M113 ACAV & Crew

[SoCalBobS]

It's been a while since I posted here, but here is my latest project; TongDe's M113 ACAV with crew. The M113's crew was two, so the extra figures are from other vehicles, off the frame The M24 106mm recoilless rifle is a 3D printed product. I use this vehicle in IR battles, so the driver's hatch was removed for an IR receiver. The M24 has a 3mm OD IR emitter installed. The gun can traverse about 90 degrees, operated by a servo linkage.

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M113 ACAV 17.jpg (209.86 KiB) Viewed 869 times

M113 ACAV 16.jpg (212.65 KiB) Viewed 869 times

I've included a photo of a real one in Vietnam, to support my weathering effort:

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[Estnische]

Really nice work Bob!

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Good work! You wisely chose the ACAV version from Tongde! And more and more 1/16 Vietnam-era figures are becoming available (and already sold out!). What did you use to replicate the Vietnam dust color? Is that a pastel powder? paint?

[SoCalBobS]

Good work! You wisely chose the ACAV version from Tongde! And more and more 1/16 Vietnam-era figures are becoming available (and already sold out!). What did you use to replicate the Vietnam dust color? Is that a pastel powder? paint?

Hiya! For those of us of a certain age, the M113 ACAV is almost as iconic as the Huey Chopper! I used AK's Vietnam Earth Pigment for the reddish mud, and AK's Europe Earth Pigment for the upper area surface streaks. I applied it with a brush, then used White Spirits to get the effects I wanted.

Side fact: I used Vallejo's spray can of UK Bronze Green as my base. I don't know what the real paint looked like, but the photos I gathered all had that dark green appearance. The tracks were shiny metal originally. I used "Perma Blue", a gun bluing liquid to turn them gray, then washed them with AK's Track Wash. Then I ran it through the dirt in my back yard!

The M113 Crew figures are 3D Files on "MyMiniFactory". Excellent sculpting of a very niche set of subjects.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Thank you: that's all useful information for me and likely for others, too.

[HERMAN BIX]

Thats a slick machine Mr SoCal.
Very well done rendition of a famous warhorse.
How does it drive being very light ?

[Marc780]

Your paint and weathering are great! Detailing is spot on right down to the barbed wire. IDK if you mentioned the reason that M-113's in Vietnam were often photographed with barbed wire attached but usually it was there to "discourage" enemy VC/NVA from climbing on (an event that to the crew of an M113, could be nothing less than terrifying...).
I couldn't help notice while the vehicle was dirty, the guns are all spotless, especially that M40 recoil-less rifle. Also completely correct, a crew might be forced to drive a dirty track but, almost never would that mounted M40 be dirty too for obvious reasons - the guns were of course, top priority and they'd be the first thing the crew would clean up after a mission).

Where ever did you find the decals i.e. star and all the rest? The model does not come with decals for the US Army M113, the decals are only for the Israeli one. So anybody who needs the painted side star for their M113, just buy the decal set for the Heng Long 1/16 Sherman. The white star is sized exactly right, and so is the smaller "US ARMY" text too. (These particular decals are peel off and you need to cut around the star as closely as you can before you apply them).

[SoCalBobS]

Thanks guys!
Herman; mine is the metal tracked version, so it does have some weight. It runs pretty smooth on dirt.
Mark; sharp eye! Yes, the guns are clean on purpose! Regarding the decals, I have a box full from miscellaneous origins, but I think you are correct.