Military Tuesday : High Resolution Merkava Mk III Baz 3D Renders
An amazingly detailed 3D model of an Israeli Merkava Mk III Baz tank by AlexStudio which seems fairly accurate to me (as compared to the illustrations in Osprey New Vanguard 021 : Merkava Main Battle Tank).
© AlexStudio
The Merkava has always interested me for the priority given to all-round protection for its crew which in turn makes it much more adaptable for urban warfare than most conventional tanks. I guess having two 7.62mm and one 12.7mm pintle-mounted machineguns also helps to deter all but the most determined AT infantry from attempting to attack such a tank.
© AlexStudio
Little details like the distinct gap between the four and the fifth road wheel on the Merkava Mk III as well as the chains hanging off the back of the turret (see below) to protect the vulnerable turret ring from AT attacks from the rear, have been faithfully recreated in this model.
© AlexStudio
Here’s a quick guide to identify the markings from what I read in Osprey New Vanguard 093: Modern Israeli Tanks & Infantry Carriers:
Brigade: Shape on right fender
Battalion : Number in the shape on right fender and/or number of white rings on cannon barrel
Company : Chevron on side skirt and/or number of horizontal lines on left fender
Platoon : Number on left fender (omitted here) and turret side (also omitted)
Vehicle : Hebrew character on left fender and turret side
Therefore, this tank can be identified as the third vehicle of an unknown platoon, 1st Company, 1st Battalion of an unknown Brigade 
© AlexStudio
You can download sample renders and a high resolution wireframe blueprint (above) from Precise3D.com or purchase the model in a variety of formats (3DSMax, Maya, SoftImage) for USD250 or for Solidworks for USD750(!). Another 3D model of the US M1A Abrams is also available for preview and purchase on the same site.
MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Kyoshi Harada - Military 3D Modeller
Armada International Complete Guides to Military Hardware
OPFOR Equipment Guide
SEGA’s Tiger I Papercraft Model
WinSPWW2 and WinSPMBT - Tactical Turnbased Freeware Games
Hi, my name is Sebastian and I am the guy from this Straits Times article: http://singapore.roomsDB.net/roomsdbnet.pdf ! I found your blog on ping.sg because I am looking for Singaporean bloggers like you. As a promotion, I am now distributing 1500++ SG$ among bloggers who just write a simple review of my site! If you are interested, find out the details here: http://roomsdb.wordpress.com !
Bye, Sebastian!
this has awakened old airfix memories of old.. but the detail in this is incredible…. impossible even…
Hi, Sebastian, saw your RoomsDB site before … must say it’s a pretty good idea. Already recommended to my foreign colleagues at work
Anyway thanks for the info, Sebastian
And Elderly, seems to me that collecting 3D renders is much less time-consuming than model kits - but you feel really good when the model is completed