Rok k311a1

I just finished up Academy’s ROK K311a1 (KIA KM450) which for me is the closest thing to the 60’s Jeep M715 which I own one of. Overall, it was a pretty easy build that went together well. Fit was great and it basically fell together, and details were decent enough that I didn’t need to add much.

This was my first attempt at airbrushing a MERDC style paint job.

I went with a light weathering to show a truck that had not been beat up too much and just some light dust.

And my real 1967 Jeep M715 that I restored.

Maybe one day someone will finally produce a kit of the M715’s so I can replicate mine in 1/35th.

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Well, you have access to complete references so maybe a conversion based on the Academy kit would be within reach?

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You can get in line behind the 1/24 1971 Volvo P1800E I need to replicate the car my wife drove when we met.

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Actually that was the main reason I bought this kit when it came out last year. But unfortunately the K311A1 is close but not quite the same as the M715. About the only useable pieces would be the doors as the hood, fenders, front valance, wheels, and bed sides are all different and would require a ton of scratch building to make it work. I keep hoping one of the resin kit builders takes on the M715 one day.

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Nicely done on the camo.

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Thanks, it was the first time I’ve tried to airbrush a MERDC pattern. I usually like to paint Vietnam era vehicles since they are just one color. I free handed it and just had to do a little brush touch up on the black crow’s feet.

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I would have thought that if anyone is going to do it, it would be Hobby Link; his stuff is pretty good in my opinion, and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

I recall seeing these in MASSTER on Exercise Advent Express back in December 1975.

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@Beast your K311 looks great - I don’t think I’d be brave enough to try the camo, though I might try the body work. I also bought one of these kits, which as you say above, goes together well. Your real-life M715 is a beauty! :smiley:

I concluded that this truck was also close enough to a Jeep J10 Honcho that I could convert it. And, as you also note, it is in some ways similar to other Jeep/Kaiser vehicles, but it’s not exactly close to them. Nonetheless, I gave it a try:

I could rationalize the basic proportions of the K311, but to your point, well - beyond that, it needed a fair amount of work. For the J10, I had to make several concessions, and opted to try and address three key elements: the cab, grill, and hood.

This turned into a lot of work, with pretty good, but not necessarily accurate results. It’s funny (looking back now, not at the time :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :sweat_smile: ) the differences were subtle, yet a real challenge to fix - the front of the front fenders on the J10 are more angular and tilt forward (next to the grill); the grill is different; the hood is raised in the center; and the cab completely different.

I wonder if there is enough plastic/room for a cut on the front fenders to allow for the circular wheel openings on the M715? An obvious first step would be to shave off the front fender flares, then see if you could carve out the radius/close to the wheel opening on the Jeep. Then, try and get the hood to look more similar. In the J10 build, I added the ‘hump’ to the hood using evergreen, but, if I did this again, might try and slice along the edges of the ‘hump’ from the front of the hood toward, but not all the way to the back, bend it up, and fill the gap so it looks more like the M715?

Anyway, your K311 looks the part -

Cheers

Nick :woman_biking:

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Yes, I hope Hobby Link tackles the M715 one day. I’ve used one of his kits before and it was excellent. I have suggested it as a subject on his Facebook several times hoping to spark his interest. I have several pictures of M715’s in MASSTER camo from the 70’s that would be cool to replicate.

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