Making M-113s Part One

I've been quite busy making a variety of bits of pieces of late, but have been rather slack in actually posting anything. A while back, I started work on some cardboard M-113s  (click here if you want to know more)

A mixture of Bravo Team ready mades (at rear), Esci (unpainted front left), and cardboard model M-113s

The Esci kit was missing a few key pieces that I replaced using the usual methods of bodging out of plastic card, or finding something about right in the bits box.

One of those road wheels is not like the others.....

A wheel and tire from a jeep or light truck is given a outer ring of plastic card in order to make a new road wheel.

The green hatch is a spare from the Airfix M-113 Fire Support Vehicle kit.

I still have three more of the Esci kits to build, and I plan to build them as the straight APC version without any additional stowage. With the cardboard models, I have tried to add clutter and stowage to the vehicles in order to try and disguise any shortcomings in the models, and to see if I could pass them off as vehicles used by support elements, rather than teeth elements, while still maintaining flexibility to use them as such as needed.

Esci vs. Cardboard.

I don't think I have really succeeded in doing this - at best I have made three M-113s that have a certain air of clutter to them. I suspect I need to put more stowage on them, and/or items of auxiliary equipment that will earmark the vehicle into a support role.

Needs more stowage.....

And the tracks aren't quite right....

I could have put more effort into the rear doors, but I figured this was good enough...

On the cardboard front I have benefited from the generosity of Paul from Plastic Warriors sending me three rather nice scratch-built APCs (click here for details)

Esci vs Cardboard part II.

Now for my purposes, these M-113s from Paul being a little large is not a problem, as an imagination background allows for the creation of plausible back stories that can explain away a number of sins.

The fact that there existed earlier APCs, such as the M-75 and the M-44 (click here for details). that were somewhat larger than the M-113, makes it easier to declare these to be a hitherto unknown vehicle of a similar ilk.

Spot the Esci!

That, or field them in force with no other M-113s!

Not BRDMs

Over the years I have found that Matchbox cars can be an excellent source of vehicles for wargaming. Sometimes all that is needed is a quick repaint, and sometimes a little more work is required to make them table ready.

More work required - the turret especially.

I got these vehicles from Frank, who was planning on adapting them for use as AFVs for his  Brotherhood of Nod army. The vehicles were from one of the new Matchbox Battle Kings packs which can provide useful vehicles, but they are generally repaints from the 1-75 car range, rather than bigger diecasts like the original Battle Kings range.

Not BRDM and a S-Model BRDM-2.

 The S-Model BRDM-2 kit comes with a number of spare parts. In fact the only difference between the 9P148 ATGM launcher version and the standard version, is the removal of one rather vital piece of sprue - the top deck for the standard version.

BRDM turret (left) and Puma turret (Right)

I had experimented with other possible turrets before deciding on the BRDM-2 turret. One of the other possible options was to use turrets from the Matchbox Puma kit. While it looks ok with the Puma turret, the BRDM-2 turret looks better.

And with the ATGM launcher.

 In converting one of the S-Models 9P148 vehicles into a standard BRDM-2, I had a spare top hull section that I figured could also work on one of the not BRDMs.

Pre and post modified vehicles.

 Of course, now that I have made these vehicles, I have to decide how I going to use them. I think they have a nice chunky tough feel to them, so I am thinking use in Dark Future style games, but potentially they could be used by a faction in Harad games - although it would be in ones set in the late 1990s (or even later).

Two notBRDMS and a Fallout style Hummer.

However, I am sure that now that I have started making them, I will be able to figure out a use for them.

Variag Technicals.

Variag Technicals.

Khand is home to many peoples, one of which are the Variag. The Variag are a semi nomadic people with a strong cavalry ethos, who were famous in ancient times for using a mixture of war chariots and light cavalry in their war hosts. This practice gave them the name of  Wainriders amongst the nations of the West.

