Husky MkIII with VMMD

Brian Eberle
The kit begins with the HUSKY's cab. AFV Club did a pretty good job with the cab interior, although a few details were omitted, and one design error on the left control panel - it was molded inverted to the correct layout. Nothing a razor saw, some sanding and glue could not correct.

Brian Eberle
WiP on the AFV Club Husky Mk III.

The build is 90% done and the weathering about to start.

The ground penetrating radar is from Legend Productions. Voyager Model provider the lens and light PE set (colored lens not added yet). I also added the sagged resin wheel set from Def Models.

Not seen because of masking is the detailed cab interior. The cab doors will be open to showcase that work. I may add a figure crawling up the rear steps towards the cab as well.

Base coat is Mission Models U. S. Army Sand (MMP-086) with some detail items painted. The kit decals are on plus a couple of spare decals to mimic a theater drawn vehicle.

A few more items to finish before adding a clear coat then weathering in oils. I am planning light weathering. The heavier approach is not to my liking. Under chassis dirt on the way too.

Feedback and recommendations are welcome.

Zach Wilson
Really clean looking build, Brian

Neuling
Looking forward, Brian! And don´t forget to conceal the "trailer commector" sticker! AFV really has a problem with bad and sometimes even wrong English, also in their instruction sheets. But I think this is their only drawback.

Brian Eberle
Neuling. LoL, you saw that too? Might need some carefully placed splatter on the rear bumper. I really like AFV kits for their quality and range of subjects. In this case, I was less than impressed with the kit - specifically the instructions. Vague at best in certain areas, like the routing of the hydraulic / power lines. Also the length of the rubber lines is excessive, requiring careful placement and trimming. I found two parts F27 and E6 on the sprue tree but not in the structions. Same for a set of "LIFT" decals. Spelling errors in the decals only detract from this kit. Still, I like AFV and would choose it over Panda every time for common subjects. The kit fit went and went together pretty good when the instructions were clear. I also corrected the control panel in the operators cab - AFV Club mold inject this incorrectly, requiring a 180 rotation to correct. Literally a "cut and paste" correction. Clear coat is applied and will cure for the next 24 hours before starting weathering.

Neuling
👍

Brian Eberle
Almost done. A few final touches over the weekend should complete the build. A figure and vignette base will follow.

Deedback and comments are welcome.

Zach Wilson
the details are excellent, the build quality is great. The one thing that jumps out at me is the dirt accomulation - the grains don't look in scale, and I think part of that is because they're not high enough contrast. I think if you could blend them so that the effect isn't as harsh, that might help. Layering in some subtle speckling as well could make it work better. It's probably a matter of personal taste but I would go for a pin wash on some of the details, especially where the bolt is the same color as the overall body, it would give it a better sense of scale and feel less like a toy in those areas.

Brian Eberle
Zach, thanks for the feedback. I'll take a closer detail picture of the wet sand/soil build up to check on scale.

I used baking soda mixed with diluted acrylic Sahara Sand and stippled into place. Can't get a smaller grain than baking soda, yes? It clumps well. Maybe too well.

Neuling
Top result Brian. I like this weird looking vehicle. You really checked out all the details and put all the cables and wires correctly in place. Now waiting for the dio.....

Brian Eberle
Thanks Neuling. I appreciate your comments greatly. Working on the crew member and vignette base now.

Brian Eberle
Zach, I knocked off some of the larger clumps. Otherwise I'm pleased with the splatter scale.

Brian Eberle
Calling it complete!

The vignette depicts a Husky MkIII equipped with a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) travelling along a mountain road somewhere north of Kandahar in the Afghanistan central mountain region.

The operator wears a 36th Infantry Division patch (TX ARNG), commemorating their rotation as the only ARNG headquarters to command an active duty brigade combat team.

Feedback welcome ..............

Neuling
This diorama meets my high expectations. The realistic terrain and the figure bring the vehicle to life. 👍

Olivier
Not my favourite type of subject but I must say you did very well Brian.

Spanjaard
excellent job indeed.

Brian Eberle
Thank you Neuling, Oliver, and Spanjaard! Very much appreciated.