Well done Robin; such dedication to the modeller’s art!
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Can’t let a conundrum escape without taking a shot at it
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Exactly. Remember there is an inline 6 cylinder engine in each sidewall of the track. ( a maintenance nightmare from what I’ve been told from a guy who worked on those things) The interior troop compartment is rather narrow by comparison to the top deck. The Drivers hatch looks about the same size roughly to that on a 113, just maybe a tad bit smaller… as were most young enlisted GI’s compared to us older guys… especially when seen with the late Sherman type TC cupola.
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Following your build Brian as I also have the Hobby Link M59, I just need a M38 (and time) to build this photo;
This photo gives a bit of an idea of the drivers hatch size.
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There’s a reason why the army likes to recruit skinny 18-year-olds rather than us larger “mature” adults! Still, I’m sure that under fire we’d all manage to squeeze through that hatch - it just takes the motivation of impending death…
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Absolutely Tom; it’s a well known fact that adrenalin is coloured brown.
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I was so tempted to do the same - it the pic with the M38. I’m sure you’re aware that Plus Model do an M38 - or rather, at least make an effort towards one, however, the only game in town really. I’ve a couple in the stash just awaiting such vehicles as the mighty M59!
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Wait, what? You’re saying this isn’t a photograph of US airborne troops on the eve of D-Day?
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God - that takes me back to the fat knackers who attend Brit military shows - especially those, who, for some reason seem to feel that a long leather coat and an SD uniform is a good look. I mean, with the waistbelt straining, and then some, what the hell is that all about?
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The paratroopers that need to use the extra large canopies …
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Yes a heavy drop cargo chute…..
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We had a medic in our battalion who was a beefy guy, coincidentally last name of Husky. One of the guys in my platoon used to call him ”heavy drop” 
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Funnily enough, there was a Royal Army Ordnance Corps unit called 16 Parachute Heavy Drop Company; it was responsible for rigging all the equipment - vehicles mainly - that were required to be dropped in with the Parachute Regiment when they dropped in wherever.
It was also the posting of choice for those Junior Leaders keen to earn their jump wings (not this callsign!) so many, irrespective of trade group, sought a posting there. One of my fellow recruits in my Platoon (that is, in the Junior Leaders Battalion from 69-71) despite being trained as a Staff Clerk (and also a fairly ahem, chunky individual), ended up there, got himself mega-fit, did his Para training, and ultimately transferred to the SAS. He was involved in several of the raids in the Falklands campaign, and sadly, piled in - with others - when a Seaking helicopter went into the Atlantic during a transfer between ships. Very tragic. He bothered to visit me during my first posting to a Corps HQ in 1972 in what was then West Germany. I’ve never forgotten him.
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Well, I’ve been busy converting a figure suitable for the Driver of the M59 - small hatch notwithstanding:
Not much will be seen of course, but I think he’ll do just fine:
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Are you depicting the driver in a Field Jacket or fatigues? If your modeling him in fatigues, the shoulder epaulettes need to come off, if he’s in a Field Jacket, it needs to be more bulky
Fatigues
Field Jacket
Pardon the Elvis photos, but they are great examples for reference.
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They are indeed.
It’ll be an M51 Field Jacket so the epaulettes stay; hardly any of it shows once he’s in position so any bulking out would be pointless I feel:
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Looking at the figure in the hatch, you’re quite correct. Not enough of his torso is visible to make any uniform difference noticeable.
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I mentioned a couple, (of NATO distractions) but here’s a third; arrived today - the mighty M75 courtesy of Domi – who was extremely helpful - at Retro Tracks:
A fairly substantial chunk of resin but of course, the only game in town!
And the rest of the contents:
Including several pages of instructions; all geared towards a vehicle in Belgian service - note the decals:
which I built several years ago:
I will probably use these tracks despite the resin ones looking quite amenable:
I believe this was really the first US deployed full-tracked APC to West Germany where my modelling predilections lie.
The build, or rather the final setting, will be ably abetted by this excellent book (the same criterion applies to the M59 of course):
and also this one, which has several pics that appeal:
of which this is one:
Lastly, the unbuilt (obviously) M75 and M59 positioned together:
So, I could be busy this Summer; I don’t enjoy resin much, but equally, I’m not chary of it, which used to be the case(!) Certainly, the availability of the AFV Club tracks can remove the sting a little - be they the rubber-band type or the separate links.
Anyway, to those Cold War aficionados out there, these salient vehicles do exist.
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That’s a great lineup you got going there
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