This is a 1/24 scale VsTank Pro M1A2 Abrams Battle Tank that we sell. Out of the box the tank comes fully assembled in a desert storm (tan) color scheme. Whats nice about this tank is that it comes fully weathered and has a 6 (Optional 7-13) channel remote controller with full mobility. The tank is quite heavy, mostly in the rear were the batteries are located and the main motor that moves the tank.
Overall, the tank is well put together and was built with very strong plastic. No cheep plastic here! The manufacture has spent a lot of time in the quality and the functionality of this tank. There are cheaper RC tanks on the market but the old saying goes. You get what you pay for!
First off, the tank was totally stripped down and taken apart. All parts were tagged or marked as I broke down the tank. I especially made sure I marked all the internal wiring, parts and all the bolts that went with that part.
Even though the tank came in excellent condition. There were some areas of the tank that needed bodywork especially in the rear of the tank, mostly by the rear brake lights. I haven’t done bodywork in a while so this part of the project took a little longer than I wanted it to. But one thing I do know, take your time when it comes to the bodywork. Because if you don’t. It will show up in your paint job.
After the bodywork was completed, I gave the tank a 3-tone camouflage paint job. The 3 camouflage colors are authentic US military colors (Tan, Red and black). The pattern I used on this tank is very close to the real thing. Even though I wanted the pattern to be exactly the same as the real Abrams Battle Tank, sometimes creativity takes over. But overall, the camouflage pattern is very close to the real thing.
Overall, the painting process took about two weeks to complete. First I shot the tan color as a base coat, about 3 coats of Model Master acryl paint. We used the Aztek - Single action Airbrush. This airbrush is great for painting large areas, very easy to use and cleanup is a breeze.
Next came the red and finally the black. I used a fine detail airbrush to paint the Model Master acryl red and black colors. The red and the black colors where airbrushed by freehand, meaning I didn’t tape off anything to create my patterns. Just a good steady hand did the trick and pictures of the real Abrams Battle Tank as reference. Once all the painting was finished I laid several coats of Model Master flat Acryl clear to protect the paint job. Don't forget, Let each color of paint dry overnight.
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