Back dated a M113A2 to a Vietnam era M113A1 with 106mm

[rschaap]

Thanks for the comment and the info. I also noticed a Velspar spray paint at Lowes that looked like the proper Seafoam green. I have a NAPA near me so I will look and compare the colors for future conversions.

I will be adding another update tomorrow.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #10** I primed the exterior hull. I will touch up some areas before I put the first coat of paint on.







I went ahead and glued in the cargo for the interior.







I put the hull on and photographed how it would look inside the hull assembled.





Next I will paint the first coat of the exterior paint and start making the fenders for the rear of the APC.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #11** I painted the hull with Testors Dark Olive Drab #1610. I attached the 106mm recoilless rifle to the hull and installed the hull to the chassis.







I took a photo of the engine compartment with the hull assembled. I'm actually thinking about making the radiator and air cleaner for the engine compartment (#6-9 in the last picture).







My next update I will show the fenders and some of the parts for the rear of the APC prior to primer and painting.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE 12** I worked on the equipment for the rear of my Vietnam M113 to match what I am seeing in some of my reference photos. I plan on trying a different color for the overall tank based on feedback I have received from other members.









I can see the finish line. Thanks for all the input.

[rschaap]

I changed the color since it appeared to light. I was given some helpful information on the correct color and resprayed the APC. I will post some photos soon.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #13** I repainted the M113 using the suggestions made by members in order to properly mimic the Vietnam color I was hoping for.









Thanks to the help of Pickelhaube's M113 conversion parts I was able to obtain the bell turret, .50 cal shield and the M60 shield needed for my conversion.





I puttied the holes left from the mold process before I primed the pieces.








The next photos should be of the assembled model.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #14** I painted the bell turret, shields and water cans for final assembly.






I assembled the shields and placed them on my M113.











My next step is to do an over spray of semi-gloss which should give it a little darker shade.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #15** I sprayed two coats of Tamiya semi-gloss on my M113. It did make it a shade darker.















Last step will be the decals and whether or not I decide to give it the battle field look.

[grockwood]

Very nice work. Did you mention where the 105mm came from? Who is the manufacturer?

[rschaap]

The 106mm recoilless rifle was an optional weapon from the 1/18 scale BBI USMC Super Humvee.



I removed the 106mm from it's base (pulls apart from the base very easily). Using reference photos I figured out where the gun needed to be mounted and drilled a hole in the hull of my M113. I used a threaded nut to hold it in place with a plastic washer at the base of the gun so it would swivel smoothly. I drilled out the business end of the barrel then primed and painted it to match the color of my M113.

[rschaap]

Here is the before and after.





Interior

[skorzeny]

WOW . looks great !!!!

[rschaap]

Thanks for the compliments. My conversion would not have been possible if it had not been for the heads up from you. So thank you sir.

[granch]

Wonderfull piece! But would like to see it combat dirty, with some crew...

[rschaap]

Understood. I am still deciding on how I want to decal it. Once that is done I have decided to give it an actual Vietnam "wear and tear" look since I believe the addition of the 106mm was a field application. It just so happens that I have a number of volunteers waiting to be assigned to this M113.

[pickelhaube]

Totally cool looking !!!!

[rschaap]

I decided to go with these markings for my M113. The picture is of a 1/35 scale model. I actually located some decals and dry transfers I can use for the majority of the M113. I am going to hand paint the words on the gun shields and bell turret. I already started decaling my M113 and will post progress photos soon.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #16** Here are the first decals and transfers I put on the M113. The decals I used were from my past modeling. I used an Archer dry transfer from a 1/16 M26 tank for the star on the large hatch next to the recoilless rifle and m60. The remainder of the decals were from different aircraft decal sheets. The Snoopy on the dog house was a combination of five cut-up decals. I spray painted the red and white insignia flag. I tried different methods for the "U.S. ARMY 12DW19" and the "LIFT HERE" wording without any luck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I still have to hand paint the words on the gun shields and bell turret as soon as time permits.











Almost there...

[pickelhaube]

You could try stick on lettering from Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

They may have them the correct size could be worth trying.

If they do have the correct size you could use the back ground of the lettering as stencils.

Or the stickers themselves.

[rschaap]

Thanks Matt, I will give it a shot.

[rschaap]

**UPDATE #17** I will be posting new photos of my Vietnam M113A1. I worked on making decals for some of the letters and numbers that I could not duplicate. I also made new red and white Calvary flag decals, since I was not happy with the way the painted on ones turned out. This meant I had to sand off some of the ones I sprayed or hand painted on and repaint and coat the tank (for the 5th time ). I also made the blisters for the front of the tank above the tracks. I have no idea what blisters are for and can't find them in any reference photos of any M113A1 from Vietnam. If someone out there knows what they are for I would be interested for just personal knowledge. Here is a photo of what I am talking about.



I will start weathering the tank some time this week.

[supersonicfifi]

NOT an armor guy but i begin seriuously thinking to turn my interest in this kind of vehicule !
AMAZING WORK !

Post as much pictures as possible all along ....

thank you for sharing your beautifull custom

again WELL DONE !

philippe

[Threetoughtrucks]

Sorry for being no help to you this AM, but I got curious and checked and the "blisters" are extra flotation cells found on M113A1's.

Pics of the flotation cells are found in David Doyle's "M113 APC in Action, In Action" - Squadron Signal, on pages 25 and 43.

The pics are from two different divisions in VN so they are not field mods.

TTT

[rschaap]

Sorry for being no help to you this AM, but I got curious and checked and the "blisters" are extra flotation cells found on M113A1's. Pics of the flotation cells are found in David Doyle's "M113 APC in Action, In Action" - Squadron Signal, on pages 25 and 43.The pics are from two different divisions in VN so they are not field mods.TTT

Thanks for the info. It was bothering me, since I had no idea what I was making and could not locate any reference photos or information.

[rschaap]

I was asked what I did to backdate my M113A3 to a M113A1 Vietnam era APC with recoilless rifle. Here is a list.

Removed from exterior

External fuel tanks
All storage gear and added cargo
Rear cleats
Exhaust
Smoke launchers
CIP panels
Spare track

Removed metal hull and plugged and filled holes (around 35-40)

Scratchbuilt for exterior

Rear fenders
Exhaust tube
Flotation devices (front above tracks) not pictured yet
Rear accessories as seen in update #12, prior to paint.
relocated gas cap to top of hull

Removed from interior

Fire extinguisher (for detailing)
Instrument panel (for detailing)
Heater (for detailing)
Cut out molded stand at rear of bay
Exhaust canister (to reposition and detail)

Scratchbuilt for interior

New instrument panel cover with instrument decals
Engine access hatches
Extended bulkhead
Added steering handles and gas pedal
Added shelves
Added radio equipment
Plumbed and added detail to heater
Made drivers seat and rear facing jump seat
Passengers seat cushions
Decaled interior after painting
Added drive shafts
Detailed engine (wired and plumbed)

Main exterior Conversion Parts

Rear fenders (Scratchbuilt)
Two gas cans used as water containers (Parts box)
Shovel for front of APC (Parts box)
Straps for water containers and shovel (folded tin foil, painted)
.50 caliber gun shield (Pickelhaube)
.60 caliber gun shield ( Pickelhaube)
Bell turret for .50 caliber (Pickelhaube)
106mm recoilless rifle (from BBI Super Humvee)

Decals

Interior

1/35 scale M113 decals, enlarged and printed onto decal paper

Exterior

Some decals provided by Apache26 and the rest from miscellaneous decal sheets.

Finally

A lot of planning, reference material, advice and help from forum members, patience and an understanding wife.