The Achzarit is one of them. Is the heaviest armored APC in the world with a weight of 44 tons and capable of sustaining multiple KE rounds on the front, was conceived to transport troops into heavily defended areas.

The vehicle was a development carried out using captured T55 hulls during the two wars that Israel was involved with their neighbors.

There are two major versions of this vehicle. One where the running gear is almost the original T55 running gear with the same road wheels and tracks, and another one, more recent that uses Merkava wheels (rubber tire version) sprocket and tracks

The Legend Kit

There are not many kits of the Achzarit and none of them is plastic. AEF Designs, Azimut and Legend make their kits, and I excluded AEF from the beginning. Not only due t the cost, but because I hear the worst things about AEF quality.

I was undecided between Azimut and Legend, but the price and the quality of the Merkava I built, also from Legend, made me decide in favor of Legend. One thing to note is that I didn't pay the normal price for it. There was one hanging for a while on a UK shop and I decided to get it out of their hands for a sensible discount.

I will be receiving the kit soon, and is next on my list just when I finish the Tiran 5 I'm currently building.

Apr 27, 2008

Remember the quality that Legend Kits have? Well, this doesn't.

Although the hull seems to be quite right, the suspension is really below average, and the instructions are the poorest example that I've ever seen. If I had paid full price for this kit I would be screaming my lungs out.

I understand that this kit is for the experienced builder. What I don't understand is that Legend seems to confuse experienced with psychic. Only by divine intervention you can tell where some parts go. And that pisses me off big time.

If I manage to do a decent model out of this I should get a prize!!!

   
   

 
   
   
   
   

May 9, 2008

It never took me so long to do a kit. The hull and suspension is complete and most of the details are complete. In the meantime I received the new Legend MG MAG set and I started to build two. One for the OWS and the other on a normal mount.

These versions are much much better than the ones included on the kit but due to the size of some of the parts, 3 of 4 had broken front sections on the barrels and several other small parts broken.

While doing the two MG's I faced another problem with the kit. The ammo box supports in PE are incredibly difficult to bend correctly. They don't have the bend lines engraved and this produces the most miserable final result. I'm glad that the fret included 3 ammo box supports, because in the last try I made those engraved bend lines and managed to do a decent example. However when I looked at the instructions to attach it to the MG I had no way of telling how it was. Several hours later trying to find a decent photo on the net I managed to do it.

The following step was the OWS and MG. Again the instructions are so miserable that I had to find information and pictures somewhere else. I could see that some PE parts are not even referred on the instructions and are used on the OWS and several other places on the model. But where?

This is becoming a hunt for pictures and reference.

The holders for the tracks in the front hull don't exist on the kit. So I had to make my own. They were done with soldered brass wire and ended up looking quite good. They are faithful reproductions of the real ones.

The same for the front lights. No way of telling what goes where just by looking at the 2 photos with the parts list. I'm glad I saved all the Achzarit pictures  could find. They were incredibly helpful for doing these parts on the model. Even the exhaust would be incorrect if it weren't for the invaluable Michael Mass from the IDF in Scale forum that supplied me with a very clear picture of the exhaust.

My advice is. If you don't feel comfortable with resin kits, avoid this one. It's not only the difficulties associated with these types of kits. It's the sheer frustration of going to the photos again and again just to assemble something so insignificant as a machine gun support.

May 12, 2008

During the last few days I've doing all the little detailing that was missing. There are a lot of small things that I need to do before painting the first primer coat.

I had to detail the hatches (rectangular) on the inside. They have a lip, a handle and a lock. On the kit they were plain resin pieces, but if you are going to leave them open, that detailing is needed. It was not very difficult to do, and in a couple of hours Evergreen plastic took care of the job.

The only parts I wont be putting are the "rubber" guards on the front, because they would prevent me to assemble the tracks after painting.

Careful planning on a complex kit like this has to be taken into account.

The Sequence has to be like this:

  1. Primer coat with road wheels and tracks

  2. Disassemble tracks and running gear

  3. Running gear painting (including tracks)

  4. Assemble everything

  5. Mask tracks

  6. Gluing track rubber guards

  7. Painting of base coat

  8. Final weathering

May 13, 2008

   

The more reference materials I get, the more changes I need to do.

Today I found this picture that shows clearly some of the missing details on the left armor.

There are supports to which the armor is bolted that can be inferred by the shadows projected on the side.

We can also see a horizontal plate that somehow separates the exhaust area from the upper part of the hull.

The result was, of course, creating these parts from Evergreen plastic. There are two clear advantages. The armor is much better supported by the hull and the detail is there. A bit crude probably, but at least is there.

I made them with strips of Evergreen plastic and the corresponding bolts on the outside.

   

The other issue was on the right side. The kit only includes 4 hinges, but after looking at some pictures I could see that there are two more. In different vehicles they appear in different positions, but there is no doubt that they are there.

So I jumped at the task of building two minute hinges with bolts and all.

I could also find two parts in one of the PE frets that look a lot like the read part that you can see on the picture above right. Of course that I didn't expect to find reference to those tiny parts in the instructions... but I will use them nonetheless.

Every time I think I'm just ready for primer, I found another little detail to improve. This is taking forever. I'm glad I'm finding them before the final phase or I would be very very pissed.

