1/35 Stryker - B.L.A.D.S

[Buzzbomb]

So at a local Hobby Shop that has build days, I have been getting this together. You know one of those "what possessed me to buy this" kits.
Perfect environment for this sort of thing. Plug away, glue a few bits, gabble on,a few more bits. Pack up. Rinse and repeat over a few days.



The dilemma is what to do ? Canon out of box or razz it up a bit. Razzing out a whiffer of some description is clearly the best option.
Well the Stryker family has just about one of everything, this is the ATGW version but the vehicle is versatile having Mobile Gun, APC, ACV, Engineer, Recon. It goes on.

So far they do not appear to have a Surface to Air version or something like a Radar/Sensor vehicle.

Not out there enough ? Naaah.
I am thinking of Battlefield Laser Unit for Missile defence. Some sort of gimbal mounted Laser weapon complete with MOFO power unit.
Thoughts team ?

[Jacques Deguerre]

If you can actually get them shipped to you, some kind of laser weapon or railgun cobbled from those Kotobukiya MSG and/or Hexagear sets might be really cool!
Yeah, Gundam parts would work great too.

[Ramba]

There were a few proposed air defense Strykers and some prototypes were made. Not sure if any were integrated though.

One version is the ADATS system. There is a 1/35 resin ADATS system but is very costly at around $100 USD. Here are a couple photos of the ADATS Stryker.



Here is another version called SHORAD.



This was also called SHORAD MSL with a different system and mounted of a modified Stryker hull.

[Story]

"Lasers are real"

[Jacques Deguerre]

“Frikken Strykers with frikken lasers!” 

[ChernayaAkula]

If you can actually get them shipped to you, some kind of laser weapon or railgun cobbled from those Kotobukiya MSG and/or Hexagear sets might be really cool!
Yeah, Gundam parts would work great too.

This! 

[Marderman]

Laser like the german Boxer testvehicle:
IMG_2102 by Diethelm Berlage, auf Flickr

IMG_2104 by Diethelm Berlage, auf Flickr

IMG_2110 by Diethelm Berlage, auf Flickr

[Jeffry Fontaine]

FLame Throwers!  Nothing better for instilling fear in the opposition and the natural instinct to run away from fire that is out of control/uncontained.

[GTX_Admin]

A couple of different ideas:

• Put a Netfires style vertical launcher on it
• Put something such as a Sikorsky Cypher UAV on the back

[Story]

The current Mobile High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a 5kW system.
https://www.smdc.army.mil/Portals/38/Documents/Publications/Fact_Sheets/MEHEL.pdf

What's a 50kW system going to look like?
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/08/02/heres-when-the-army-wants-50kw-lasers-on-strykers/

[Buzzbomb]

Thanks Team ! Some really great ideas out there.
I had already seen some, but a lot very new (to me)  images.
The road ahead for this class of vehicle, Stryker and Boxer et al, is wide open.

As we know.. size matters and the size of some of those lasers is very disappointing.

Lots to mull through, so hopefully the mojo will not desert me on this as I have been pinballing on projects over the last few weeks on a very varied set of subjects.

[Rickshaw]

Paint it pink.

[Silverfox]

I've got a Stryker in my stash, and an LAV-AD in my stash with the idea of transplanting the air defence turret from the LAV onto the Stryker hull, and probably altering some of it, now you've given me the idea...!

I might do a laser turret on the LAV hull as well, or something similar. Be interested to see what you come up with yours!

[Buzzbomb]

Mulled, procrastinated and finally sat and done something
So after some serious thought to do a Tracked Stryker and then a CIWS type system, none of those really worked without buying more stuff so both were eventually scratched.
Back to the Laser version we went.
It is to all intents an OOB build as the will for a major hack and slash had deserted me.

So as Trumpeter saw it - Kit ATGW station.


I started with this turret type setup. But not entirely convinced it works. The BTR turret is sort of not working


Then went down this direction with an old M-48 Commanders station. This is sort of leading at the moment with a bit more jazzification.

[apophenia]

Nice! FWIW, I'm liking your M48 commanders station approach (with the original hatch being an access panel for laser weapon gubbins?).

[Story]

Nice! FWIW, I'm liking your M48 commanders station approach (with the original hatch being an access panel for laser weapon gubbins?).

Completely concur.

Check out all the extraneous bits on the hull deck of this test-bed vehicle.
https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/IkxRbLIpU5VWuU6257SLthRb1gk=/1200x0/filters:quality(100)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FMCQRXODSRG2FLMMHSVUKG4RI4.jpg

I'd think that an actual Mk I or Mk II production unit would be pared down, but there'd be a separate target designator and a remote (.50) weapons system.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/03/21/us-army-successfully-demos-laser-weapon-on-stryker-in-europe/

  The BTR turret is sort of not working

Save it for an equivalent Russian/Chinese build. 'Laser is fine'.

[Buzzbomb]

Thanks for the feedback, team.
After an overnight put aside session, the BTR turret had already been consigned to the "box of might use later bits and modules"

I saw something else shiny which grabbed my attention,  which I am working on at the moment. So back the Stryker next.

[Buzzbomb]

Finally got back to this machine.
The Stryker- Battlefield Laser Airspace Denial System .... B.L.A.D.S

Near as dammit to finished, figure is still under way and it may or may not get a load of stuff, but considering the role being so specialised and having a small crew maybe not.






Thanks for taking the time to help out with suggestions and looking at the build

[Old Wombat]

Looks good, BT!

[Antonio Sobral]

Cool, and a great result!


Thanks for the inspiration: Now I know what to do with a GTK Boxer I had put aside :)

[GTX_Admin]

Thanks for the inspiration: Now I know what to do with a GTK Boxer I had put aside :)

For possible inspiration: 




I saw this one in person a few years back.

[Steve Blazo]

Very cool concept and fantastic finish.   

[Dr. YoKai]

I need to get out more - good looking build. The laser turret is refreshingly subtle.

[ChernayaAkula]

Jolly nice build! 

<...> The laser turret is refreshingly subtle.

Absolutely!