Scratchbuilding an M113
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/4/5/1/793451-66321-24-720.jpg)
The basic shapes of the panels, drawn on a computer, printed out and pasted to plastic card, 0.75 mm (back) and 1 mm (front) thick.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/4/5/2/793452-66321-38-720.jpg)
Hull shapes cut out from the plastic card.
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/4/4/7/793447-66321-28-720.jpg)
Main side panels glued to a sheet of 0.5 mm card to get them to approximate scale thickness.
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/4/4/9/793449-66321-43-720.jpg)
Side panels cut out from the extra sheet.
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/4/4/8/793448-66321-89-720.jpg)
All main panels for the hull sides and glacis plate.
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/4/5/0/793450-66321-38-720.jpg)
Main parts for left hull side assembled.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/8/2/5/863825-66321-75-720.jpg)
Bar long side of the hull built from plastic strip.
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/8/2/8/863828-66321-42-720.jpg)
Floor and nose plates cut from plastic sheet.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/8/2/7/863827-66321-16-720.jpg)
Floor plate whacked with a ball hammer 🙂
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/8/2/6/863826-66321-17-720.jpg)
Final drive housing from AFV Club M548 (via their YPR-765 kit, where they’re spare), with the inner bit sawn off so the housing can fit against the plate for the outside of the hull.
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/8/2/9/863829-66321-28-720.jpg)
Housings in place on the hull sides, with a Tamiya drive sprocket in one.
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/8/2/5/878825-66321-76-720.jpg)
Italeri roadwheels and Academy rear mudguards added, with AFV Club suspension arms and simple axles from sprue, for the ones that will be out of sight.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/8/3/0/863830-66321-87-720.jpg)
Final drive housings on the nose plate/floor under construction, with an oversize piece of plastic strip so that it’s easier to glue in place. This will be cut down when the glue dries.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/8/3/1/863831-66321-68-720.jpg)
Basic ribs made for the hull floor.
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/8/2/3/878823-66321-96-720.jpg)
Academy idler wheels added, plus more details to shock absorbers and idler adjustment mechanism.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/8/2/8/878828-66321-99-720.jpg)
Tracks installed, from an Academy kit.
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/8/2/7/878827-66321-69-720.jpg)
Base made from MDF sheet with picture frame edging and two thicknesses of foam-cored card, and the M113 parts posed in approximate positions.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/8/2/6/878826-66321-58-720.jpg)
Base painted and with static grass applied.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/8/4/5/878845-66321-64-720.jpg)
Remaining torsion bars added to hull floor, together with longitudinal rib.
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/8/4/4/878844-66321-44-720.jpg)
Torsion bars installed from 1 mm brass rod.
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/8/4/3/878843-66321-93-720.jpg)
Torsion bar mounts added from plastic strip and tube.
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/8/4/6/878846-66321-50-720.jpg)
Engine and transmission (from Tamiya kit) detailed and installed.
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/8/5/3/878853-66321-90-720.jpg)
Hull front made from plastic card, with Tamiya and Academy lights, Italeri trim vane actuator and Academy spare track links.
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/8/5/8/878858-66321-54-720.jpg)
Italeri trim vane, with replacement cover for engine hatch handle from aluminium sheet, because it’s open at top and bottom on real thing.
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/8/4/7/878847-66321-85-720.jpg)
Rear hull completed, with Italeri jerry cans (converted to water cans), Italeri bit behind left taillight, Academy lights and Tamiya lamp guards.
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/8/4/8/878848-66321-45-720.jpg)
Driver’s compartment with part of engine firewall and bilge pump pipe from copper wire (1.5 mm core from electrical cable).
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/8/4/9/878849-66321-79-720.jpg)
Right side of hull with tie-downs, electrical cabling etc.
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/8/5/0/878850-66321-85-720.jpg)
Left side of hull, fittings in driver’s compartment. MG barrel and flashlight are Tamiya, everything else is scratchbuilt.
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/8/5/2/878852-66321-18-720.jpg)
Both hull sides complete, with straps etc. from thin plastic card twisted randomly and glued in place.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/8/5/1/878851-66321-98-720.jpg)
Tamiya kit radiator and duct, with replacement duct made from aluminium sheet.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/8/5/4/878854-66321-17-720.jpg)
Main pieces in place on base.
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/8/5/6/878856-66321-52-720.jpg)
All parts primed white with Vallejo from a rattle can.
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/8/5/5/878855-66321-49-720.jpg)
Outside bits sprayed Vallejo olive drab.
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/8/5/7/878857-66321-59-720.jpg)
Engine etc. painted and rough shading/dirt applied to floor.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/8/6/0/878860-66321-77-720.jpg)
Sides shaded with wash made from Humbrol Subframe Grey enamel, a tin from the 1970s 🙂
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/8/6/1/878861-66321-50-720.jpg)
Engine compartment dirtied up with black wash (Tamiya flat black plus water).
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/8/5/9/878859-66321-85-720.jpg)
Junk added to base to represent debris from vehicle.
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/8/6/2/878862-66321-97-720.jpg)
Burns sprayed into vehicle and base, using black and a few different shades of grey.
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/8/6/3/878863-66321-12-720.jpg)
Burns from right-hand side of hull.
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/8/6/4/878864-66321-97-720.jpg)
Burned hull floor and surrounding terrain.
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/8/6/5/878865-66321-32-720.jpg)
Burned left-hand side.
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/0/1/8/883018-66321-41-720.jpg)
Painted rust onto torsion bar
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/0/1/7/883017-66321-98-720.jpg)
Finished model — well, almost, it still needs a figure to give a sense of scale and fill the empty corner.
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/0/1/9/883019-66321-87-720.jpg)
Added rust to ammo cans in the burned area
Komentáre
8 18 June 2020, 20:04
![](/profiles/img/17422-305-s.jpg)
I am not a fan of the so called tin cans (sorry guys, I admire the work you do though), but a scratch build is always interesting.
22 October 2020, 20:31
![](/profiles/img/66321-723-s.png)
Thanks. I could have saved a little work by starting with a kit, but given how destroyed the M113 I'm using as an example was, making it from scratch seemed just as sensible.
23 October 2020, 17:49