LVT(A)-1A "Crocodile"

[Old Wombat]

This build is inspired by Mr Jeffrey Fontaine, who sent me a number of Saladin turrets from Tamiya M113A1 Fire Support Vehicles amongst some other odds & ends.

The base kit is an Italeri LVT(A)-1 Alligator which I am in the process of modifying, like the Australian army M113A1s, to mount one of the Saladin 76mm-gunned turrets.

Obviously, the vehicle being an amphibian, where to put this build is something of a quandary: Sea or Land? Land or Sea?

I settled on "Land" because it really only travels through the water to get from the transport ship to land, where it does most of its work. Although this Royal Australian Marines version is going to be operating in the flooded rice paddies & rivers of Vietnam as much as on firm dry land.

Photo's have been taken of these early stages & will, hopefully be posted tomorrow ... later today.

[Old Wombat]

First images.

Phase One - Basic Turret Fitment:






Phase Two - Turret Ring & Rear Superstructure Extension Installation:






Phase Three - PSR + Primer:

[Buzzbomb]

So much right about this.

Nice one.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! 

Excellent solution on the space issue by extending the superstructure further aft to cover the two machine gun pits. 

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In the same vein, the idea of creating a roof for the LVT-4 that would allow a turret to be mounted in the troop/cargo compartment and have the rear ramp for access like the original M113 FSV was another idea that I was exploring.  I would guess that designation could be called an LVT(A)-5?   

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, BT & Jeff!


Actually, I removed the machine gun pits - I can find somewhere else to put them, I'm sure.

The initial fit of the turret showed that the gun pits were uninhabitable with the Saladin turret in place, so the extended hull was a simple, obvious solution & gives the potential for greater fuel & ammo carrying capacity.


You're going to have to find another designation, Jeff;

LVT(A)-5 (1945)

LVT(A)-4 with a powered turret and a gyrostabilizer for the howitzer. Some were upgraded in the late 1940s by changing the armor configuration. 269 units produced.

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


Nothing further done at this stage, I was seconded to SPR (sand-paint-repeat) duty on a cot ... Apparently I'm going to be a grandfather () sometime in early December.

Hopefully I'll get the turret finished to primer tonight.

[ChernayaAkula]

So much right about this.

Nice one.

Wot he said. 

[Ramba]

Very cool! Looking good so far.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

You're going to have to find another designation, Jeff;

LVT(A)-5 (1945)

LVT(A)-4 with a powered turret and a gyrostabilizer for the howitzer. Some were upgraded in the late 1940s by changing the armor configuration. 269 units produced.

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

Good catch Guy! 

I failed to read up on the LVT-4 variants.  That being said, it looks like the next available designation would be LVT(A)-6

Would the RAM still call it a Buffalo or change the name to define the new purpose? 

[Story]

The initial fit of the turret showed that the gun pits were uninhabitable with the Saladin turret in place, so the extended hull was a simple, obvious solution & gives the potential for greater fuel & ammo carrying capacity.

Roof Browning and a fly tarp would be more fitting anyways.
http://historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/file/vn%20centurion%20tank.jpg

[LemonJello]

Will be following along with this one, for sure.  I like where this is heading.

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, LJ!

The initial fit of the turret showed that the gun pits were uninhabitable with the Saladin turret in place, so the extended hull was a simple, obvious solution & gives the potential for greater fuel & ammo carrying capacity.

Roof Browning and a fly tarp would be more fitting anyways.
http://historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/file/vn%20centurion%20tank.jpg

Already has a .30 cal M1919, but I've swapped it out for a better one with some mod's to make it look more like the USN Mk.21, Mod.0 7.62mm conversion. Fly tarp is probably not going to happen.

I failed to read up on the LVT-4 variants.  That being said, it looks like the next available designation would be LVT(A)-6

Would the RAM still call it a Buffalo or change the name to define the new purpose? 

Well, this one is based on the LVT(A)-1 Alligator, so Crocodile works on this build because it's an Alligator with more bite.

Well, we have water buffaloes here in Northern Australia but whether the RAM'd call the LVT-4 based vehicles (Water) Buffaloes is anyone's guess. What little Australian (Army) documentation I've seen just calls them LVT-4s.

[Old Wombat]

Of (almost) no relevance to this build, except to explain why I achieved so little over the weekend, is the fact that I have known for some weeks now that I am going to be a grandfather.

On the weekend I spent most of Saturday conducting SPR (sand-paint-repeat) on a cot, so didn't have time to work on the Crocodile.

Today I learned that this grandchild is to be a grandson!

Which has led me to start looking at my few 1/72 kits in a rather different light ... They may come in handy in a few years, methinks!


