Merkava "Battle Droid"

A friend in Korea sent me one of the new Academy Merkava Mk. IV kits, it's a great looking vehicle.

It already looks so "Sci-fi" right out of the box, but photos of Merkava 2's and 4's used in the recent "Operation Cast Lead" action in Gaza have shown them carrying this odd looking device mounted on the turret top. Because it looks very similar to the "Probe Droid" from the movie "The Empire Strikes Back", it has been nicknamed the "Merkava Droid" by modelers.

I was able to get some photos of the device from a friend in Israel (the recent photo ban on the device has been lifted by the IDF) and so my friend Mike Armstrong built me one in Solidworks 3d so I can have it 3d printed for use on my Academy kit.

The rest of the parts (mounting arms, power and data boxes and connections) I will scratch build from plastic and wire.

Hey Ya Dave!
The droid looks cool, there are some good images on one of those military sites explaining the purpose and function of this apperatus.
Nice cad work, the Academy kit is already on e-bay for 4$20 bucks, that's a steal.
Panzer

I was actually told what it is and what it does from a friend in the IDF, but he asked me not to post the details yet.

The photo ban was lifted on the device, but the actual name and description of it is still classified by the IDF, so I am honoring my word to the provider that I would not post any of the details.

D-Man,
I will get you the link to the site that has the info, I think that it was posted over at M/L as well.
Panzer