anyway I've got this weekend then I'm away for couple weeks which leaves the best part of 6 weeks 
but based on my first two builds I'll be up against it 
This time I'm not adding any PE I've ordered a few bits of after market (stowage etc) but they've not arrived as yet I'll add them when they do if that's ok. I've always had a soft spot for IDF armour think it's because I remember seeing the TV news during the late 60's 70's when I was a kid and heavily into modelling, as I suppose I am now 
I did look at many possibilities as to what to build ruled out the M51 as in kit form it is much like my first build, considered Shot Kal 73 Centurion, Magach 1- 3 (the new Dragon 3ERA version wasn't out when I bought this kit), 6 - 7 and the Merkava 1 - 4 I kept coming back to the 6B. so the 6B it is I know Hackovsky is also building the same kit it will be interesting to see the difference in builds 
What really impresses me is how the IDF improve on what are effectively obsolete designs and make them almost state of the art and fit their environment perfectly, they were among if not the first to put into active service ERA. Through their almost non stop conflicts have been development and proving ground for just about all features found on modern armour the Magach 6B Gal is no different based on the M60 and developed from versions 1 - 5 and sitting mid way in the 6 variants. Fitted with 4th generation passive armor and 908 hp engine. The turret has angled sides and angled mantlet. This variant is sometimes unofficially referred to as Magach 7D or Magach 8. A limited number of vehicles were converted from the Magach 6B Gal variant.
The name "Magach" is not an abbreviation but a Hebrew word meaning "ramming hit". However, as the word is very rarely used and is not known to many Hebrew speakers, several popular explanations of the name exist:
* Short for Merkevet Giborei Hayil (Hebrew: מרכבת גיבורי חיל, literally Chariot of War Heroes).
* One version states that the real source of the name is the designation M48A3 (in Gematria, 40 is "mem" ("m"), 8 is "chet" ("ch") and 3 is "gimel" ("g")).
* Like the above, but "g" stands for Germany, a supplier of the first M48 tanks to Israel.
* Yet another version says that M48A3 can be read as MAgAch (4 looks like "A", 8 like "g" etc.).
* A once popular macabre joke in the IDF said that "Magach" stands for "Movil Gviyot Charukhot"—"charred bodies carrier", probably referring to the Yom Kippur War losses and particularly to the aforementioned flammable hydraulic fluid problem of the M48.
* Other variants include "Meshupa Gahon" (one with sloping belly) and even "Mechonat Giluach Hashmalit" (electric shaving machine).
Magach should not be confused with the Sabra series of upgrade packages for the M60A1/A3, which were developed for export to Turkey. Sabra includes upgrades similar to those of the Magach 7, but an essential difference is that it is armed with the MG251 120 mm smooth-bore gun (the same as used by the Merkava 3)
Since the 1980s and 1990s, the Magachs have been gradually replaced by Merkava tanks as Israel's front-line main battle tank. However, a large majority of the IDF's armored corps continued to consist of Magach variants until the 1990s, and the tank was continuously upgraded during this time.
By 2006, all Magachs in regular units had been replaced by Merkavas.
I would have cropped these but it was taking like 10mins a picture! I think since Photobuck is no longer an option everybody is jumping onto Flicker, I just wonder how much longer until they go the same way!
Great to see another on build 
I wanted to mount the 50 cal, only to find I couldn't. So the mounting backet parts are now redundant I did look at separating the mounting brackets from the plate but there're glued too well and would have destroyed them. 
but I used the sand from an old egg timer with PVA think it's come out ok 