OK, time to wander off & have a shower, then go to bed. Work tomorrow.


PS: I have already informed my daughter that I shall be referring to him as "Young Wombat" ... Amusingly, his father's online gaming name is "Kombat Wombat" (not sure that's how he writes it).

[Old Wombat]

Phase Four - Turret Completed & in Primer:


Oops, shot that one a tad low!








A bit wonky on that one but I like the "eyes"!





As mentioned elsewhere the .30cal M1919s (co-axial & commander's) are NOT .30cal M1919s but, rather, 7.62mm Mk.21 Mod.0's as per the USN's modification process.

Mk 21 Mod 0

The increasing American involvement in Vietnam created a demand for small arms, especially the new M60 machine gun. The Navy had surplus machine guns left over from World War 2 and Korea, but they were chambered for the earlier .30-06 Springfield cartridge rather than the new standard 7.62mm NATO cartridge. The Mk 21 Mod 0 was a US Navy conversion of the .30 M1919A4 to fire the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. This was accomplished by replacing the barrel, bolt, and feed cover and adding a chamber bushing, a link-stripper, and a second belt-holding pawl to allow it to feed and fire the new cartridge. Spacer blocks were added to the front and back of the feedway to guide the shorter round and block the use of the longer .30-06 Springfield ammunition. A six-inch flash hider was also added to the barrel to reduce the muzzle flash.

The conversions were performed from 1966 through 1967 at Naval Ordnance Station Louisville.[25] Modified M1919A4s had the designation "Machine Gun, 7.62mm / Mk 21 Mod 0" stamped on the receiver sideplate in 1/4-inch lettering. The replacement barrels had "7.62mm NATO-G" stamped on them in 1/8-inch letters to differentiate them from M1919A4 or M60 barrels; the letter G indicated it used a grooved barrel bushing.

It used the standard 7.62mm NATO M13 link "strip-out" disintegrating link,[26] in which the bolt pushes the round out of the bottom of the two-part link and then forwards into the breech. The old M1 link "pull-out" disintegrating links, which are pulled backwards out of the one-piece link by the extractor towards the bolt and then forwards into the breech, would not feed through the new mechanism. The M1 links, which were designed for the longer and thinner .30-06 Springfield, would also be too narrow to fit the shorter and thicker 7.62mm NATO round. The US Navy, because of their narrower inventory of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, used linked belts of either 7.62mm M80 Ball or a 4:1 ratio mix of 7.62mm M80 Ball and 7.62mm M62 Tracer.

The refurbished feed mechanism was left-hand feed only. It was different from the one in the M60 GPMG in that the open end of the belt had to be on top so it could be stripped out. To prepare the ammo, gunners had to take out both of the 100-round belts from an M19A1 ammo can, had to link them both together, and then loaded the resultant 200-round belt back into the M19A1 can upside-down so it would feed correctly.


Mk 21 in Vietnam being fed by an upside-down M-13 link belt (the links are not visible)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1919_Browning_machine_gun

[Frank3k]

The turret and mg are looking fantastic!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

The turret and mg are looking fantastic!

 
I will echo exactly what Frank just stated above!  Definitely doing that old Tamiya Saladin turret justice with the details. 

[Ramba]

Great job! Can't wait to see it finished.

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, guys!

Onto the main hull next!

[Buzzbomb]

Nice work, it certainly looks to be one of those second glance models, where folks will wonder if it existed or not.

So the big question around the tracks.
My experience was the Italeri tracks are ok, but not very flexible. AFV Club rubber bands, quite acceptable. I used them on my LVT Mortar carrier.
For the Mo twirling, lip smacking tracks, go the AFV club individual links. They look excellent, however a bit of work to put together.

[Old Wombat]

Thanks, BT!

I'm going to stick with the (Italeri) kit tracks, for now, although I may use the tracks from my AFV Club LVT-4.

However, if I go down that route, I'll have to buy some AFV Club indy tracks for the LVT-4 & my LVT(A)-4.

[Frank3k]

What I love about this build is that at first glance, it looks like an M3 or M5 Stuart turret... but it isn't when you look closer.

[Old Wombat]

 

[Old Wombat]

Fellow Whiffers, I am fraught by a frightful conundrum!

Do I add stripes or splotches of Dark Earth, or do I leave the scheme as it is?











Please answer quickly, as time is at a premium!

[Ramba]

Coming along nicely! That turret looks great on it.

[Old Wombat]

Thanks for the positive feedback, Ramba!


But you're no bloody help with my conundrum, are you!

[LemonJello]

My 2 centavos: Stripes.

This is really coming along nicely.  Inspirational, even.