I plan to build a nam diorama .So how landscape look like ? is generally wasteland ??? or bushy forest ? i am build a maintanance base
Well it really depends on the location in the Nam. IE. the coast, the delta, the hill, or the jungle. There might be more, but thats just to give you an idea. As for some ideas, it could be a base in the jungle were we had to clear 100’s of yards of jungle. OR if you like sand it could be a base on the coast by the beach…
Anyways when you get started post some pix.
Thanks.
PS…What scale are you working in?
1/35 thanks … A some details 8x M113 ,two mutt staff jeep ,two m48e3 and 2 m88 plus soldiers and tankee techincian and equipments for field maintanance …
its mostly dense jungle from what ive seen. for a good reference u should check out some vietnam war movies like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, and others. movies are always a great inspiration for dios.
Hi mate,
I haven’t been to 'Nam, but I’m currently sitting in a mine office overlooking a picturesque valley in Laos, which is a neighbour of Vietnam. From what I know of Vietnam, the country seems to be pretty similar.
Laos is landlocked, so I can’t comment on the coastal setting. From what I’ve seen of photos however, it seems to be a standard Asian coastline. Check photos from travel brochures/websites for Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, etc.
The lowlands in Laos (mostly river terraces and floodplains) are open, flat and characteristcally cultivated with rice paddy fields. The areas that aren’t cultivated are mostly low, rubbly to rocky rises with fairly sparse tree growth. Thick clumps of bamboo are common in any areas that are not cleared or cultivated. Remember that there’s been generation after generation of hunter-gatherers through this part of the world, so virgin forest or jungle is very rare. The floodplains in Laos usually have paler buff to light brown soils.
Up here in the mountains, the slopes are generally covered with bamboo scrub - typically low, scrubby, secondary regrowth of trees with bamboo and weeds dominant. Some patches of semi-virgin forest can occasionally be seen in the steeper areas where logging is difficult. Mountainous areas usually have darker brown and red-brown soils.
During the rain season, everything is green and lush, the ground is moist and soft and the roads are characterised by water-filled potholes and drains. The dry season brings a complete change, with grasses browned, rice paddies dry and bare and there’s dust everywhere!
Hope this helps in some way.
Geomodeler—Man, you make me want to take a vacation there.
i don t think m113a2 was use in nam ? a2 is a post nam war development
Yes mate, it’s worth a trip. It’s a beautiful country occupied by wonderful, gentle people. Food is terrific and scenery spectacular. It’s one of the few remaining communist countries in the world, but you wouldn’t know it - everything’s very free and easy. The people are very proud of their traditions and Buddhist beliefs, yet are very open to new ideas and technology. The cost of living here is so low it’s laughable; it’s a little hard to get hold of some Western luxuries, but a quick trip across the Mekong to go shopping in Udon Thani (Thailand) aleviates that problem. I’ve been working here for just over a year now and love it!!!
There’s a fascinating military history here too - centuries of fighting between various kingdoms and the more recent communist/royalist battles in the last 40 years. This is the home of “Air America” and the CIA/Hmong air base of Long Chieng is only about 30km up the road from where I am working. The US dropped more tonnage of bombs on Laos during the late 60’s and early 70’s than the total combined tonnage dropped during WW2, so here’s plenty of UXO to be wary of. I have several different sizes of spent cartridges and a rusty mortar bomb fin at my elbow as I write this.
Check out some websites (but avoid the politically oriented ones - most of what you’ll read on those is BS). If you come over here, be sure to visit the the picturesque plateau town of Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars.
Yes, the A2 is a “newer” variant that came around in the late 70s and is still in use today. Vietnam era personnel carriers are of the M113 and M113A1 variety.