discussion Humvee Resuscitated to life.

[rtfoe]

Hi,
Lately I have been posting WIP builds that I had already completed so for a change an actual WIP before completion from me would sort things out. This also gives me an opportunity to continue where I had left off.

The Kit
1/35 scale Humvee by ESCI was a kit given to me by a fellow modeler. He had basically assembled the body and on finding how wrong the shape was decided if I should have a go with it. Like most manufacturers at the time trying to beat the market race normally worked on prototype drawings or rare snap shots so dimensions and scale were often iffy. The obvious signs that was wrong on this particular kit was the pronounced curvature of the bonnet and wheels. With some references and real photos I proceed with the corrections...

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Above are the resin tyres I would use and am not sure of the brand but did look near enough to some reference photos and looked more beefy than the kit tyres that tend to be too rounded at the edges.

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I was going for the open back truck bed version and scratched false platforms to cover the holes left from the backseats. The side doors were replaced with pla card...interior and back cabin was built up with pla card as well.

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I don't have a shot of the bonnet before the correction to show curved it was but it had a very pronounced dip....you can just see the amount of lifting from the plastic wedge beneath the bonnet and the side joint where putty would be added and sculpted.

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The front was cut and angled forward Side signal indicators had to be sliced off and repostioned...a snorkel for the air filter was added with tubing.

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At this angle the bonnet now has the distinctive flatter top...gaps have been covered and sculpted, lights repositioned and the lifting hooks that have disappeared by the height of the bonnet are repaced with wire.

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The kangaroo bar was made up of pla strips...later on I had to correct the height as it didn't look right. It's removable for easy painting.

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More later as I organise the images. You're welcome to comment

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Steve Jones]

I would certainly be tagging along for this one. Nice detailing already I see.:thumb2:

 

[Si Benson]

Nice work so far Richard:smiling4:
Most of us would of slung it or built as is! Great to see a kit being tweaked up:thumb2:

 

[Guest]

Nice work Richard. As Si said most would have binned it. Are we looking at a Black Hawk Down scenario>

 

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Always enjoy your work so I'll enjoy following this. Definitely not the best of kits to start with but I'm sure you will turn out a great model. Neat and tidy work already.
Jim

 

[rtfoe]

Hey Guys...nice to have you along. This Humvee build was left on the shelf of shame for the last 3-4 years but I intend to finish it unfortunately not for an enthusiastic scenario as Peter has suggested...sorry Peter I'm thinking of a little smaller vignette.
Steve...when you're on a roll just as I did at the time adding details came at a fast pace. These days I need to push myself.
Si...I marvel at the amount of kits that I see in forums that get binned with a bit of heartache that it could have been saved...I mean in the first place a kit is in pieces that we need to put together. I don't go overboard to correct a 1-2mm size difference or an extra rivet that is missing. Only really obvious flaws...I draw a line somewhere. :tongue-out3:
Peter...if it's worth the pain I'd do it. I don't have a Humvee in my collection and Generation Kill mini series just got me interested to do one.
Jim...I hope the enjoyment picks up where I left off...so much time has been invested would be a shame not to finish it. Neat and tidy?....looks can be deceiving.:smiling2:

Thanks for the lovely comments...more to come.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

The flatbed version meant that a lot had to be scratch built after the driving compartment like the wooden seats. I'm guessing that these were field conversions especially the armour protection.

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Pla strips were cut to length and were easily done keeping the angles straight was the challenge. Each seat had 40 individual strips not counting the side supports.

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Copper was used for the brace attaching the armour plate sheet later.

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The armour plate sheets were made from pla sheet and bolts added from styrene rod. Holes were drilled out for petrol, exhaust and signal indicators. Masking tape straps for the rucksacks that will be draped over the sides.

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Accesories and extra detail were made separately...some coming from a box of Tamiya Modern accesories equipment set...

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Exhuast with muffler covering fashioned from two styrene tubes...the smaller one bent over a flame and drilled out.

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Thin stretched sprue glued and roughed up with a drill bit for welding on the muffler. The tape is to keep the bent end of the exhaust in shape.

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The rear end of the tailgate has a frame that was probably a field modification to hold extra jerrycans. Using the kit jeerycans as measurements I scratched it with pla card and strips. You can see the pencil measurements on the scratched frame.

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The frame was hung on the rear tail flap door.

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Comments welcomed...

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Dry fitting some of the accessories to the Humvee... these shots were taken before I puttyied and fitted the shaved off signal lights on the bonnet side.

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Some close up of the crude armoured door handle and hinges.

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More accessories...

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The Pig and pintle mount...

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The swerving mount for the Pig to ride on.

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The cabs rear mounted armour plate bolted on.

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Everything is removable for easy painting.

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Just a reminder that these modifications are not finely detailed, I'm only winging it.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[BigGreg]

very nicely converted... its gonna be a SF Humvee.?

 

[Steve O]

Great work all round Richard, fantastic jerry can frame.

Steve.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Huge amount of progress and it all looks neat and tidy. Looks great.
Jim

 

[scottie3158]

Richard,
Some very nice work indeed you have really improved this kit no end.

 

[Guest]

That looks very good, and especially impressive considering you could just have bought an Italeri kit that avoids most of the problems of the Esci ones

 

[rtfoe]

very nicely converted... its gonna be a SF Humvee.?

Greg, thanks. I'm a bit of a ditz when it comes modern day military stuff so I don't know if it's a SF Humvee.:thinking::smiling6:

Jim, thank you too. Those days I was particular about presentation so everything needed a blue background, nowadays I pretty much photograph in situ.

Scottie(Paul), preferred the flatbed rather than the slopped back and the front just didn't look like a Humvee. Not totally improved but should suffice for a vignette.

That looks very good, and especially impressive considering you could just have bought an Italeri kit that avoids most of the problems of the Esci ones :smiling3:

Jakko, thanks. This too was done before the Italeri kit came out. It's always the case after spending time on a kit modifying then the very same thing comes out in the market. Besides I wanted a challenge or you could say torture. :smiling6:

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Mickc1440]

That's some excellent scratch building Richard but it's what we've come to expect from a man of your talents :smiling2:

 

[papa 695]

Fantastic work

 

[minitnkr]

Very nicely done so far. 'Hillbilly armor' was quite common early on. Only limited by availability of raw material and imagination. PaulE

 

[rtfoe]

Hi, thanks Mick, Ian and Paul,

I hope it turns out ok after painting and I like the way it's called "Hillbilly armor". Nice to know something new.

The reference showed wing mirrors that didn't come with the kit so out came the wire, pla strips, rod and putty. The wire was bent with a flat nosed plier.

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I lathed a piece of rod inserted in a power drill for the antenna base.

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Thanks for looking in.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Great scratching. I do like the little turned aerial base.
Jim

 

[BigGreg]

Well Richard in the early days of IRAQ 2003 you could see Humvees like this...
Either in the Army or in the Marines (2nd pic 1St Recon Marines)