GHQ Models Forums

This is the problem I have. About 20+ years ago I brought a ton of ghq m1a2.
Maybe the 1st production of these.
The casting looks, well not good even when painted up.
I realized if I could replace the turrets they wouldnt look too bad.
Think ghq charges $1.50 or more for turrets.
I need maybe 400-500 so that's not going to happen.
I was thinking of using another company's m1a2 turret as a replacement
Just have to drill out the hull.

What do you guys think?
I'll try to post picture so you see what I mean.

Wow. I have some that are over 30 (soft metal) years old and they look good. Pics please?

Not at home but here a pic of it painted
2nd from left
https://www.flickr.com/gp/145819511@N07/S8vCj8

That is the early model M1 with 105mm gun. No commander's independent thermal viewer on the left front turret. Other improvements over the years. It was a simpler tank. Still pretty good, even with 105mm. I think your only choice, if you want, is to replace turrets. Unless you are familiar with the Brand X turrets, I wouldn't go to the trouble.

If it were me, I would keep 'em on the roster in second line units or send 'em to other nations (not something I like to do, especially in the real world). But I have M60s, Sheridans, and even M48s.

That's a division plus a brigade' worth of tanks. Nothing to sneeze at. Just transport yourself back to the early 80s ('81, 83, or so) and defend the Fulda Gap. Spray 'em all medium green. Use 53 tanks and 36 or so Bradleys to form a squadron of the 11ACR and assign the rest to 3AD. Leftovers from the battalions can be assigned to a reinforcing brigade.

What, and how, do you store all those things? I assume you have a lot more, say m1A1, M1a2s, Bradleys, mortars, etc.

I am looking at the ubiquitous plastic blue frame with 6 plastic drawers. Putting sand paper in the bottom and painting it like concrete. Eventually, a ping-pong table motor pool with some buildings from Gamecraft that Hoth suggested.

Between 400 and 500?

What on earth do you do with them?

https://www.flickr.com/gp/145819511@N07/o3Rv42
I think I have more then 500 left.
Each draw holds about 25 so just look at that i have 750 and 50 on paint table maybe another 25 here and there.
Funny thing is my big collection is German ww2.

Back to my post
Thinking of using brand X
https://www.flickr.com/gp/145819511@N07/z4HH8Y
I'll reach out to ghq and maybe I can get a discount a few hundred turrets.

Nashorn88,

That is one insanely impressive amount of armor. I have 400+, consisting of a mix match of different countries and vehicles.. I can't wait till I hit that size. My girlfriend, though supportive, fears a collection of that size.

A little fear in a girlfriend could be good, as long as you have a comfortable couch to sleep on...

Actually, if she doesn't object to your hobby, you are a fortunate man. My wife encourages me in mine. Let's face it, as long as the kids can't get at them and swallow the little pieces, how much harm is there in collecting GHQ, besides having to move out of the house and into a tent because you've collected too many.

And Mark, collecting and painting is half the fun (well, all of it for me), and like many active soldiers, I see no harm in having another division. Or two... Or three... Make it something your children will have a difficult time disposing of when you're gone. I wish we had more in the real Army today, like about 20 more. Oh, that's right, now we have "brigade combat teams." Now we can piecemeal our forces around the world at a moment's notice, and once we get 'em all scattered to the corners of the globe, we won't be able to get 'em back together in time to fight a REAL war...

Collect. Paint. Organize. Display. Collect. Paint. Organize. Display. Again. Again. Again. etc.

