Well I've had luck with scratchbuiling a single wall armor for a guntruck. Later I plan on doing a fictional guntruck with double wall armor.

So...my question is how do you the the inside walls straight with the outside ones? Should I cut the side walls first glue them into place. Then cut a peice of steyrene to go inbetween the 2 strips? for some support ( cant think of what you would call it) then do the same near the top? Or if you guys have anyideas.

I just thought of using those skinny Legos they might work but i dono. Any ideas???

tanks,
Mike

Mike,

I've got Kirin's Conversion...... I'll dig it out & take a photo for you.

Mike,

I can't get a good pic..... The walls a far enough apart to fit a wheel and or sandbags. The gunmounts were welded to the top of the walls.

Hope This Helps

We've got just the expert on Armorama : why don't you send Gunnie a PM (If he overlooks this post - which I'm sure he won't )

thanks for the heads up Matt but I've got 2 sets of the Kirin conversion all ready. One I allready built and just picked up the other one.

Thanks Gen. Failure, Gunnie's helped me out a lot here and there. Just have to wait for his reply.

BTW, the guntruck isnt going to be from Vietnam its going to be during the 1980's.

Thanks,
Mike

1980's????? that should be interesting

Wouldn't happen to be the BMY 5-ton Guntruck used by 10th MTN DIV in Somalia would it? I have wanted to do that one myself. Plan on it when I get back to states and start modeling again. Currently on an extended trip to Kuwait complements of Uncle Sam. Don't know of any other actual guntrucks in use in 1980's.

MIke - since you're going for a modern-era example, and a fantasy one too, why not just keep it simple. Hang/Bolt the outer armor panels to the exterior of the cargo bed of the BMY 5-ton truck (Italeri). Paint these areas before fashioning the inner walls. Make the inner walls the same thickness as the outer walls - and if you cut firing ports in the outer walls - make sure your crew has them in the inner walls to get too. I would space the inner and outer walls out about 12" inches. If you have a 1:35th scale ruler this is easy. That's why I got a couple of them down to Paulo in Brazil - early in the days here on Armorama.

You can make vertical posts, or shelves to support the two walls - your choice since this is your creation. I recommend simplicity - as it wouldn't be complicated in actual practice. Fill the void with "soft armor" i.e. spare tires, sand bags, kit bags & duffle bags, whatever you have spare on hand that is appropriate and would be common to a 1980's - 1990's soldier.

Are you intending to add the anti-grenade "chicken-wire" canopy arched over the fighting compartment of this G/T?

Gunnie

Yeah 1980's should be fun. I've been drawing up stuf in school during study hall. Have a few different ones know but I think i know what Iam going to go with. Its going to be a fictional UN Guntruck, it should look good with a white color etc. Thinking of it being armed w/ 2 XM-134 Mini guns, 2 MK19 Grenade launchers, a dual M-60 and maybee a dual 50cal somewhere.

Gino, didnt know that had one. You wouldnt happen to have any pictures of it would you?

Gunnie I think i know what you mean. Like the Hobby Fan gamblers conversion make that set, then on the inside of the bed glue them on? leaving the thickness of the bed for spacing? Or should I add a little more room so I can add the extra gear like you mentioned?

Iam also thinking of adding some armor plating to cover the wheels. Since it was a big problem in Vietnam, the tires always getting shot out. I was thinking of adding something over the top but thought it would cover up too much of the detail. How would I go about attaching the chicken wire?

thanks,
Mike

That would be some ferocious looking UN vehicle. Where's that vehicle gonna peacekeep - Detroit?!?




Add a little more room - I'd say. The double-wall concept is more interesting when you fill it with "stuff". I'd view the other option more as a "spall liner" - some viewers might miss the meaning of what you're trying to convey - though it would be interesting nonetheless.




Have you seen the photo of the G/T with scallopped armor plating that extended down the sides of the fighting compartment to partially cover the wheels? It's the only picture I've seen of a G/T equipped like that - it was interesting to say the least.

The "chicken-wire" could be arched over the fighting compartment using the truck's original canvas tilt bows, or like the 1980's example, construct shorter arcing bows out of styrene strip. I believe with the Italeri truck - you're gonna be doing that anyway to make the bows for the canvas bed cover - so either option is yours to model. I'd run with the shorter bows - I think it'll help give the truck a more purposeful look about it.

Gunnie

Ok thanks Gunnie.

Now the GT you were talking about with the armor covering the wheels do you have a pic./link to it?

Just to clerify the armor setting your thinking of. Like the Hobby fan Gamblers conversion the outer set covers the outside of the bed. Then on the inside leave a little bit of room then glue in the second wall. Then fill the insdie with soft armor. Tires, ammo boxes, field eqpt., ammo sand bags, etc. right?




I hope that works. tring to quote what you said about what its going to peacekeep. I was thinking of naming it THE PEACEMAKER, (just) PEACEMAKER, or PEACEKEEPER


Mike

You can use a couple of tires for a gauge on each side to install the second inner wall. After you make glue up the main wall to the gun box , you can use the tire method or make four or five jigs( pieces of plastic stock the thickness needed to keep the inner walls the same distance apart all the way around. Remember that the Vietnam GT's were built from material on hand and we didn't have all the fancy equipment to make them perfect. Some trucks had the second wall on the out side of the bed. But as the material became scarce most double walled trucks used double inner walls.