Hi! I’m finishing a Monogram M48A2 (great gift!). I’m learning a bunch about aging and detailing, and I’d really like to make a diorama to display it. I’m thinking a Vietnam jungle scene, since they were used there the most by the US Army. However, I’m completely stymied on how to make a jungle scene.
Any tips?
I don’t think those were.
Nothing like looking at pictures. A lot of the operations are in kind of open country.
Hello!
For a patton to look good in the jungle, you would have to really wreck the fenders of it. But there are also other options - a dusty highway or a really obnoxious mudfield, a rice paddy or tall grass are all viable options.
Maybe you would like to check out my web page for ideas?
Good luck with your build and have a nice day
Paweł
Wow, beautifully done kit! Tall grass is an interesting idea, particularly as the kit comes with six infantry figures. What would be good to use as tall grasses? Dusty highway is also nice too. I’m really wanting to put “jungle” into the theme, but that might not be feasible. At least, not with someone at my moderate skill level.
We need input from one of the Armor Gurus.
But, if I remember right the A2 did not stay with front line units much after 64 or 65. So the Pattons that went to VN were A3s
But, that still leaves many diorama opportunities–from motor pools anywhere in the worl to feild training exercises, again almost anywhere in the world.
If your heart is set on a jungle, an FTX in Ft Riley, KS could be said to fit the bill.
Can’t recall seeing one in 69 in the jungle area I was. The only tracked vehicles I ran into IN the jungle were APC’s and Rome plows now and again. I have seen picture of them under triple canopy though and I bet a diarama could look great.
For what it’s worth, when I was doing research for the project, I used Wikipedia (I know, I know…) which had this to say:
“The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’s primary battle tank in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.”
So, research is research, but it might be flawed! This is also the first vehicle I’ve ever done – all of my previous work is with modern aircraft. So this is quite a project!
“The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until replaced by the M60 and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps’s primary battle tank in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.”
The above is a true statement, but there were different versions of the M48 throughout its service life. As CapnMac says, the M48A2 was not used in Vietnam. All tanks sent there were M48A3s, which is very different from the horribly detailed, ancient Monogram M48A2 kit. I would just build it for practice and get the much better Dragon M48A3 if you want to build an accurate diorama of one in Vietnam.
The M48 (modernized versions) were still in use by the US Army until the early 80s (M48A5 with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea) and the Army National Guard (mainly the 40th Infantry Division and 50th Armor Division) until the early 1990s. These tanks were brought up to M60A1 RISE/Passive standards in terms of fire control and engine powertrain.
I remember reading that the M48A2 was initially used by the Marines, but was replaced soon after by the diesel engined M48A3. I’m not sure about the US Army’s use of the M48A2 vs. the M48A3 in the Vietnam War, but I assumed this common photograph of the 5th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment tank was an M48A2 taken early during the Vietnam War. I could be wrong.
Ohhhh! Very, very interesting. Thanks for the tip!
Found some interesting information. The M48A2 was deployed with the 1-77th Armor from August '68 to January '69. I’m not sure if any of them ever saw combat, but at least they were actually there. (if even for a short amount of time)
Nevertheless – I’m taking everyone’s advice and using this kit as a trial for more advanced techniques like washes and dry brushing. I don’t have to worry about it if I’m not going to display it, right? [:D]
Thanks again for all the info! I’ll be sure to grab the A3 kit once I’m done beating up on this kit…
http://www.steeltigers.org/gallery_vietnam01.php
Have a look at their website. The A2 saw some action in Vietnam, but the A3 was the far more widely used version.
Great link, thanks Stikpusher.
Hello!
Are we talking M48A2 or M48A2C here?
As for the tall grass, you could buy a large brush, disassemble it and use the bristles for grass, or use some kind of fibre - I recall getting mine from a pet shop, they were selling long, straight fibres (don’t even know what for) - and cut to length and planted in clumps those fibres made good tall grass.
Hope it helps, have a nice day
Paweł
You’re welcome. I’ve been looking to do an Army M48A2 using the new Revell Germany kit. Looking thru all M48 Vietnam photos that I can find and 1/77 Armor is the only unit that I can find that definitely used A2s, at least for awhile in Vietnam. So I saved their site for reference.
Hopefully you can get some good diorama ideas from those photos.
M48A2, no C
Hmm, good idea with the brush. Might have to buy a few of them! I wonder if the fake flowers and such from Michael’s might have something that would work. Possibly make jungle settings by pulling off the petals and winding “trunks” together. Hmm.
I just noticed for the first time that the whole heading for this question of mine was misspelled Vienam…
A good option for dried grass is twine or manila rope/line. Unwind the stuff and cut it to desired length. If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby check their railroad scenic for stuff that will work for your foliage.
Externally/visually, the only difference between the M48A2 and M48A2C is the presence or lack of a tension idler between the last roadwheel and the sprocket wheel.
Given the above, I’m wondering if the best dio for the kist would not be a sandbag revetment and a camo net canopy, set up as a bit of an in-country motorpool.
Good excuse for as much or as little red dirt weathering are desired. Camo net acting as a bit of a veil so we don’t have to look too closely at the Monogram kit’s foilbles.
I’m kind of thinking simple here, to not need broad areas recreating triple canopy or rice paddocks or the like.
That’s a very interesting idea. Probably cheaper to buy sandbags and camo netting than all the fake vegetation that I’d need. Which, incidentally,I found that Michael’s has loads of fake plants that would work ideally for a wilderness scene. Maybe not a triple canopy jungle… [;)]
That is to say, plants that could be cut apart and reshaped to make jungles and sch.
I just finished my 25 year build of Tamiya’s M-48. Since I was just getting back in to the hobby I decided to do some experimenting on creating a diorama. The tank was going to be entering a stream so I decided I needed bamboo. What I ordered was from Amazon. There was no manufactor’s name, just:
After I sprayed Dullcoat on it the bamboo didn’t look too bad. I think drybrushing some color on it would have made it a bit better. In any case, the star of the show is the vehicle, so I wasn’t too overly concerned about how the bamboo looked, other than that it didn’t look too toy like.
And yes, I’ll get some pictures soon and post them. 