Post by alexb on Dec 25, 2017 20:10:05 GMT
I had hoped to have this one finished for Christmas. I had planned on posting it from start to finish in one lump. That didn't happen so let us begin.
The concept is a Duster turret mounted on a BMP-1 chassis. It's a play on NATO and Warsaw Pact equipment coming together for the non-NATO and non-Warsaw Pact based Privateer units. Call it mother-necessity, building a better mousetrap, re-purposing, or weapons trade restrictions...it's all about oddball looking weapons and combinations that are different.
The donor kits are Tamiya's venerable M42 Duster and Zvezda's BMP-1....both in 1/35th scale. The Duster was to be replaced by the newer AFV Club kit, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The BMP-1 isn't horrible...I was a bit surprised that it's listed as a new tool kit. It was bought to replace an older HobbyCraft reboxing that I can only describe as "a tragic disappointment". You may see that one as a Boragh based vehicle at some point...maybe. I upgraded the Zvezda BMP-1 with a new Trumpy offering, so the Zvezda kit gets a new life.
The whole project was based around mounting the turret on a different chassis. I had thought about using it with a Tamiya Pibber, but that has since moved to a civilian recreation dive boat build that I really need to get back working on. And the turret is too big for a M113 or a Sherman. So through some trial and error, I settled on the BMP and so became...the Buster.
I used the Duster turret as a template and drew a circle for the new turret ring cut-out. I cut it out. One thing I want to point out is the kit did not handle this well. The rear deck is a multi-piece deal with the side gunports being separate. A bit of downward pressure and they collapsed. And track and other bits fell off just through handling while I cut and cleaned it up. It's nothing that cannot be fixed though.
So turret added. I like the look. The problem is the turret height. As is, the guns won't clear the commander and driver hatches. But I have a fix for that.
Since I had to address the turret height I decided to re-use the Duster's ammunition boxes. Tamiya molded a Duster specific upper hull. One side's boxes are elevated to allow a spare set of barrels to be stowed underneath. These popped off easy. The other side was molded to the upper hull. I had to cut these loose. I plan on using the Duster chassis for a Tank Destroyer so I hope this won't mess that up. The bottoms are open so I boxed them in. Another issue is the storage boxes for the driver/commander's side. It was too long and interfered with the commander's hatch. I cut off the front third/small box...and boxed in the end.
So back to the turret. I added styrene strips to the bottom to give it an integral shim to let the turret sit in the opening, but sit higher.
See. I cut off the rear periscopes and added covers. When I cut the turret opening it overlapped across the front pair of deck hatches. I just covered them over. I plan on added weld beads or bolts...probably welds.
Ammo boxes mounted. I used styrene to shim them up and to add supports. I figured this would be used as much for fire support as air-defense so I gave it a spotlight...a spare included in a AFV Club Centurion. The spare barrels will be mounted on the side with the long ammo box assembly.
And that's it for now. I'm probably going a Lebanese based Privateer unit for this one. Based on its location and religious demographic, I would think very pro-west, unofficially backed by the west (and Israel). I'm thinking a tan and green scheme. I want to keep the eyes, maybe mask it to make a face.
The concept is a Duster turret mounted on a BMP-1 chassis. It's a play on NATO and Warsaw Pact equipment coming together for the non-NATO and non-Warsaw Pact based Privateer units. Call it mother-necessity, building a better mousetrap, re-purposing, or weapons trade restrictions...it's all about oddball looking weapons and combinations that are different.
The donor kits are Tamiya's venerable M42 Duster and Zvezda's BMP-1....both in 1/35th scale. The Duster was to be replaced by the newer AFV Club kit, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The BMP-1 isn't horrible...I was a bit surprised that it's listed as a new tool kit. It was bought to replace an older HobbyCraft reboxing that I can only describe as "a tragic disappointment". You may see that one as a Boragh based vehicle at some point...maybe. I upgraded the Zvezda BMP-1 with a new Trumpy offering, so the Zvezda kit gets a new life.
The whole project was based around mounting the turret on a different chassis. I had thought about using it with a Tamiya Pibber, but that has since moved to a civilian recreation dive boat build that I really need to get back working on. And the turret is too big for a M113 or a Sherman. So through some trial and error, I settled on the BMP and so became...the Buster.
I used the Duster turret as a template and drew a circle for the new turret ring cut-out. I cut it out. One thing I want to point out is the kit did not handle this well. The rear deck is a multi-piece deal with the side gunports being separate. A bit of downward pressure and they collapsed. And track and other bits fell off just through handling while I cut and cleaned it up. It's nothing that cannot be fixed though.
So turret added. I like the look. The problem is the turret height. As is, the guns won't clear the commander and driver hatches. But I have a fix for that.
Since I had to address the turret height I decided to re-use the Duster's ammunition boxes. Tamiya molded a Duster specific upper hull. One side's boxes are elevated to allow a spare set of barrels to be stowed underneath. These popped off easy. The other side was molded to the upper hull. I had to cut these loose. I plan on using the Duster chassis for a Tank Destroyer so I hope this won't mess that up. The bottoms are open so I boxed them in. Another issue is the storage boxes for the driver/commander's side. It was too long and interfered with the commander's hatch. I cut off the front third/small box...and boxed in the end.
So back to the turret. I added styrene strips to the bottom to give it an integral shim to let the turret sit in the opening, but sit higher.
See. I cut off the rear periscopes and added covers. When I cut the turret opening it overlapped across the front pair of deck hatches. I just covered them over. I plan on added weld beads or bolts...probably welds.
Ammo boxes mounted. I used styrene to shim them up and to add supports. I figured this would be used as much for fire support as air-defense so I gave it a spotlight...a spare included in a AFV Club Centurion. The spare barrels will be mounted on the side with the long ammo box assembly.
And that's it for now. I'm probably going a Lebanese based Privateer unit for this one. Based on its location and religious demographic, I would think very pro-west, unofficially backed by the west (and Israel). I'm thinking a tan and green scheme. I want to keep the eyes, maybe mask it to make a face.
, and may even be feasible in real life 
