1:35 Chain And Ball Set For Israeli Merkava II/III/IV All HB/Meng/Academy

A curtain meant to set a round off before it lands

The rear of the turret of the Israeli Merkava tank carries an unusual curtain: dozens of small chains hang from the edge of the basket and on the end of each is a steel ball. It is not an ornament and not a net for stowage. A shaped charge warhead needs to go off at an exact distance from the armor for its full effect, and a freely hanging curtain forces it to work too early. The jet then disperses before it reaches the thinner rear of the turret. The solution is simple and cheap, and the Israelis tested it in fighting in built-up terrain, where a man with a hand-held anti-tank weapon stands close.

Metal is prepared differently from plastic

This set is metal and that changes the whole painting procedure. A smooth metal surface has no roughness for the paint to bite into, and on top of that it carries a thin film from manufacture. Before a chain touches a brush or a nozzle it belongs in a bath of alcohol or degreaser and then on a paper towel to dry.

A coat intended for metal follows. An ordinary undercoat for plastic models rubs off the chain at the first hanging, because the links rub against one another. Chemical blackening also proves its worth: the dye penetrates the material, so it does not wear off, and the shade can then be only lightly accented.

Hang the set only onto a finished and cured turret. There is no masking around hanging links and every attempt to run tape between them will bend them. Modelers who fitted the curtain too early usually end up taking it off again and straightening it link by link.

The last step is the arrangement. The balls should hang loosely and unevenly, because on the real vehicle every movement of the turret swings them. A regularly aligned row looks false on a model and gives away that the curtain was glued on all at once.