Comments for Tidying up some loose Canadian tank ends...

Tidying up some loose Canadian tank ends...

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:40:26 -0600

We've been having an on-again off-again discussion of Canadian tactical approaches in Afghanistan now and again, and, thanks to Jim Dunnigan over at Strategy Page, I thought I would offer up his thumbnail sketch of the Canadians and their Leos, as background. Originally it was going to be in the post below, but I decided that might cause a confusingly mutl-threaded comment stream, so I'll put it here. But first - that Leo2 is wearing an interesting uniform, is it not? And the first thing I thought when I saw it in that picture provided by Dr. Sean Maloney was - how how in the heck would I model that were I building models right now?

Comment from Colin on 2009-04-03

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:57:15 -0600

Thanks Sean I stand corrected, well actually sitting and drinking coffee....

Comment from Jeff on 2009-04-03

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:41:54 -0600

Wow! A tank in a ghillie suit!

Comment from BillT on 2009-04-03

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:56:25 -0600

Sounds like the B&A man doubled as the painter. Lacquer has to go on *thin*, because it dries from the inside to the outside -- apply it too thickly, and it skins while the inside is still wet, then wrinkles as the inside dries and shrinks.

It'll be a *lot* uglier if you do that on something 1/35 scale, though.

Comment from Cpl Mongo on 2009-04-03

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:45:57 -0600

Hah! You are all mistaken.
This is in fact a prime example of Ford clear coat gone bad. My '98 Escort looks just like this.
I suppose you could get some paint from a Ford dealer to use on a model. Slap it on and let it bake in the sun.
Should curl up real nice in about two hours, just like my car.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:47:07 -0600

Master Allison... I was thinking along those lines.

I fear I have not the patience.

Comment from jsallison on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:33:19 -0600

a thin application of Green Stuff, a small section at a time, teased up with a #11 x-acto. Absolute royal PITA but potentially worth the effort at the IPMA nationals.

Comment from sean maloney on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:07:43 -0600

Nah, not Danish. I shot this pic during a QRF run while we were responding to an IED in Panjwayi district. .It's one of ours. And it is a Barracuda kit (good call).

Cheers!

-SMM

Comment from Josh on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:40:32 -0600

Not only are they impervious to most weapons, but they scare the hell out of the enemy.

Best expert analysis of the functionality of tanks EVER.

Comment from Colin on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:34:22 -0600

Sorry but that is a Danish Leo. To my knowledge they are the only ones using that camo in Afghanistan

Comment from BillT on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:33:37 -0600

There is a pattern in the chaos.

Ever check out the pattern of holes on a cheese grater?

D'uh.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:45:37 -0600

Well Heer Wenting, I'd keep an eye on those French, anyway...

Comment from J.T. Wenting on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:25:25 -0600

So that's where they RIFfed those Leo2s to, Leo2s we need here to defend our borders against Germans, French, and Russian invasion.

Bloody politicians, gutting our armed forces. And of course keeping the old stuff and selling the new, the new bringing more money (we're still using 2A3s and aA5s mostly).
Same thing with the new Paladins (which never even were unloaded from the transport ships, being diverted while underway to Norway).

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:17:07 -0600

Too random, Bill. There is a pattern in the chaos.

Comment from BillT on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:47:15 -0600

Or, you could cammy and affix some of the Visqueen plastic sheeting that Sly uses on weekends, but I don't know how well Wesson Oil cleans up...

Comment from BillT on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:35:14 -0600

- how how in the heck would I model that were I building models right now?

1. Mince a bunch of dried lichen.

2. Spritz the area to be coated with Krylon clear matte waterproofing.

3. Load the lichen into a cheese grater and make two sprinkling perpendicular passes while the waterproofing is tacky.

4. After the waterproofing is dry, splotch-spray with light pink, then overall spray with Desert Sand while the pink is still wet.

5. Assemble and install fiddly bits. Remember that partic'lar cammo is a *blanket*, so you don't have to worry that you can't see the boiler rivets anymore.

Comment from Dave on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:46:54 -0600

I seem to recall the "Tank Bra" was an attempt to make those Leo's cooler by insulating them from the hot sun. A quick google yeilds a mention at the end of this article http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/education/innovations/spotlight/mothernature.html and as part of this synopsis http://pubs.drdc-rddc.gc.ca/BASIS/pcandid/www/engpub/DDW?W%3DKEYWORDS+INC+'afghanistan'+ORDER+BY+Repdate/Descend%26M%3D5%26K%3D527951%26U%3D1 "In addition, a specially designed solar heat dissipation textile was fitted to the exterior of the tank."

Comment from Kirk on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:46:26 -0600

It appears to be a type of multi-spectral camo netting, similar to ULCANS or Barracuda. See the following for additional pics...
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=113366&page=1

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:13:21 -0600

Will - it's not a Zimmerit-style substance. I believe it's a tank-bra...

Kirk - you're probably right, and is in fact worse than Zimmerit - which had enough regularity to be amenable to several different types of tools.

This is regularly irregular...

Comment from Will S on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:32:44 -0600

It looks like a type of Zimmerit coating on that Leopard.

Comment from Kirk on 2009-04-02

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:31:06 -0600

As a modeller, I would say your approach would most likely be the same as with zimmerit on German tanks of WWII...using putty (can be found on squadron.com), then texturing it with whatever pattern desired. Its slow tedious work, but can make the model look fantastic.