APC (M113) 28mm and 15mm

[LaserCutCard]

*EDIT* I have changed the thread title as I have added a 15mm version to the posts
Hi guys

I'm cross-posting this here in case it is of interest to anyone.

It's a 28mm M113 that I designed more as a generic APC for sci fi games but which might actually be of interest here.





It is not 100% accurate - this one has side hatches and the real one doesn't - but there are parts in the kit to cover the side hatches with armour plate.

There are more pictures here: http://nothingunpainted.blogspot.com/

Cheers
LaserCutCard

[Arlequín]

Don't use words like 'cross-posting', it causes a kerfuffle and is against forum rules. Posting something you have covered the building of on Work Bench and subsequently completed, and now offering for sale, is somewhat different though and a separate topic... just as long as it only appears on one board. This one is fine.


As a generic APC for modern games, it fits the bill though. I can imagine some militaries out there attempting to increase the survivability of old fleets of vehicles, without the need to pay pesky hard foreign currency for a refit kit. Nice one!

[LaserCutCard]

Don't use words like 'cross-posting', it causes a kerfuffle and is against forum rules. Posting something you have covered the building of on Work Bench and subsequently completed, and now offering for sale, is somewhat different though and a separate topic... just as long as it only appears on one board. This one is fine.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm relatively new to Lead Adventure and not up to speed on the rules.

So moving forward, is it ok to post a WIP thread in workbench (unpainted, under construction etc) and then a completed thread (fully painted, finished) in another, relevant forum? Or should I confine myself to the workbench forum?

[Raxxus]

Better to stay in this subforum then I think.

Have you tested to cut in a bit smaller?, right now it looks to be a good match for "heroic" 28mm figs but im not so sure about  "realisticly" propotioned 28mm's

[LaserCutCard]

it can very easily be resized - I don't really know what the correct dimensions are for any given game system.

Games that use "mm" in the scale size don't really agree on what that translates to as a ratio size.

So for this particular model, I sized it like this:


For fun, I had the template cut in 1/100 scale based on the Wikipedia dimensions for the tank (length 2.52m)


I'll try and put this together but I am not expecting it to fit as one can't really just resize like this. The cutting file, if you want to do it properly, has to take into account the thickness of the material and this didn't. The point though is that the file *can* be resized.

It really depends on whether people want to use this kit as an M113 (not sure about that is it is based on one but is not really accurate) or whether it will be more popular as a basis on which to do conversions.

[Arlequín]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm relatively new to Lead Adventure and not up to speed on the rules.

So moving forward, is it ok to post a WIP thread in workbench (unpainted, under construction etc) and then a completed thread (fully painted, finished) in another, relevant forum? Or should I confine myself to the workbench forum?

You're welcome.  

My interpretation is that, yes, a WIP thread on Workbench and then subsequently one like this one is fine. Posting identical threads (or similar ones about the same model, or topic) to this one, on more than one board, is not.

So you could do the same again for your next model, with separate threads for 'WIP' and 'Finished - please buy one', or as some people do, add them onto the respective threads they started on their last model. That's pretty much down to your own preference though and of course where you think it fits in (as regards potential buyers)... it might not be as 'Modern' themed as this one.

Don't worry too much about the rules, none of the moderators want to 'put the smack down' on anyone (mostly) and in a nutshell it's a case of 'No Swastikas', 'No Porn', 'No Breach of Copyright' and 'Be Nice' ... 'No Cross-posting' is also a technical issue on top of everything else though.

The rules are here if you want to read them. Any queries, feel free to PM me. The thread's about your model after all.

It really depends on whether people want to use this kit as an M113 (not sure about that is it is based on one but is not really accurate) or whether it will be more popular as a basis on which to do conversions.

Maybe dropping the 'M113' and titling it as just a 'Personnel Carrier' might be the way to go? I can see it being useful for things like 7TV, where something that's 'like' an M113 might be wanted and certainly it lends itself to conversion.

Scale variation is a real problem for any manufacturer though and you won't please everyone (or sometimes seemingly anyone), no matter how hard you try.



 

  

[LaserCutCard]

So here's the 15mm (1/100) version partially assembled. I seriously did not think it would work but it turned out quite well. I only did one set of tracks as they are waaay to fiddly but if I actually did this as a kit I would change them to make it easier.








Is it worth it to pursue turning this into a kit?

Cheers

[Suber]

Lovely vehicle!

[Arrigo]

Chiming in...

I like the concept, and I think with a minor work (different front panel, wading screen and straight up rear). it can be turned into a proper M113 (do not call it Gavin!). Now some (hopefully constructive) comments. The weakest part from the pictures, looks, to me, the track assembly in 15mm and the wheels. Maybe Black is not helping. Also the hull seems sitting to far forward int he 15mm. The 28mm looks very fine. In the plus side I like the vision blocks and the rendition of the rear door.

I am worried by the side access panel for an APC. As nice it is I think not even in SCI-FI it has any place. It weaken the side armor and, trust me, you do not want to deploy without the body of your track between you and the bad guys. Otherwise it is quite fine.

I am already thinking of possible modifications you can try (different variations of the M113 like the AIFV/YPR, the Korean KIFV and the Italian VCC-1; a similar looking French AMX-10P sounds doable like the red BTR-50, great looking sci-fi vehicles IMHO, also an M113A3 would be nice). Of course it all depends on your will, ideas. I like the M113 But i have plenty of them...

.

[LaserCutCard]

Chiming in...

I like the concept, and I think with a minor work (different front panel, wading screen and straight up rear). it can be turned into a proper M113 (do not call it Gavin!). Now some (hopefully constructive) comments. The weakest part from the pictures, looks, to me, the track assembly in 15mm and the wheels. Maybe Black is not helping. Also the hull seems sitting to far forward int he 15mm. The 28mm looks very fine. In the plus side I like the vision blocks and the rendition of the rear door.

I am worried by the side access panel for an APC. As nice it is I think not even in SCI-FI it has any place. It weaken the side armor and, trust me, you do not want to deploy without the body of your track between you and the bad guys. Otherwise it is quite fine.

I am already thinking of possible modifications you can try (different variations of the M113 like the AIFV/YPR, the Korean KIFV and the Italian VCC-1; a similar looking French AMX-10P sounds doable like the red BTR-50, great looking sci-fi vehicles IMHO, also an M113A3 would be nice). Of course it all depends on your will, ideas. I like the M113 But i have plenty of them...

.

Thanks for this... these are exactly the same sort of comments I am looking for.

The side door is madness in real life, I know, but is needed as an option in the 28mm model for games like Warhammer 40k where a lot of the vehicles have side exits (of course in that game, people with swords routinely beat people with machine guns so go figure)

The 28mm kit though has the option to replace the side hatches with armour plate.

The 15mm kit was just a straight resize of the 28mm kit and so nothing fitted perfectly. I spent some time over the long weekend making some changes to it to see if it could be easier to put together and I should have the new kit back tomorrow. I have changed how the wheels and tracks work to make it easier to build in 15mm.

I have not changed any of the styling - it is still the "incorrect" version that the 28mm is.. but if I can get the thing to fit together easier then those other changes are easier to make. I will post more as soon as I have pictures.