JLTV UTL M1278 and an RG-33 SOCOM AUV Build Conversion

Well guys, thanks for the positive words! As you all know, as soon as you scratch one, somebody will make a kit of it! :smile:

As for things, personal life and real work have been keeping me busy, but, yesterday, while watching the Warriors game, well I also got after this, and kept doing so well into the night - the plan - to more or less finish what’s going on, on the roof!

You’ll once again see the results of repurposing remnant etch sprues, and evergreen. This was all pretty interesting, as there are several oddly shaped brackets that attach to each other.

In general, I don’t like making fragile models, as I can just about guarantee that I will eventually knock parts off. So, when I could, I used resin bolts going through the etch and into something solid, and like real life, they do a great job holding things in place. Also, if possible, I’d pin etch to etch, or add some reinforcing to the inside, with lead foil - as in, right off the top of a wine bottle - you can’t see it, and it works just fine. Finally, got after adding on bolt heads.

Ok, enough rambling, and on we go:

It doesn’t seem the designers of this truck wasted much space!

For this, I used a lot of .010" styrene too - while not as strong as etch or thin sheet brass, it’s easier to cut and get good connections. There’s also a lot of .020" styrene.

Believe it or not, there is still more to add :sweat_smile:

So on we go - happy model building,

Cheers
Nick

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