M123 HMUPS Gun truck
In times of need, you do what you have to do. Even if it means scrounging the base mail delivery vehicle for service. The now well known M123 HMUPS was originally a stop gap initiative by local troops on over seas deployment but was so successful it is now produced state side to act as point defense and do road block service. HMUPS is to be read as High Mobility, Urban Pillbox, Small. It can be found defending docks, airfields, barracks etc.
Like many I have a pile of started projects in my cellar. This Daihatsu Midget in 1/32 had been lying in its box for a couple of years. I had started building it but never knew where to go with it in the end. A couple of weeks ago I brought it to a club meeting. While turning the slime green parts around in front of me it suddenly struck me...it should be turned into some sort of technical, maybe a gun truck! After a deep dive into the parts box i decided to cool it a bit and go for a restrained look, focus on the added armour rather than make it look like an over loaded shopping cart. Turret is from Tamiya´s M113 ACAV and add on armour is plastic card. Painting took a day and a half, most of it yesterday actually. Funny how many liquids and bottles of paint one can use for such a small project...
Looks like an armoured lunchbox, Stellan ?
PS Very inventive!
Thanks, Rob. Yes it does, or like a front line sausage stand.
A creative genius at work...one of those builds that can't be "wrong" in the eyes of the nit-pickers, huh? 🙂
Haha, maybe. Good iModeler is not abound with the rivet counters then. Thanks, Craig.
Nice! Shake rattle and roll while firing that fifty!
Thanks, Robert. Yes, I guess there would be an interesting effect like that if having a go with it. You should have seen my first ideas including rocket tubes and all sorts of hellish apparatus strapped to the tray. It would have taken a huge gyro to stabilize it.
Stellan, great stuff! Using the ol' imagination.
Thanks, Bernard. Doing me best.
Classy work Stellan, a real Mad Max vehicle on steroids
Hahaha, never thought of the film. Always thought the gun trucks were cool and wanted to base a model of such. Thanks, tom.
To me it looks like something that in Jamie Olivier could use in one of his cooking shows, driving to some alternative food market. Very hipster
Ps. I admire your work on the metal plates, very realistic
Hmm, not a bad idea. Maybe we should tell him? Thanks, my first try so there is still room for improvement.
Creative for sure... I like the faint chalk marks of the armor plates. Your weathering effects are outstanding as well...
Many thanks, Louis. Very kind of you to say so.
Outstanding! Although for realism's sake, I would submit that with all that extra weight piled on there, it should be resting on the tires!
As Martin mentioned, a very realistic paint job!
Thank you, Mr Kittinger, nice to hear you like the little thing.
Ever heard of non-pneumatic tires? For the sake of realism I have it all figured out 😉
It looks kind of cute...
Yes...looking at it again I believe you´re right 🙂
Exceelnt idea. Looks like it was a fun project ! 🙂
Thank you, Bruce. Yes, I had a great time building this. Think it was the quick process from picking up box, coming up with a fun idea and then finish it that is what I will bring with me from this project.
Love it! top speed would have been a bit limited I guess !
Hi David, glad you like it! Yeah, like 30 kmph with a good tail wind. One can imagine the sound of a strained two stroke engine struggling with it at a slight up hill slope.
I'm not too sure what that is, but it looks brilliant! Some great skills there!
Thanks, Richard!
As a living!
Same this at GGG 2016. Loved it!
Sorry. I meant 2017.
Thanks, Charles!