Building a US Scout Jeep

[MartinD]

Hi all,

I've been working on the Tamiya kit last week. This will run in the Twenot FOC, which has soft skins as a subject.

I decided to build a US scout jeep, fitted with a SCR-510 radio in the back. Base kit is the very good Tamiya Jeep, which was released in 1994. It's still a very good kit, which needs just a few necessary parts to bring it up to current standards:
http://www.hokimodell.hu/images/2469.jpg

I first went to find some references of radios fitted to jeeps. Via the Missing Links Allied DG, I came across this website, www.armyradio.com
It turned out to be a real goldmine of information, and this page was particularly useful:
Manual for Installation of Radio Equipement in Truck, 1/4 ton, 4x4 (http://www.armyradio.com/arsc/customer/pages.php?pageurl=/publish/TM_11-2715/TM_11-2715.htm).

The result should be something like this:
http://www.armyradio.com/publish/TM_11-2715/Pictures/fig-29.gif
Source: www.armyradio.com

After finding the necessary diagrams, and printing them out, I went to work on the jeep:
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9074/reccejeep1vg2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I decided to leave everything in sub-assemblies, to make painting easier. This was also necessary to wire up the radio. I still need to add the wiring that goes to the transfer box, fitted under the passengers seat. In between building, I testfitted everything, and it did fit :)
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6016/reccejeep2ca5.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep2ca5.jpg)
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3576/reccejeep3ph5.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep3ph5.jpg)

Doing a bit of PPP, I added mud texture to the chassis and the inner wheel wells. The putty was applied with an odl brush. I simply diluted some Tamiya putty with Tamiya Extra Thin cement. In November, I watched a small demo by Staf Snyers from KMK, so I decided to give it a try.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7638/reccejeep5dr3.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep5dr3.jpg)
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4290/reccejeep4qr2.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep4qr2.jpg)

Here's a photo of the SCR-510 is fitted to the back of the jeep. The mounting I used came from Eduard. Tamiya's radio has the mounting moulded on, so this needs shaving off. The brackets for the radio are simple pieces of steel strip. See picture:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1991/bc6593yg9.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bc6593yg9.jpg)
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/6411/scr510c272x370ja6.jpg (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scr510c272x370ja6.jpg)

Comments are welcome!

Cheers, MartinD

[MartinD]

Forgot to add this photo to the initial post:
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/6236/reccejeep6kg6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

As you can see, there are just a few bits added to the basic jeep. These are the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals, and the two front dashboard supports. The holes where the dashboard meets the sides need filling. There will be two small rings added. Crew could fit a sling to these rings, so they wouldn't fall out of the vehicle :cool:

Cheers, MartinD

[RickLawler]

Nice little build, Martin. I think that the radio gear will really set this little fellow apart in your softskin build..good luck.

rick

[Driver]

Nice idea you got running here; straight and simple! A question though, why did you replace the front axle? Better detail than the original?

Ruben

[MartinD]

@ Rick: thanks for the kinds words. Yes, the jeep does look quite different with the radio in the back. I just fitted everything in, and it looks good!

@ Ruben: the Resicast cast axle is poseable. That was the main reason for replacing it. Detail is similar to the Tamiya item.

[panamadan]

Great job! Dan

[Flak]

Looks nice...Martin

[MartinD]

Hi all,

Some more work done, and here's the radio mounted in the back of the jeep:
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3029/reccejeep8qj2.jpg (http://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep8qj2.jpg)

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9469/reccejeep7yh6.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=reccejeep7yh6.jpg)

@Marco: thanks!!! :thumb:

Cheers everybody!

[Kreighshoer]

very very good work martin - i lke it a lot, looks kewl! :thumb:

cheers

[Flak]

Looking good...Martin

[marcb]

Looks good!

I would redo the vertical support struts for the radio. I checked the drawing you posted with a pic I have and those supports look correct. Yours seem too wide and the supports shouldn't extend past the front of the radio.

Hope this helps.

Looking forward to the next update.

[panamadan]

Martin, Where did the radio come from? Dan

[MartinD]

Hi Dan,

The radio is from Tamiya's US Gun and Mortar Team set.

Here are photos of the (almost) finished vehicle:
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/3865/reccejeep9bl9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7677/reccejeep10gd2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/4393/reccejeep12ho6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9447/reccejeep13tx7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3822/reccejeep11yk2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Cheers, MartinD

[skeletondude]

Look's great Martin!:thumb:
Any plans for a dio?

Marek

[pwranta193]

from bizarre corner of my brain, why do I remember something about Jeeps outfitted with radios having an S or T or some such on the registration numbers. It had something to do with the dampening system that kept the vehicle's electronic "noise" from interfering with the Xmit/Recv functions.

Or it could have all been a mirage....

By wire cutter I mean the verticle pice of notched angle iron that guys would mount to the front bumper of the jeep to keep from getting decapitated by low hanging wires.

Cool looking build - a little TLC for an older kit - and it looks realy nice. Great research, Martin.

[RickLawler]

Well I'll be damned...it looks just like a jeep! That's a good thing, Martin. I like the OD color...just right.

[Flak]

Sweet

[MartinD]

Marek: thanks a lot! I've got a small idea for some groundwork, but there will not be a diorama. Just a figure to give an idea of size

Paul: interesting to hear that, about the reg number. I did not fit the wire cutters, because that was a bit of a cliché.

Rick: thanks! The OD is from Vallejo. Slightly lighter than Tamiya's (which is the best match for the paint chip), so perfect for models imho :cool:

Marco: thanks!