Swords to Plowshares Inspiration Thread

[LemonJello]

This is the place to share photos/ideas to inspire and ignite our imaginations for the Swords to Plowshares Group Build.

[Buzzbomb]

This very topic came up in the New Release Thread for Miniart

Stricklands Ag group Post WW2 Bren carrier to Agricultural Tractor
Armour off, move driver position, rolling hitch and you have a sort of tractor

My humble attempt

I have come across a number of Stuart and Grant conversions as well as these vehicles were a lot more common post war.

[PFJN]

Hi,
I guess a couple other examples might be Aristotle Onassis' yacht "Christina O" which started life as a River class frigate, and Jacques Cousteau's ship "Calypso" which started out as a BYMS minesweeper.



Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_O



Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RV_Calypso

[Kerick]

Just a random thought. How about a Stryker type vehicle converted to some rich guy’s off road land yacht? Then there are the MRAPs converted to police use. Some guy converted a surplus tank transporter into his personal off road mobile home.
I built a hospital ship model from a WW2 1/1200 scale aircraft carrier. Yorktown I think. Lots of helicopter flight deck space in front of the superstructure.

[upnorth]

Here's some land vehicle inspiration in the form of the SPOT 50 firefighting tank. It'sa Czech creation based on the T-50 tank:

[GTX_Admin]

[GTX_Admin]

Technically:

[GTX_Admin]

[GTX_Admin]

[GTX_Admin]

[The Big Gimper]

Avro Lancaster XPP

[GTX_Admin]

How about a P-47 Reno Racer?

[GTX_Admin]

Or He-111 converted back into an airliner?

[Kerick]

Technically:

I've got the parts for this.........
Including the decals I made.......

[Kerick]

Many kind of research aircraft and other vehicles out there. NASA uses or has used the T-38, F-106, F-16, F-104, F-8, F-15, F-18, C-130, the everlasting WB-57F, U-2, SR-71, S-3 Viking, P-3 Orion, a Supper Guppy (which is a converted KC-97!) and is currently using it's second B-52. NOAA flies WP-3 Orions also. Plus many more I'm sure. A fertile field there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NASA_aircraft

The US Forest Service used to fly two AH-1G Huey Cobras as fire spotters updated with an IR turret to be able to "see" the fire through the smoke and guide the fire bombers in. A couple of state agencies did also.

https://www.twz.com/42793/ah-1-cobra-helicopter-gunships-turned-firefighters-have-flown-their-last-mission

[PFJN]

Hi,
I guess there were also a number of TBM Avengers (and other planes) that were converted to firebombers too.



Source: https://forestprotectiontbmavengers.wordpress.com/history-of-the-spray-program-in-new-brunswick-2/fire-suppression-pilot-list-1975-to-present/

[The Big Gimper]

This WARBIRDS DIRECTORY also has lots of good photos.

There are 8 pages of Fire Bomber photos. This is the first page.
US FIRE BOMBER OPERATORS : Part 1: A

Including these:

[perttime]

^ some would work well, and look less chunky, in a civilian survey / mapping job.

[GTX_Admin]

Wow!  I haven't seen the Savage in that role/scheme before.

[Story]

Probably former 6th South African Division Shermans.

Diamond Mining Electric Sherman Tanks of Namibia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpQY1VIHw8s

https://www.reddit.com/r/DestroyedTanks/comments/44qtdc/abandoned_sherman_in_namibia_formerly_used_as_a/

[Kerick]

All that white, red and yellow paint! 

[raafif]

Ex-Egyptain tanks in Israeli playground - need to build monkey-bars, slide etc

[Kerick]

Ex-Egyptain tanks in Israeli playground - need to build monkey-bars, slide etc

The Karen moms over here would launch all the way to Mars if they saw their kids playing on those! It would be fun to watch!

For the general good, in the US some diy stores carry cans of spray paint in agricultural equipment colors and also including Caterpillar yellow.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

How about "Swords into Boats" instead of Ploughshares?


HMMWV Water Car

[GTX_Admin]

<a href="https://youtu.be/0ZSLQt7HKyw?si=gZ-MScE2dowIzTiW" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://youtu.be/0ZSLQt7HKyw?si=gZ-MScE2dowIzTiW</a>

What if the B-52 was a passenger plane?

[Story]

Does *the Process* count?

[Story]

How about Best Korea's Seed Delivery Systems?
https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2019/september/25/farming-in-north-korea-is-a-little-bit-different/


I just realized my post needed music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwoSFQb5HVk

[GTX_Admin]

Maybe some Russian tanks repurposed into tractors by their Ukrainian masters...

