hereI have completed the M577A2 for a customer. It depicts one from about 1985 in 5th ID, 105 MI. It is built from the Tamiya M577 kit, with modifications to bring it up to A2 standard. You can see the in-progress build and a description .
Here it is.
More can be seen here.
As always, all comments are welcome.
I like it. It looks great. The inside looks great, like I want to climb in, sit down, and call someone up on a the PRC-77. How did you do those scratches like the one on the right side of the vehicle? Out of curiousity, why are the tops of the fuel cans read?
-Jesse
You are one off-the-hook builder, bro!!! I love the NATO camo scheme. Looks like real CARC. Really an outstanding build!
~J
Thanks guys, glad you like it. For the scratches, I just ran my fingernail down the side and scratched it once all the weathering was done. The fuel cans are red so you can tell what is in them. Red is for MoGas (Motor Gas, unleaded), and yellow is for diesel. Its so you don’t put the wrong fuel in and riun an engine. The generator on an M577A2 used MoGas, while the track used diesel.
Awesome build!!! The interior is amazing, looks like you could just climb aboard and go to work. The details like the maps, wiring on the radios,etc. (are those pencils/pens on the table near the large map?) add realism and definitely put this one over the top. I also like the camo job and weathering. Great job!!![tup]
Gino - the hotel on tracks looks great. Love the seam on either side. Nice drybrushing/weathering. Gives it that good used look without adding a lot dirt. did you use graphite or a dull steel for the weathering.
Tracks look great…what did you do on those. Just a nice touch of rust.
Another masterpiece…it is worth more than any client would pay.
Rounds Complete!!
Are the ejector marks/round holes on the front inner bulkhead supposed to be there, or is it just not something to worry about since it’ll be buttoned up? With all that detail I would have left the roof removable, and wanted to remove those marks.
Nice touch on the MILES velcro tape… I did it the hard way and made the weld bead there, lol…
Beautiful job, Gino–really looks “lived in”!
The chair looks great! Scratchbuild that? Awesome!
The whole thing looks perfect–I’m sure the guy’s gonna love it!
I’m bettin’ money it came outta the kit or from the Command Post figure set… [;)]
Hey Gino… Where’re the map overlays? Those MI guys LOVE acetate…
Thanks guys. It was a really fun build.
The chair does come with the kit, along with another, a table, and 4 1970’s Tamiya figures that make up the Command Figures set.
The MILES velcro is actually below the seam line between the upper and lower hull. I filled and sanded the seam and it disappeared, just as on the actual track.
Yup, there are some holes and injector pin marks on the inside, they won’t really be seen though. Guess I got a little lazy there. The top is still removable too. It fits right in nice and snug.
Yes, the black things by the map are pens, or markers, your choice.
The tracks are the kit rubber band ones. I first spray them flat black. Then a wash of a rust color, another of a sandy coor, and a third of a brown earth color. Next, I touch up the rubber pads in flat black. Then drybrush with a little more rusty brown and some armor sand. Touch the high spots with some steel and you are done.
The overall weathering is a sand pin wash, then a a brown pin wash, and finally a black pin wash. Then an overall drybrushing of armor sand.
Geez Gino! Lookin’ at your pics gave me a serious flashback to my enlisted days as a 31C! Really great work! Thanks for bringing back the memories!!!
Sweet job Gino[tup] All’s it’s missing is the empty coffee cups and crumpeled up cig packs [;)]
And a trash bag…
Now I don’t want to tell Hans he is wrong but…the black trash bag is not inside…somebody hangs it from one of the rear fender handles…usaully with 100 mile an hour tape.
Usaully hung on the right so it is out of the way of the door during night ops!!
Also need a cot under the table…that usaully comes out for radio watch…at least a f@rt sack…for the truly hard core.
Rounds Complete!!
Get out of my head, man! Get outta of my head!
Coffee cups? What is that an Army thing [BG]? We just used our canteen cups. Does the military even issue canteen cups anymore?
There’s all kinds of left-over sleeves of cups from T-rats… Plus, we always had plenty of styrofoam cups bought from unit MRW funds… As for canteen cups, we were issued two canteens and one canteen cup. Mine was so fire-blackened that I never bothered to try to turn it in. It was just added to the statement of charges for everything else I “lost” when I was clearing the unit…
Awesome work Gino.
Thanks guys. All great memories. As to the canteen cup, I always carried two. One for making coffee, and one to shave in. It sucked when you mixed them up though. Coffee and Shaving Cream just isn’t the same as coffee and cream. [xx(]