Lebanese Tiran 5

[Olivier Carneau]

Just checked the kit, the tyres are wrong, the ribs are recessed. Looks like I can either ignore this, do the stretches sprue thing, or get some aftermarket ones...

Why don't you simply putty the grooves?

[Mark Aldrich]

Gonna watch this as I am building the Miniart Tiran 4. The SLA received no 105mm guns. Hopefully yours will assemble better than mine has.

[Adam Durrant]

Just checked the kit, the tyres are wrong, the ribs are recessed. Looks like I can either ignore this, do the stretches sprue thing, or get some aftermarket ones...

Why don't you simply putty the grooves?

I might just do that. The MiniArt wheel set were only NZ$12 on sale, if they don’t work the putty my come out...

[Adam Durrant]

I have all the bits together now apart from the decals,



For the few bucks they cost the wheels from MiniArt are very nice, well detailed with crisp moulding. I threw in their workable RMsH tracks but I have the Fruil ones on standby.

The Legend set comes in a very small box, but there is a crap load of work packed in there

Despite my plans to complete one GB at a time I might get started on this sooner rather than later.

[Olivier Carneau]

Nice additions. I'm not sure that Tirans had the RMSh tracks. However everything is possible when it comes to IDF.
Be aware that the RMSh tracks won't fit the OMSh sprockets.
Have fun with your build.

[Adam Durrant]

Thanks Olivier, luckily I also bought the OMSh tracks as well and the wheel set had both sprockets included. I might go with the OMSh tracks to be safe.

Got a little bit of a start on the build, assembled the Tamiya running gear and got it all level then assembled a MiniArt wheel. The MiniArt wheels have “male” attachments, the Tamiya running gear uses the usual polycap “female” arrangement so I’ve drilled out the MiniArt hub to accept the polycap. Luckily this works, only 9 more wheels to go!

[Adam Durrant]

So, after staring at the pile of wheels, both Tamiya and MiniArt, I’m going to follow Oliviers suggestion and stick with the Tamiya wheels but weather them heavily to cover the rib detail.

I would have thought the Israeli Tirans supplied to the Lebanese would not have been up graded to the later RMSh running gear.

I’m also more in favor of using the Fruil white metal tracks.

I’m sure the MiniArt wheels will find a use elsewhere...

[Mark Aldrich]

I only wish someone made distressed T-55 wheels. I have a set of the Verlinden/Trakz but they are molded off the Tamiya with the recessed lines. Tankworkshop also makes a set but they have never answered my queries as to cost.

[Adam Durrant]

I only wish someone made distressed T-55 wheels. I have a set of the Verlinden/Trakz but they are molded off the Tamiya with the recessed lines. Tankworkshop also makes a set but they have never answered my queries as to cost.

+1 on that, anyone who makes anything close has been “out of stock” for sometime which usually means discontinued

[Adam Durrant]

Whilst waiting for a diorama base to dry today I got underway with the Legend Tiran upgrade set. It calls for you to build the large turret and hull baskets out of PE parts and 1mm brass rod. I started on the turret one as it is the most complex. After a soldering tutorial with Gary B. last year I have been working on my soldering skills so aimed to assemble as much as possible this way for strength.



Only the rear vertical pieces are superglued in, managed to do the rest with soldering and the judicious use of heat sinks and wet tissue to stop the previously soldered parts popping apart. Pretty chuffed with myself