The Variag also have a reputation for innovation, so it unsurprising to see that many Variag clans have produced a wide array of  fast moving and hard hitting technicals for use in the many battles that have occurred throughout conflict torn Khand. The Variag also have a strong tradition of hiring out as mercenaries , a practise that has enriched many individual clan lords.

Two of the base diecasts.

The base vehicles for the technicals are three very cheap and nasty diecasts that were sold at The Warehouse a couple of years back. They did come with a roll bar in the back that had been removed some time back. The first step was to create a tray out of plastic card in the back so that a) the wire axle could be hidden, and b) the weapon mount had a level place to sit.

So cheap that you can see the wire axle...

A bit of GW sprue to provide a level base for the plastic card.

A crude plastic card tray is added.

The next step was to raid the bits box and find a few weapons, and some odd bits of plastic and sprue to make the weapons mounts. The white cross grid. plastic is actually pieces of a plastic frame used to mount cross stitch and also makes great windows and fencing.

Bits and pieces ready to make the weapons mounts.

 I deccided the weapons mix for these would be two 20mm Oerlikon guns (from the Airfix Buffalo kit) and a generic ATGM made out of a piece of aircraft undercarriage. The ATGM is quite large but I like it as it suggests a ATGM rather the accurately modelling a particular type.

The vehices before being sprayed black.

 I then sprayed them black with cheap matt spray paint, badly drybrushed the vehicle bodies white and the weapons olive drab, and the gave them a light brown wash.

Variag Technicals - potential friends or foes, given one's ability to pay.

Edit - this should have been the photo used above!

Occasionally amongst the Variag Clan leaders, one arises to prominence  above all others and becomes Khan of all the Clans. Rumour currently has it that one clan leader is currently well on his way to achieving this goal. Stories of this so called  "Diesela Khan" are currently viewed with interest throughout the region....

Gun Trucks, Technicals, and Humvees.

Since I have finally managed to finish a technical that I started some time ago in the distant past, I figured I should post the finished product here, along with some other bits and pieces that I have been working on.

As you last saw it.

And now with added paint and wash! The crew is quite the mixed bag  - Esci driver, with the figure with the M16 being a Mars  kitbash clone of Esci figures, while the Arab is of unknown make.

The view from the other side. Is it wrong that I like the Mars Mujahideen figures?

I also gave the finishing touches - a driver and a brown wash - to another diecast. This time it was a Matchbox Field Car that had survived from my childhood - although it had taken a few hard knocks in the process.

The folded down canopy at the back is a bit from a Battlefront 15mm  model. I think it works well  here!

I am rather tempted to put a passenger in the back. I am also  tempted to put  in a nice recoiless  rifle

The next diecast repaint was a Jada Toys Battle Rig from their Battle Machines line. I bought this in a Walmart sometime in 2008 thinking that I could use it in a game of Dark Future, but I am tempted to use it as technical gun truck in either AK-47 or CD 3. Of course, I would have to field a force that matches it in all its silliness glory....

Behold the beast in its original paint job! Big boomer is a very shiny  Battle Rig!

 I gave it the usual treatment of disassembly, undercoating with primer, repainting, assembly and then a wash. However I did add a gunner to the main armament as it looked somewhat empty.

I added a gunner using the driver from the Airfix Matador.

The truck is labelled as 1/87 but i think it can fudge as being 1/76.

Of course I gave it the usual brown wash.

And last of all some Johnny Lightning Humvees that I purchased second hand in around 2007. One was from the Military Muscle range of vehicles, while the other was a civilian Hummer H1. They were badly painted so I disassembled them, put them in Simple Green, and finally many years later have undercoated them with grey spray primer.

Disassembled and ready to be sprayed.

And now sprayed in Dulux grey primer!

The Johnny Lightning Humvees are meant to be 1/64 scale, but they size up fairly well to both my 1/72 scale Dragon premades, and my Matchbox diecasts, so I think this could be another example of the stated scale not always being correct. I should probably do a post comparing diecast Humvees at some stage....