Nashorn88, I'm all for the solution of painting your M1s medium green and organizing them as an early '80s armored division. A division in that period could have a mix of M113A1, M113A2, and M2 Mech battalions with M1 tank battalions. They could be organized as H-series or J-series. M113A2, M2 and M1 units would be J-series organizations. Mech battalions with M113A2 or M2 would have an E Company - anti-tank company, which really took the anti-tank platoon of the H-series and formalized it as a company. It was supposed to be an interim company, but got carried over into the M2 Bradley-equipped battlalions for a number of years. J-series tank battalions had 4 tanks per platoon, 3 platoons per company, with 4 companies, 2 tanks per company headquarters, and two in the battalion hq, for a total of 58. The J-series TO&E called for an armored division to have 6 tank battalions and 4 mech battalions, although some may have retained 5 mech for a while. Mech divisions had 5 and 5. That will take 348 of your 500. The divisional cavalry squadron at the time had only M3s. But if you form an armored cavalry squadron or two, that organization consisted of 3 troops, each with two 4-tank platoons and two 6-M3 platoons, plus a 14-tank company. That will take up some more. You COULD form an armored cavalry REGIMENT, with 3 squadrons. Or leftovers may be assigned to reinforcing National Guard units for your division, perhaps making up a fourth brigade. And one real benefit is you can spray them ALL medium green. That is how I would deal with such largesse. This would be a lot cheaper than conversion and leave you the funding necessary to acquire even MORE units. In WWII, there was an armored group, which was usually a corps asset consisting of several independent tank battalions, which could be parceled out, usually to reinforce infantry divisions. The Russians also used to run independent tank battalions that could have up to five companies, so you could go that way, as well.

The money saved could be put toward acquiring the mech units needed to support all these tank units. In WWII, the mech units in an armored division were ALWAYS critically short of men There were three battalions of mech and three of tank in the "light" divisions, (there were only two heavy armored divisions) and given the casualty rate, there were never enough infantrymen. So you might consider going outside the TO&E and overbalancing mech to tank. Given that Bradleys only carry 7 dismounts, I will ignore current TO&E for my next division and build a ratio of three mech to 1 tank. I don't agree with the current "combined arms battalion" organization, probably because I am accustomed to "cross-attachment."

As for your use of Brand X turrets, I have a battalion of Brand X M1A1s, (I have one of GHQs, as well). I went with the other company for cost at that time. I am not as happy with the accuracy in appearance of the Brand X M1A1. The Brand X turret seems to rectangular. That is the reason I am chasing GHQ M60A2s to finish up that battalion. The "look" of the GHQ product is more accurate. It is, of course, a matter of setting priorities and you must balance your considerations of appearance, cost, and opponents' capabilities.

I understand that your interest may not be in the organization of your collection, but rather making them up-to-date contestants. But with so many, surely a secondary purpose in forming organizations could help justify the direction of your hobby. And as a previous comment pointed out, the Russians like to say "Quantity has a quality all its own." Those second-line M1s may come in handy, if you can borrow an NFL practice facility to run the war game in... .

The Abrams to the right is an older M1 as mentioned above. I use that as an M1A1, since it has a thicker barrel. I use the M1A1 as M1A1HA, since it has the basket. I would keep them. I have over a divisions worth of those. Only 2 battalions painted with 340 unpainted. (I do 1 to 1 ratio).
Keep them.
I have bought 320 or so for .25 each 3 years ago. Plan to keep them, haven't paint most of them yet. So I have another division should I need it. Not much support, sure I could find a few AA, arty, Inf and recon assets if this division needed it.

Panzergator,

Trust me, the couch and I are no stranger.. LOL . I am fortunate that she does support the hobby and encourages it. She even provides input, has favorites and has requested me to paint a company for her. Not to use but just cuz..

However, I have teased and told her that I plan to amass so many pieces that if I pass before her, that she will have an awful time trying to figure out what to do with them.. LOL.. moohaa haaa....

Wow impressive collection

Hoth_902

It can be done. 34 years of marriage, not one night on the couch.

I basically was the last man standing. When all my pals stop collecting I brought their collection.
I did thin out last year sold 700 or so to a local gamer.

Yea I must be nuts!

I did spray a bunch of them OD but with so little detail they look much better in camo.
Think I can get brand X turrets at .50 ea maybe a bit more and and will need to drill out hull.
Email ghq but didn't get a reply yet.
I sold almost all my M113a . Do have few hundred M2. And a lot of Russian ifv.
Maybe I should use money for new stuff instead of upgrading.