Piasecki Air Tank

[Dr. YoKai]

I'm a bit late getting started on this, but here we go-
DSCF1204 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

I've had the Glencoe re-issue of the Piasecki Airgeep in my stash for quite awhile, my original plan being to turn it into a hovertank
from the old BATTLETECH board game, but I decided to make it something a little more contemporary. Backstory is minimal at this point,
but the notion is of a bit more horsepower, a (slightly) armored crew compartment, and a remote gun system.
Here's what I've gotten up to so far.
The basic modifications, a larger engine compartment, armored cab, and a brief pondering of scale-o-rama to 1/48. Ultimately, I decided
to stick with just a slight adjustment to 1/35. Probably won't use any figures anyway.
DSCF1205 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
The new engine bay in place, and the first concept for a gun mount, discarded when I realized this would turn the AT into a one man vehicle.
DSCF1206 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
DSCF1208 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
And the current state of affairs. A bustle for the cab, and a drum fed high-low pressure gun of around 90mm. I'll start on the gun mount here in a bit.
DSCF1209 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
DSCF1210 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

[Frank3k]

Looking forwards to this! The airgeep is a big vehicle, but with a relatively little room for non-fan/engines.

[apophenia]

Yep. This is gonna be good 

One thought is about how this sucker is going to bounce around in the air when even a low pressure 90mm gun goes Boom. Any chance of making that piece into a recoilless rifle? Maybe the bum end could look like the Davy Crockett launcher?

That has just given me pause ... what a decade that was! It gave us the Piasecki ZV-8P Airgeep and the recoiless Davy Crockett with its M388 'neighbourhood nuke' - the 'Atomic Watermelon'. Actually, it is a minor miracle that those who lived through the Cold War are as comparatively well-adjusted as we are!

[Dr. YoKai]

Never let it be said I couldn't rise to a challenge... I didn't have a suitable warhead to fake up a Davy Crockett, so I took a shot at an RCL with a revolver magazine and a period TV camera for the remote mounting.
Private Grey inspects the work-
DSCF1216 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

Little more patching to do-
DSCF1215 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

And the gun mount, along with a more American Mid-fifties style cupola.
DSCF1214 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

 

[apophenia]

Looking good, Doc! And your period TV camera sight is pure genius 

Amazing tech on those 1950s TV cameras, too - fully diurnal B&W; 480i SDTV resolution; low-impact plastic cover (available in bile green or baby poo beige); easily removable for maintenance by a team of 3-to-4 burly men; etc. It must have been like living in the future! 

[Frank3k]

That turret is very 50's. The TV camera looks like it has a very long focal length lens! Just perfect to see the target get vaporized from a safe-ish distance

[Jeffry Fontaine]

No option to chop the thing in half to extend the length and useful area to accommodate the turret? 

That is one of the obstacles I encountered with my own project to create a platform that could hold an HMMWV between the two lift fans.  Still not giving up on the idea but it is in a holding pattern for now. 

[Frank3k]

It's both relatively easy and productive to separate the two fan sections and rebuild the cockpit/crew area. You get a lot more room to play (as much as you want...)

[Dr. YoKai]

It never occurred to me to lengthen the chassis. I can see the advantages, but I think I'll stick with it as is. Jeffry, the gun will be on a remote control pintle mount-the cabin is a fixed casemate. As it is, the armor is (probably) heavy aluminium, if not some product of Clark Yo Jr.'s Super Science.

The camera is probably a bit undersized for the era-I remember seeing some studio TX cameras in the late seventies (I want to say it was in a second hand shop in Minneapolis) and those things were massive. The telephoto lens is actually a piston from a Kotobukiya detail set. I have a little teeny lens to drop in, but that'll keep until painting is complete.

[Frank3k]

What's the cab from? It really looks like it belongs in the 50s.

This is a fun kit - the Airgeep plastic is nice and thick, but makes a great "canvas"

[Jeffry Fontaine]

@Ken

I shared this a while back in my own topic but thought it would be beneficial to do so again as the propellers in that Glencoe AirGeep kit are a bit underwhelming and deserve some kind of upgrade.  I opted for 70mm EDF propellers and they pretty much drop in to the AirGeep.  The only obstacle now is to determine how best to secure the things within the ducts. 

[Dr. YoKai]

Frank - Thanks! The Cab is composed of the upper forward bow of the old Revell "Red October" Typhoon class SSBN, and the rear bustle is the back half of the bridge of the even older AMT Romulan War Bird kit. I sanded off the raised detail and filled most of the rest. (Really hated filling in the torpedo tubes, but I could rationalize a use for them.)

Jeffry - I remember seeing your build awhile back, and the fans do look more imposing. A simple cruciform truss with the right diameter evergreen tube for the prop shaft might work.

[Buzzbomb]

 Very good Doc

Retroing the weapon system look fine to me

[apophenia]

...I opted for 70mm EDF propellers and they pretty much drop in to the AirGeep...

Fans to represent ... well, fans. Nice one, Jeff! 

[Kerick]

Submarines, Romulans, computer fans! I love this!

[Dr. YoKai]

 Gun mount completed. Seems to hold a pose fairly well.
DSCF1223 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

[apophenia]

Gun mount completed. Seems to hold a pose fairly well.

Oh, that is dead impressive! Well done, Doc 

[Old Wombat]

Nice! Can't wait to see it under primer, when it's all tied together!

[Robomog]

This is looking good !

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Claymore]

Great work Doc!