M-113A1 ACAV APC - Vietnam - Build

[Ad Lav]

Lovely work Louis.

It's come together really well.

[lmcq11]

Hi,

Continuing with the interior

I selected a very small Zippy Compact 1000 to fit the available space in the front. The proper connector was cut from an Heng Long battery and welded on the Zippy. The M-113 is just to drive around and has no combat capabilities so no need for much energy.

Zippy Compact 1000

The battery is encased in the front engine compartment under the I beam.

Zippy Compact 1000

The On-Off switch got the luxury of a mount. The battery can still be disconnected.

M-113 Acav

The grill will be made to be more easily removed than the whole front top.

M-113 Acav

Field trials were done. The M-113 is very light, small and runs very well.

M-113 Acav

Engine bulkhead was permanently fixed. Started to hide the driver area. The single diamond tread plates are installed with their retaining devices seen on pictures replicated on the floor.

M-113 Acav

M-113 Acav

Here is something you likely never saw. This is a 1/16 Shapeways AN/VCR-12 radio set. It was available and is very detailed so it made sense to order it instead of trying to scratch build this item. It will be installed on a shelf inside the vehicle and is the right radio for the M-113. It is expensive but 2 sets are provided. This Vietnam era radio was installed on many type of vehicles.

Shapeways AN/VCR-12 radio

Regards, Louis

[BarryC]

Awesome build!

Barry

[c.rainford73]

Louis I'm in awe of your build The battery cabinet is super and there is so much more to like. Really enjoying this one. The Panzer III tracks look the part on your lovely wheels and the interior view is stunning.

Carl

[Ad Lav]

Sublime work!

[lmcq11]

Hi,

Here is the rear ramp mechanism before closing the area to hide it from view

M113 rear ramp mechanism

The Heng Long Sherman rotating elevation unit is tied to a push rod that is linked to the rear ramp through a brass tube that will be under the passenger seats.

M113 rear ramp mechanism

As the tube will run under the seats and covered by cases of beer and ammo, it should not show too much. Actually, the mechanism is not far from the real one. I tried to make the arrangement as simple and cheap as possible. Having the elevation unit at the front created complexities but I wanted the back of the vehicle to be free for the crew and as accurate as possible.

M113 rear ramp mechanism

As you can imagine, a lot of adjustment was required to get the ramp to open all the way down and up against the rear plate.

M113 rear ramp mechanism

Here is a short YouTube video of the mechanism in operation.

https://youtu.be/LqRwN2n5JOM


Regards, Louis

[c.rainford73]

Louis it's brilliant

[Reaper332]

Louis this bloody brillant .... been wanting to build one of these myself and I think after seeing yours I might give it crack...

Cheers Ken

[lmcq11]

Hi, thank you,
With over 80,000 M-113 built in so many versions, the potential is unlimited and I will be tempted to do another one of these days, such as the M-163 with the 20mm Gatling gun with the cool flotation units, or a Zelda. Just wish Heng long could provide the base.

Interior pictures are difficult to find though and no M-113 seems to look the same, some having 50 years of modernization on them. Things would be much simpler without worrying about the interior. However, because this specific ACAV model will have at least 6 guys inside, outside and through hatches, the moving ramp was a must. I was a surprise how much free space for the crew I could provide in the back compartment, can't leave that empty on a APC version. The elevation unit takes a bit of interior space at the front but there are limits to what I can squeeze in there and maintain authenticity.

Regards, Louis

[Ad Lav]

I think we have a contender for build of the year!