M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

[palepainter]

What a great job. Thoroughly enjoyed reading though it.

[c.rainford73]

Yes its a history lesson and a visual treat, such incredible detail and effort go into your builds Louis

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[Max-U52]

You should stick with the Carling's Black Label. When I was a kid that was the beer that my dad used to drink, and it's also the very first beer that I ever tasted.

[Max-U52]

Are you sure about that CAR-15, Louis? That looks a lot like an M4 to me. When I was in the Army we had both the Colt AR-15 and the M16 and other than the lettering you really couldn't tell the difference between the two.

[tankme]

Max152,

The CAR-15 is a different variant of the M16. It was Colt's attempt to associate Stoner's design (AR=Armalite Rifle) with Colt (CAR=Colt AR). You can tell the difference between a CAR-15 and an M4 due to the longer muzzle device on the CAR. The M4 uses the standard M16A2 "birdcage" flash hider while the CAR used an extended muzzle device. Also the M4 typically has the stepped barrel that was designed to accept the M203 grenade launcher. Both the CAR-15 and M4 use a shorter barrel typically 10" for the CAR, 14" for the M4, and the standard M16 barrel is 20". The CAR-15 predates the M4 by quite a few years. The CAR-15 is based off the original M16A1 and the M4 is based off the newer M16A2. Both were designed as smaller packages for special operations. So as far as Vietnam War era, the CAR-15 would be the correct weapon as the M4 was not designated as a prototype weapon until 1983.

We had M16A1s in basic training in the Army. I used an M16A2 as my primary weapon in Korea and in Bosnia we were issued M4s, but the M16A2 was the primary weapon of most of the troops at that time. I also carried the Beretta M9 in Bosnia, but I was only attached to a unit in Bosnia and therefore our weapons were not standard issue for that unit. It led to a lot of questions like, "Hey, where did you get that short M4?" and "What is that unit patch?". The M4 now seems to be the Army's primary weapon as most of the guys I saw in Afghanistan were carrying M4s.

[lmcq11]

Good view of a Nung mercenary working for MACV-SOG and superbly equipped with a CAR-15 carbine mounted with an M-203 40mm grenade launcher under the barrel.

CAR-15

CAR15.jpg (39.79 KiB) Viewed 3267 times

[Max-U52]

Well, I guess you learn something new everyday. Is the CAR-15 the same as the AR-15? The ones we had when I was in Germany were only marked AR-15 and in a different place they said Colt. Other than that, we really couldn't tell the two apart.

[tankme]

The CAR-15 in military use would have a single shot and a full auto setting. The civilian version of the CAR-15 is the AR-15 in semi auto form with a minimum barrel requirement of 16" for US sale. The modern AR-15 is typically only used and marketed to civilians as a semi-auto rifle, but they can be manufactured for military and LEO use as full auto (or 3rnd burst) weapons. An M16 has the ability to do full auto or a 3 round burst depending on the model of the weapon, but it is an AR-15 by the design specifications. "M-16" is the military nomenclature for an AR-15 rifle. Just like the M9 is the nomenclature for the Beretta 96 handgun. M-16s and CAR-15s are not typically eligible for a US citizen to own due to being classified as machine guns. The AR-15 is fully legal for a US citizen to own if it is semi-auto only. You can drop a full auto sear in some AR-15s to convert them to fully automatic (IE: machine gun by law), but you would be breaking federal law in the US without the proper permits and tax stamps. There are small manufacturing changes that most civilian companies do to their AR-15s that make them not easily convertible to full auto. So technically all of these rifles are AR-15s since they are all licensed back to the Stoner's design and Armalite's patent.

[lmcq11]

The official designation for the carbine on this build is the XM-177E2, with the barrel 1.5 inches longer than the earlier XM-177E1 and with a bolt forward assist. Although is was given mostly to special forces, I figured that any tank crew that could put their hands on one would have kept it as a prized possession. Tank crews would have appreciated its smaller size for handling and storage in the turret compared to a standard M-16A1 seen in reference picture. As I had one in my hands, it was too tempting to use it on this build.

[lmcq11]

Hi,

Here is the buildup of the last tank cavalry rider.

This figure will be based on the Verlinden 2771 "Jungle Recon Vietnam", a point man equiped with an M79 40mm single shot grenade launcher, a Remington shot gun and a Colt 1911. However, by 1970 when this build is dated, the M79 would have been mostly replaced by the M203 grenade launcher mounted under the barrel of a M-16A1 or Car-15. It is advertised as 120mm and 1/16 at the same time...

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

Most importantly, this figure is probably the only one featuring the 40mm ammo vest with the individual pouches for one grenade. However, the legs come separately from the lower body so it was not initially obvious how to make a tank rider of it.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

The M-203 was a more efficient weapon than the M79 by allowing the grenadier to be also be a rifleman.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

Capture3.JPG (36.82 KiB) Viewed 3212 times

Verlinden produces an M-16A1 with a M-203. It is available with one more modern figure but also comes with a weapon set that includes a SAW machine gun and a Stinger SAM. Cheapest place to buy it is at Spruebrothers.com at $9. That Stinger is a small kit on its own.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

Advertised as 120mm scale, the M-16/M-203 is exactly the same size as the Reedees M-16A1 in 1/16 scale. The Verlinden gun seems bigger on this picture but it is an illusion because it is closer to the camera than the other. The same situation occurs often with Verlinden scale. As an example, their advertised 1/15 M-113A2 APC is actually a perfect 1/16 scale, although the M2 machine gun included in the kit is 1/15. It is interesting to compare the details on the two renditions of the m-16. Each have their own specific areas that is better than the other. Notice that Reedees selector is set on Safe, while Verlinden's is on full auto. The bolt cover is open on Reedees, closed on Verlinden. I wish they had the more cool 30 round magazines instead of the 20 rounds.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

The legs of the figure were softened over boiling water and given an angle, then after some trimming were attached horizontally to the front torso. Putty was used to bridge the gaps and recreate the lower uniform sides. The area on both sides will be covered by ammo pouches so no need for a lot of effort here.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

Capture7.JPG (95.44 KiB) Viewed 3212 times

His hands are a perfect fit to hold on to the M-203.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

His head with a scarf is having the right look and feel. I also replaced the large Verlinden jungle boots by SOL models ones that I had in stock, I thought they were better looking and more finely sculpted. The position of the left hand allowed me to avoid detailing the trigger of the M-203.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build

He will not be carrying his original Remington or Colt 1911 bit he was given two M-16 magazine pouch and a smoke grenade instead. Notice the back of the ammo vest.

M551 Sheridan Airborne light tank - Vietnam - build