I finished this (well, it’s not really finished, but am working on another project now) a couple months ago, and posted images earlier but those were not good quality pics. So I’m trying again. Disclaimer: these images worked on the test forum.
If this looks familiar, it’s because I used an FSM article on the M113 for a lot of guidance and help. It’s an Italeri kit with Eduards and Verlinden AM sets and Friul tracks ( I really like these tracks), and a little bit of scratchbuilding. The kit didn’t fit very well requiring a bit of adjusting, fitting, and refitting to get it right.
Comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated.
Some forum members recommended/suggested I not use Yahoo to post URL photos so I’m trying this with Photobucket as my URL. Hope it works.
Sorry about all the red Xs. I swear this worked on the test forum, but when I opened the message in the Armor forum, I too got the red Xs. Maybe it has something to do with my work computer from which I posted the photos. I’ll try again at home and see if I can avoid posting more red Xs.
I see the right front oblique, left front oblique, left rear oblique and overhead shot. The final photo is a red X and I even tried to cut/paste the url int the address field. The url for that shot does not appear to be done any differently than the other four.
It loks good, but I would have varied the colors of the canvas stowage. Also the floor plates (skid plate portion) is unpainted bare aluminum, not sea foam green.
Looks really good, I wouldn’t change a thing. Congratulations on a very cool 113! This vehicle is delivering chow!, right down to the mermite cans in the back!
Looks pretty good. Only things I would fix are the color of the rear floorplates as MAJ Rob already pointed out, they should be bare metal. Also, seats should not be leather brown, they were either flat black vinyl or OD green canvas. Seat backs on the troop seats should be Seafoam Green as well, not brown; they are metal, not padded. Seat cusions (esp. TC seat) have visible knock-out pin marks as well that would look better filled in and smoothed out. Some variation on colors of the gear and accessories would liven it up a bit as well. It all blends together as it stands. You have done a great job an a pretty poor kit, the worse of the M113 kits out there. Did you scratch or add the instrument panel and power distribution box (left of the driver) that is missing from the Italeri kit? Good job, a few tweaks and it will be great.
Looks very good - if you want something a little different, lay two or three layers of sandbags on the floor. Most of the guys I know who operated in the 113s were more afraid of mines (which tended to sprout overnight on well traveled routes) and B-40 rockets (the initial version of the RPG-7, which would penetrate the sides of a 113 like they were butter). They prefered to line the floor of the vehicle with two or three layers of sand bags and ride on top. That way, if they were hit by rockets or a mine, they would be blown off the top, not trapped inside.
Real good job on your 113 Steve! The little things like the strapping and slings on the equipment and weapons adds to the look of an excellent build. It will be no trouble to change the seats to an OD color, which is what they should be. Thanks for sharing a very good build with us. Semper Fi, Mike
Keiler,
Looks great! All you need to finish it up Vietnam-style is a big gun sheild on the .50 and two smaller ones on the M-60s. We used to use them that way and call it and ACAV, for Armored Cavalry. And dirty up the tracks with some red clay … that stuff got into everything. If you want to get real detailed, have a couple cases of C-rations lashed down with bungie cords and hang some rolls of concertina barbed wire off the front slope. And you can’t leave out an M-79 Grenade launcher laying beside the commander’s cupola. Whoa … lookout … I’m having a flashback …
Thanks all for the comments and critiques, I do appreciate them. I was a combat engineer platoon leader in the early 90s and had 4 M113s in my platoon. But for the life of me I couldn’t remember what the troop seats looked like or if the floor boards were painted or bare metal, so I went with the kit instructions. And to echo a comment, it was a poor kit in respect to details and fit. I scratch built the instrument panel/box and added an Eduards PE instrument film and outer panel. It turned out pretty nice.
I highly recommend the Friul tracks, they’re made from white metal and if assembled/glued together right will remain flexible just like real tracks.
I realized after the fact that I could’ve lightened up more on the canvas bags, packs and rucks but I was pleased with the result then and was eager to get to my next project. I want to put this track on a fairly simple diorama base sometime in the future because I have yet to build a diorama. But now my priority is on super detailing a TBM-1C Avenger, and it’s really fun.
