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Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:29 pm
by rschaap
**UPDATE #1** First I stripped all the gear off.
And then I removed the hull to work on the interior first.
Now the fun starts......
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:46 pm
by rschaap
I did notice something when I started. The hull number on the 1/18 scale model matched Tamiya's M113 model from the 1980's. My guess is the plan was to build the model as a Vietnam M113 at the start and they decided to upgrade it. The storage packs cover the numbers, so unless you remove them you would never see the numbers. Curious...
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 5:39 am
by normandy
Interesting find regarding the Nam era numbers. Looks like this will be a nice project.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:35 am
by tmanthegreat
Talk about going all-out on the 21c M113
It seems the 21c M113 was just made to be customized from the ease of getting the stowage off to the ease of disassembling the model. There's been a number of excellent custom examples over the years. My very first custom XD vehicle was the "Desert" M113 where I replaced the crappy 21c stowage with better Build-a-Rama items. Did that 10 years ago. Last year, I re-did my Vietnam M113, removing the stowage and external fuel tanks while attempting to make the sides smooth. My Vietnam came out pretty decent, though it still needs the MG shield, cupola armor, and proper ID markings.
However, yours is going to look fantastic, I think
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2015 1:20 pm
by rschaap
I am planning on buying 1/16 scale decals for a M113 and reducing it to 1/18. I will let you know how that works out. Thanks for looking. I will be posting more pictures soon.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:19 pm
by Rylau
Looking good. Keep the updates coming.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:55 pm
by rschaap
Looking at the photo of the 106mm recoilless rifle after painting it olive drab I realized it is too light. I read Humbol #66 is a closer match to the color of Vietnam armor. Any suggestions?
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 6:30 pm
by skorzeny
You are very Welcome rschaap ! any time !
Happy to know the the it worked for you !
I like your Custom Idea , I wish the best for this custom !
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 9:38 am
by Light.Inf.Scout
Thats very cool
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 11:09 pm
by rschaap
Thanks, I just finished the wiring on the motor and primered the interior. Once I take care of some small issues, I will paint the interior and engine before putting on the decals. I will post my progress soon.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:34 am
by rschaap
It has been slow go this weekend due to a family emergency. I did have an opportunity to add two shelves to the interior hull for radio equipment, along with moving the fuel cap and backdating the exhaust. I also had a chance to work on the rear fenders and fix a couple of small details. I will post photos in the next day or two.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:54 am
by rschaap
**UPDATE #6** Here is the photos of the relocated fuel cap and the backdated exhaust.
The fuel cap is located on the upper left rear portion of the hull.
The exhaust (silver piece) is located on the upper right front portion of the hull on the engine access.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:46 am
by Rylau
Real nice. You have the skills.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:56 am
by rschaap
**UPDATE #9** I put the cushions on both sides of the cargo bay along with three 106mm crates, seven more ammo cans and a ration box on the storage shelves.
I took a photo through the back of the M113 to give an idea of what it will look like when it's all buttoned up.
The next update should show the painting of the hull prior to assembly.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:01 am
by [CAT]CplSlade
Isn't the gas pedal a bit far from the driver's seat?
Assuming that little silver rectangle glued to the reinforcement ridge is the pedal.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:48 am
by rschaap
Yes it is. The area where I put the gas pedal should be where the drive shaft for the transmission is. There is a lot of problems with the interior of this model that would require a lot of work to fix. The engine compartment is all wrong, the interior walls are in the wrong place making the cockpit too narrow. It has the wrong gas tank for the later model M113. There were some odd things found in the cargo bay which makes me believe they had other ideas for the interior. This is why I choose to make something for myself and not shoot for 100% accuracy, since I realized a lot of the detail would not be seen once it's all assembled.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 9:06 am
by [CAT]CplSlade
Understood.
Re: 1/18 custom Vietnam era M113 with 106mm recoilless rifle
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:35 pm
by Puke
My goodness this is nice work. For what it is worth NAPA stores carry a spray paint ( I forget what brand) but it is called Detroit Diesel Alpine Green that is a very close match for the interior of modern U.S. Armor vehicles.