That turned out very well. Accurate Armour tracks can be a tad tricky, but in the end yours look great.
Unfortunately, decades ago, one of the talking heads suggested using boiling water to fit these tracks. I imagine someone who got a visit from the good idea fairy and never actually tried it. Folks have been listening to that advice ever since.
I’ve built several A-A kits over the years, and initially tried the old boiling water method myself. It doesn’t work well. Or at least there’s a much easier method - the wife’s hair dryer. Even on low setting the heat is quite sufficient to heat the track. What I like about this method is you can install the top run and heat it and induce exactly the amount of sag you want while the track is installed. I use little pieces of cardboard to keep the heat away from areas I don’t want it to go.
Well with other projects out of the way it was time to get the running gear straightened out, I was able to get the track lengths removed with Acetone but it wouldn’t penetrate the socket the wheel strut was fixed to so I was forced to break each one then drill a hole in the strut arm and corresponding torsion bar hub to allow a pin to reinforce the joint . .
. . . I decided the easiest way to get the tracks on would be to treat them as a link and length affair rather than trying to bend them around the drive sprocket and idler, turns out the M29 Weasel uses the same track configuration, the tracks in Revell’s kit don’t have the rubber blocks in the cleats but I don’t know if the track runs are long enough for the M114 . . .
. . . the right side run looks ugly and I may hve to muddy up the assembly to disguise the rickity joins (honestly doesn’t look any worse than the demo on AA website). . .
. . . I was far enough along in the build that the smaller detail items were getting broken while trying to wrangle the tracks on. I can’t say this is a great kit, it’s a resin cast product with all the inherent issues of such, but it isn’t a lousy kit either and I can’t deny the giddy excitement I had when Accurate Armor released this offering from the early SEA era. I had a near tragic fail with the road wheel alignment first time around but we persevered.
. . . sorry the picture/lighting quality is so poor and of course there’s some finishing touches still to go and btw, the markings are pure conjecture, there is very little info for this AFV’s service with the ARVN armor school or Cavalry units. It was deemed insufficient for different reasons for USARV but the little guy could scoot
most people don’t know it but the ARVN also used the M41 and M48a3 as well. They also fielded 105mm and 155mm arty as well. Never saw them on an SPG, but were common to see on M113’s and the M114. Nice thing (unlike the rest of us) is that they liked camo and fancy paint jobs. Another interesting tid bit was that they used a Toyota 2 1/2 ton truck. Looked a lot like the M35, but also different.
gary
Ah the M41 is on my list to build as part of the ARVN contingent along with an M606 (CJ3B), the “Walker Bulldog” was my first Tamiya model, sometime around 1973 I think and was the one that got me hooked on Tamiya kits, later their M551 Sheridan started my enthusiasm for 'Nam period models, after that M41 I’d turn my nose up at Revell or Monogram and Heller or Airfix were junk to me.
I like the way you think Greg, I may have to get my hands on a blow dryer to get more sag in the track, and I might just mix up some mud ( baby powder and paint), ARVN troops practiced concealment with brush liberally on their armor and afv’s so there’s that to consider . . . there are about 29 vehicles I’d like to represent on this display . . . I can’t even imagine posing figures, say 5 per wagon, to create a true diorama, it would be neat though.
Thanks for checking in, love your idea . . . I can just visualize jacks and come-alongs with cheater pipes and wrenches, whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
My first time posting on a forum… These pics sure bring back memories. I spent 19 months in Korea 1967-68 with the 10th Cav stationed near the DMZ at Camp Kaiser. We used these 114A1’s for most of our recon. We sometimes used M-38 and M-151 Jeeps. The M-114s were the Hot Rods at the time. Our track mechanics would disable the engine governers and we could hit 60 MPH cross country. One of the weaknesses of the 114s were the sectioned tracks. They would mostly break at the section joints when the driver used “pivot steer”. You had to be really careful in sandy soil as it would pack in around the road wheels and snap the track as you pivoted. Somewhere I have pictures of my assigned 114 (A-22) with it’s original camo paint job. If I can find the pictures I’ll post them here. I would love to build one of these kits but unfortunately they are out of my price range. Thanks for the memories.
Chuck @Tophand welcome aboard brother and thanks for your comments, definately reccomend waiting for Takom to release their issue of the M114 series, I feel your pain regarding the kit price, Hobby Fan has an M501 HAWK loading tractor that I want b-b-b-bad but justfying that payout . . . well, Hawk Hill may not happen here . . . or will it, hmmm.
One expensive kit or 3 - 5 less expensive ones …
it’s the same dollars except that you need to cluster them in one case.
Convert it to Cokes or cans of beer to figure out how long you need
to be drinking water to finance that HAWK loading tractor
I think I’m gonna need a bigger peice of plywood . . . AND hit the lottery, my fantasy went “Apocalyps Now” surreal when Masterpiece Models came out with their Program 5 riverine craft . . . can you imagine!
I must correct myself, as there was one lonely M107 located in Chu Lai long after the U.S. was gone. It was parked right next to the striped awning of the MAG 13 PX. Seems like I read or heard that the ARVN used a few M48a2 gas engine tanks.
gary
contrary to popular belief; you did not wear the yellow scarf or Stetson hat outside the wire. There was a bounty on them. Wanta say $25, and that was big money to the average local VC folks. You always look the same without rank on your uniform. We’d get on you about that unless we didn’t like you.
gary
You mentioned the M-48a2 tank. Our 10th Cav line platoons each had 3 of the M-48a2c type with a 90mm main gun and the gas engine. Each platoon had one of these with a searchlight co-axially mounted on the main tube. We used these tanks for “Searchlight Patrol”. The tank would be set in a certain position to augment our nighttime foot patrols. If a foot patrol heard or suspected some movement they could call and have the tank light up an area. Of course the tank would have to change position after a light sweep. Our TOC woulld have assigned at least three positions for the tank on any given night. We flushed out many infiltrators this way. Hmmm… that might make a pretty good diorama. The Korean DMZ- what a life a lifetime ago.
This is good stuff Chuck @Tophand, I enjoy hearing different tactics and maneuvers for Armored Cav units, I know we’d all like to see you get a blog build started for a dio on the DMZ . . . scouts out!
