Foxer

This is actually another model of a vehicle I owned. Well, I didn't really "own" this baby, but spent many months babysitting it...scrape paint...re-paint...scrape paint..etc. The XM474 was a modified M113 Armored Personnel Carrier and designed to transport the U.S. Army Pershing Missile System. The images below were taken at the White Sands Missile Firing Range during practice firings. The tracked vehicle in the photos is the one I modeled. This was a 3’ diameter x 34 ' long 2-stage missile carrying a quite large nuclear warhead. This was the largest weapon the US Army ever owned and presently all pieces of this system have passed through the crusher after treaties banning nuclear weapon systems. I do not know the fate of these specialized vehicles but they sure would have made some great ranch pickups. The Martin Marietta Company was the main contractor for the Pershing System and steel APC body's were stripped and replaced with a welded aluminum body loosely resembling a pickup. Power came from a Chrysler V8 outputting around 215 horsepower. The view from the drivers seat was excellent when empty, with your head sticking out of the compartment next to the engine. With a missile mounted, consisting of a 3 foot diameter tube laying inches to your right, visibility was extremely limited to the right and non-existent to the rear. Needless to say, when a missile was mounted, the world moved when you backed up The lightness of this vehicle due to it's aluminum body allowed hair raising speeds for a tracked vehicle ... a personal best of 62 mph on asphalt (with disabled governor) having been obtained. It could turn with a deer on the open prairie and (almost) keep up with a fleeing jackrabbit! This model was constructed in a similar fashion as the real one using a Tamiya M113 Armored Personnel carrier. Only the lower body remained after chopping the top and constructing the front panels from sheet styrene. The tailgate, front missile brace, engine cover and various attachments were scratch built from styrene. The front tow “rope” was made from twisted copper wires and ends from the kit attached. Old armor modelers here may have words concerning the apparent lack of markings but, they are fully accurate, as these units carried none of the typical identification numbers. Only a one or two digit vehicle number front and rear marred the gorgeous OD paint scheme! Not even a black star or US Army tag was used on these vehicles. Our trucks were marked in the same manner … like cars without license plates to the MP’s we passed in our travels, eheh. Such fun with a missile convey pulled over by MP’s and our Captain reaming them up one side and down the other at quite an audible tone. These were the greatest driving fun I ever experienced!! With the modifications and painting as compared to the standard APC you can say this has been chopped, nosed, decked and lightened.

I thought that was real .... spectacular build!!!

cool .. I like your thinking on this

ah yes , KISS at it's finest!!!

ok..George makes it unanimous .. will post the APC Lowrider

Now.. this sounds like a deal made in heaven!!! So, get moving and make Dave jealous, Brizo. Maybe we'll then get some finished product out of him....

very nice build and welcome to the forum. I'm not an off road person by nature, but is that like an air snorkel in front?

ok.. I see we need more shelves already .. I know that move from coffee table ... congrats and enjoy the permanent space ..

ut oh ... Dukefan69' goes to the top of the FBI Most Wanted List ... looking good. that stump is awesome Being from Canada, you DO know you need a good 39 Ford with some "gears" for this?? ... oops, sorry .. that's Ontario .. Southern Canada . nm

think I can juuuusttt.. reach those keys ...............

one more kit and that pile is coming down! .. same goes for all those albums..

and it would hit 60mph on pavement and "almost" keep up with jackrabbits across the plains. It's still OD paint, but hardly any military markings as this carried Nuclear missiles which the Army didn't advertise much. At least chopped and blown partly qualifies it here, thou the paint might make a few retch....

I've seen those tools before, even simpler than the one you link too. would be nice to see something like that for smaller objects.

We allow tanks here, as long as they are Candy Apple OD or have flames

Do be careful sanding smooth to the adjoining plastic areas, especially if the hole is on a curve. Use sanding sticks or a block to keep sandpaper flat. Some recommend grinding out the hole larger and deeper to minimize ghosting but this sounds like it should not be a problem in this case. I would also think the Tamiya putty would not be a problem shrinkage wise with a small hole, and you even styrene filled it to further minimize shrinkage. Be sure to use progressively finer grades of sandpaper to smooth the area before painting. It's also possible the outline could be filled with the primer if you used sandable auto putty. This will take care of fine scratches and such.

For kits of exotic sport cars you may have to delve into the Japanese market, but they do make excellent models for the most part. There are a couple Japan based internet shops that are set up to handle business from America and might have a larger selection that a US dealer. Hobby Search Hobby Link Japan

This has been coming up too much lately and while my eye is sometimes successful, I need a more accurate method to locate the exact center in the end of a round rod or object to drill a hole. There must be some machinist tool or trick for this that doesn't cost $200 and would work on the small diameter round we use at our scales..

That WOULD make a great diorama and water has been pretty much been done, but the splashes would be the creative side of this. Water coming out of the pipe would cause no problem as a similar effect has been done many times. I'd be curious to a link with photos or even the jump scene if anyone know one ... didn't have a lot of luck googling it

While it is a commendable photography job, it's on a board in front of the grass.

This is such a beautiful piece of art and still has a cover! .. so sad... And then, the saddest part of this whole thread,,, ZR1 engine window to the plastic cover!!!

1/160!!!! ..my eyes hurt! eheh . welcome to the forum. that's half HO scale..!! ...just trying to fathom that size ... half a fingernail

Looking good! ... pinstripes by hand ?? OMG!

Note the axle brace across the handlebars, the X-braced rear fork and speedometer mounted on the front fork .. this is built for speed, not just show.

What a crime for something like that to happen. It's sure a great looking car.

That is one great job! So clean, everything just right. I especially like the look of the seat fabrics.