   
   

 
   
   
   

May 15, 2008

Finally!!! I managed to finish all the little details in time for a primer coat. It is awesome. I know that when all the different materials are covered with the same color things look a lot better, but this one blew me away. It looks really good.

There are still some little things that need to be done. One of them is the anti slip coating on the upper front deck and some minor details like chains on the fuel caps (these two were suggested by a fellow modeler in Armorama).

In the photos there are some parts just holding with blu tac and of course they'll be correctly glued and aligned.

It was the most intense period of model building that I had in my life. I could not stop because I knew that if I did, it would be very difficult to pick up where I left. So, I didn't stop (LOL).


Legend Productions
Friul
 


Design history

A better solution to finding a heavy, survivable APC was found in IDF storage depots where, since 1967, the Israelis had held many hundreds of captured T-54 and T-55 tanks. They were to form the basis of the Achzarit heavy assault carrier. NIMDA, the manufacturers of the Achzarit, started development work in the early 1980s. The service trials commenced in 1989.

The Achzarit is low slung, with a height of 2 meters. The turret of the parent vehicle, a T-54/55 tank, is first removed and a new fighting compartment is created. This is done by building up the hull sides and providing overhead protection for the crew. The engine is replaced and re-mounted transversely. When viewed from behind, the new power pack is at the left rear of the vehicle. The transverse mounting allows space for a narrow passenger corridor beside the engine, leading from the fighting compartment to a hydraulically powered clamshell rear exit and ramp. A disadvantage of this design is that when the clamshell door is raised, it indicates to an enemy that troops are about to disembark.

The rear exit of the Achzarit is situated over the transmission. This means that there is a slight upwards incline when you exit the machine. In practice this is not really noticeable and infantry alight from the Achzarit surprisingly rapidly. The long exit ramp has a non-slip, ridged surface which allows the soldiers to maintain a sure footing as they leave the vehicles.

Three crewmen are seated at the front of the machine. When viewed from the rear, from left to right, they comprise the driver, commander and gunner. Whilst the driver and gunner are well served with vision blocks and periscopes, the commander is not. It is clear mat, to maintain situational awareness, the commander has to travel with the hatch locked open in a 'raised umbrella' position. This gives decent overhead protection whilst allowing reasonable all-round vision. However, there is a 'dead zone' to the commander's front-right, where the Rafael OWS blocks his view.

Normally seven infantrymen are carried. There is a simple padded bench to the rear left of the compartment. Just to the right/rear of this bench is a single foldable seat. Three more individual folding seats are placed along the right side of the vehicle. The Achzarit infantry armored vehicle was developed to meet the specific operational requirements of the Israel Defence Force for a well-protected vehicle capable of operating with the well-armored Merkava (Mk1, Mk2). Following extensive trials with Centurion and Merkava based prototype vehicles, the Achzarit infantry armored vehicle was accepted for service with the Israel Defense Force and entered production in 1988.

The Achzarit is the best protected infantry carrier in service and can withstand both HEAT and kinetic energy projectiles which would destroy conventional IFVs. The manufacturers claim that the machine can withstand repeated 125mm KE hits over its frontal arc. At 44 tones the machine is exceptionally heavy for an infantry carrier. The fact that 14 tones of the vehicle's weight is made up of additional, advanced armor, gives some indication as to its high degree of protection.

Whilst armor has been concentrated on its frontal arc, the Achzarit has been carefully designed so that component parts contribute to its overall survivability. Diesel fuel cells to the rear right and left flanks of the passenger compartment act as spaced armor. The rear sides are covered by Toga armored mesh plates. These have been cut into sections and hinged. This allows the narrow gap between the mesh and the hull shell to be used as storage space for such items as stretchers and water containers.

Multiple efforts have been made to improve crew survival. A Spectronix fire detection and suppression system using Halon gas is fitted. Crew and passengers are provided with individual NBC protection equipment. Two Israeli Military Industries (IMI) CL-3030 instantaneous self-screening smoke grenade launchers, each with six projectiles, are carried. In addition the Achzarit can inject a fuel aerosol into its engine exhausts in order to produce a smoke screen.

 

Source : www.israeli-weapons.com

 

Specifications
Crew 3+7
Armament 4x7.62mm
Ammunition storage 4000x7.62mm
Armour 200 mm
Length 6.20 m
Width 3.60 m
Height ~2 m
Weight 44 tons
Engine Mk 1    650 hp
Mk 2    850 hp

 


List of parts

Legend Achzarit (full kit)
Friul Tracks (ATL-01)
Legend IDF MG MAG set
Lifecolor UA035 Paint
Eureka XXL tow cables

Pros

  • Very unusual subject

  • Very good general shape and hull detail

  • Good quality resin with some air bubbles that can easily be removed on the hull.

Cons

  • Price tag very high, especially because you need some after market parts to turn it into a decent model

  • Terrible instruction sheet that makes you go over and over to check reference materials

  • Parts not listed on the instructions

  • Poor detail on minor parts, like MG's

  • Casting faults on wheels that need to be removes very very carefully

  • Some warping on big parts like side skirts or even top hull.

  • Open sponsons that you need to close with plasticard

  • Some of the PE parts are very difficult to bend because there are no bend lines engraved on them (i.e. Ammo box holders for MG's)

  • No decals or indication of color scheme.


 

(427 visits)
pirespreto.com Site Map Pires Preto 1996 - 2006