Hi,
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what they’re called. In the early 1990’s, Verlinden had a Vietnam aircraft revetment. I believe it was a cast resin product. Part of that product was a pair of pre-fabricated, stamped sheet metal walls. I believe that after the real sheet metal walls were erected, they were filled with sand. These walls appear in many Vietnam era aircraft photos. What are these walls called? Where can I get scale plans to produce them for myself? Do you know where I might be able to still get the Verlinden Vetname revetment? Thanks
I would like to know that to.
mdairbrushguy,
Is this the material you are referring to? (behind the crew)
and
If so, those were corrugated steel panels (akin to PSP but without the holes) that were braced by vertical steel post and normally packed with sand, sand bags, or dirt… or sometime the paneled walls were constructed and sand bags were stacked along both sides. ie:
I have seen corrugated sheet plastic in different scales at my LHS, which could be used to make these type barriers… the only Verlinden Revetment I’ve seen is the one with cast resin sand bagged walls…
Great for stopping shrapnel, but 20mm rounds go through it like it’s not even there!! [:o] (I know) [D)]
Hope this helps…
Take care,
Frank
Not sure where you can find the plans but here is a link to a few photos from the USAF Museum and description.
This is the same stuff we built the US - Mexico border fence out oif in San Diego. I have always heard it referred to as “Marston Matting”, and it was available both solid and perforated (holes about 3"). The stuff interlocks, and once it is, it might as well be solid! Very tough stuff!
Brian
(retired US Border Patrol)
Hi,
First I’d like to thank all who’ve responded to my posting. You’ve all been very helpful.
Photos 1 &2, are scanned from the book “…AND KILL MIGS” by Lou Drendel, third edition and show the type of prefabricated metal walls/revetment I’m referring to. I have to admit that I haven’t seen the other types of prefabricated metal walls before Frank’s (oldhooker) postings. I’m not doubting they were used in ‘Nam. I’ve just never seen them in any photos in any books concerning Vietnam era aircraft.
I guess I should address my sometimes faulty memory (it happens at 50+). When I made my posting, I was remembering an old Squadron mail order catalog. I thought it was a 1992 catalog. Turns out it was a 1990 catalog that showed the VLS product I was trying to describe. The VLS Vietnam revetment I was referring to was in 1/72nd scale. I searched my back issues of FSM to see if VLS ever promoted it in an ad. They did. For those of you with FSM back issues, the VLS revetment I’m referring to appeared in FSMs :December 1987, page 70; and February 1988, page 83… Coincidentally, in FSM December ‘87, in the VLS portion of the ad that appeared on page 71 (the VLS ad appeared on the top portion of two pages), there was a photo of a sandbag revetment similar to Frank’s (oldhooker) posting, but it was slightly different and was described as a Vietnam artillery gun position. However, the sandbag revetment would probably be very appropriate and accurate for a Korean era aircraft – at least in many of the books I have dealing with the Korean War, I frequently see sandbag aircraft revetments.
Photo 3 shows a PORTION of the VLS ad that appeared in FSM February ’88. I’ve circled the portion of the VLS ad showing the revetment product.
The final photo is from the Verlinden book, “THE VERLINDEN WAY VOLUME III ON PLASTIC WINGS.” PLEASE NOTE: the VLS product offered to the public was in 1/72nd scale. The version of the revetment walls that appear in the book is 1/48th scale!
These walls should not be difficult to make from scratch. A cross section of a regular piece of corrugated sheet metal is like a sine wave. The cross section of these walls would appear as a square wave. What has frustrated my attempt at this is that I have no photos from which I can get definitive dimensions. Anything that appears in any of the photos I have are not right up against the walls, but varying distances from them. Since in photos DISTANT things APPEAR smaller than they PHYSICALLY are, I couldn’t get any measurements. In other words, a nose wheel that is closer to the camera in a photo would give false dimensions to a wall that is some distance from it. In other words, the nose wheel would APPEAR larger, the corrugations in the wall would APPEAR smaller, thus giving false dimensions if measurements were taken from the apparent size of the nose wheel.
So, I’d still like to know what these things were called, and where I can get dimensions for the separate corrugated wall pieces and the separate vertical members joining them.
Thanks to all.
–mdairbrushguy
Look up Corrigated decking aka “Q” decking for concrete form work. It comes in various sizes and configurations. The stuff you’ll be looking for is for Heavy construction ie: slab thickness in excess of 8" thick and 12 to 16 guage. There is much lighter stuff 3/4" and 1 1/2" thick sht mtl decking
One of the photos you posted looks like a heavy guage form 4" deep trough with
6" wide bottom pan and 8" to 12" distance between bottom pans…in other photos (like the one with Frank as crew chief) the dimensions are very different vertically
but have an 8 foot to 12 ft lengths (typical) with mid span supports. The vertical supports look like 2X2 tubes.
Hi wibhi2,
Thanks for the info. Sounds like you have some knowledge of construction sites and materials. Some of your reply sizes (distances between bottom pans) is close to what I was guessing (10 - 12"). Do you know of where on the web I can find line drawings of “Q” decking like you described? Thanks.
–mdairbrushguy
Hello,
I don’t know if it can help you.
http://chrbonnet.free.fr/F66-avr05/F66-avr05-42.jpg
Have a nice day
Hmm. The original Marston matting is also known as pierced steel planking (PSP). It was used to make runways, but not revetment walls.
Regards,
You can start here:
http://www.arcat.com/divs/sec/sec05300.cfm
It’s a list of different manufacuterer’s with links to thier catalougs via PDF. The top 4 listed will give you all you need - just click on thier products link
I used to have a link to the Corps of Engineers design details - they got all this stuff fer sure.
Drew,
We used the PSP also, and I wasn’t aware that there was different nomenclature for the two, so thanks for the info! A new lesson learned for the future! I was planning a similar diorama, so I will not use the PSP for revetments.
Regards,
Brian [oops]
Hey Brian,
A lot of my information came (I think) from a Bruce Gamble book called, “The Black Sheep” about Pappy Boyington’s squadron in WWII.
Regards,
Hi liore45,
This actually might be helpful if I can’t get drawings with measurements. First, that’s a 1/72 Italeri EB-66 which basically proves I’m not crazy when I say it was a Verlinden product. Second, the Starboard (right or copilot’s side) wingtip is close to one of the sides of the walls. I happen to have this very same model and might be able to measure and extrapolate accurate enough measurements from this photo and my model’s wingtip. Thanks
–mdairbrushguy
There’s still a couple of these revetments in use at the military end of the Wattay Airport here in Laos. I’ll try to get some photos and measurements, but as the military end is pretty closely guarded (this is still a communist country), I can’t guarantee success.
Mind you, the only things the military here have to guard (hide) is a few Harbin Y-12 commuters and a hangar full of clapped-out and cannibalised Mil-8 helicopters.
Cheers.