[Kerick]

Does *the Process* count?

An interesting idea. Could this include that half finished build or the one that the cat knocked off the shelf?

[Kerick]

Maybe some Russian tanks repurposed into tractors by their Ukrainian masters...

Paint it green and yellow?

[Story]

An interesting idea. Could this include that half finished build or the one that the cat knocked off the shelf?

[raafif]

Hope they sealed the bomb-bays ..... don't want any lost luggage

[GTX_Admin]

Toying with the idea of a Sd.Kfz.254 (see below) converted for use by explorers/adventurers in a similar manner to the halftracks used by the Yellow Expedition



More info

[Story]

Toying with the idea of a Sd.Kfz.254 (see below) converted for use by explorers/adventurers in a similar manner to the halftracks used by the Yellow Expedition



More info

Seems like this story fits the bill in a way
https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2013/8/12/how-to-escape-the-iron-curtain-july-25-1953-riding-the-czech-freedom-tank-through-the-iron-curtain

[GTX_Admin]

Seems like this story fits the bill in a way
https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2013/8/12/how-to-escape-the-iron-curtain-july-25-1953-riding-the-czech-freedom-tank-through-the-iron-curtain

In a way but not quite.  I have something more adventurous in mind

[Frank3k]

Cal Fire  RQ-7B UAV. It was a fun build:



http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=10396.msg198974#msg198974

[GTX_Admin]

 

[ericr]

lovely firefighting version !

[arkon]

for campfires ?

[Story]

[GTX_Admin]

Does anyone remember this idea:    Converted Ballistic Missiles Could Launch Aid to Disaster Zones

I am thinking a build showing an ICBM with Red Cross markings...

[Story]

Does anyone remember this idea:    Converted Ballistic Missiles Could Launch Aid to Disaster Zones

I am thinking a build showing an ICBM with Red Cross markings...

I predict a similar outcome
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/08/middleeast/gaza-airdropped-aid-deaths-intl/index.html

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Lest we forget, there was a topic created quite some time ago specifically titled "Swords Into Ploughshares" that might also provide some inspiration to this GB. 

[GTX_Admin]

Lest we forget, there was a topic created quite some time ago specifically titled "Swords Into Ploughshares" that might also provide some inspiration to this GB. 

Good catch Jeff.

[Story]

 
Civilian Shermans: after the war – they went to work
https://imgur.com/a/jNaRO

[Story]

Vickers Carden-Loyd Tractor Truck, 1936

[Alvis 3.1]

ALCMS for Boy Scouts? Why not?
https://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal10/9401-9500/gal9483-Cruiser-Petrie/00.shtm

[Kerick]

That a great whiff and story!

[raafif]

Neat !  Alvis' models are always great ideas.

I'm surprised the West didn't have similar high-school cadet training devices like the Russians did with their one-quarter scale tanks.

[Story]

Tons more ideas https://www.pinterest.com/pin/13370130136865336/

[Story]

Meet the SherVick tractor

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24984

https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/dwh6jo/the_vickers_shervick_tractor/

https://unitedrepublicoftanzania.com/history-of-tanzania/tanganyika/tanganyika-groundnut-scheme-the-big-failure-east-africa-peanut-british-government/



Probably some hiding in this aerial shot
Tractors at Kongwa Region
https://unitedrepublicoftanzania.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Tanganyika-Groundnut-Scheme-Tractors-at-Kongwa-Region.jpg

[Kerick]

I like the jeep on tracks. I’m thinking 1/35 th jeep and 1/72nd tank tracks.

[The Big Gimper]

Found on Facebook.

This is the Shervick, a heavy tractor built by Vickers from Sherman components to help with the Tanganyika groundnut scheme. This was a massive agricultural project by post-WWII Britain in Africa to produce food and export sales during its economic slump after the war.

The Shervick was a heavy tractor built from major components of the Sherman tank, as indicated by its name (Shervick - Sherman + Vickers). Early concepts literally used a cut-down Sherman hull, but when this was deemed too cumbersome, Vickers created a new version with Sherman components.

A structural steel hull formed the basis of the vehicle, to which Sherman suspension bogies and armored transmission cover were fitted. Only two bogies were mounted on each side. Between the bogies was a mounting point for a dozer blade.

Two General Motors 6-71 engines powered the Shervick. It weighed around 15 tons.

The Tanganyika groundnut scheme was abandoned in 1951, but the small number of completed Shervicks still found use in other projects.

[Story]

Found on Facebook.

This is the Shervick, 

look at the post two above yours

[GTX_Admin]

Some what similar but using M113 drive train: