Hello all,

for my M60A3 I need some stowage and crew gear. What was in use back then and is there some AM stuff available?

Thanks,

Thomas

I served then on tanks, and I don't think that I've seen anything in 1/35th like we were issued.
edit- with some googling this looks good- https://www.oakridgehobbies.com/tamiya-1-35-scale-us-military-equipment-plastic-model-military-diorama-accessories-kit.html
But I dont see the sleeping bag which would have been in the wet weather bag and wrapped in "spaghetti straps".
Dan

Legend makes two sets, one for AFV Club kits:

http://www-legend.co.kr/portfolio/lf1306-m60a1-stowage-setearly/

and the other for the Tamiya/Academy kits:

http://www-legend.co.kr/portfolio/lf1031-m60-tank-accessory-set/

set 1306 will be easier to find.

some of this is ok for the '80's, most not.
Dan

we always covered all our gear with the tank's tarp in bustle rack, so little of the gear could actually be seen.
Dan

Did the tarp "hug" all of the bustle rack or could someone see, let's say, the bottom half of it?

the tarp is laid in the bustle rack first, then the gear is put in the bustle rack, the you cover the rack. The idea is to keep the weather and dust off the gear.
Dan

here is a example of the gear in the bustle rack.
Dan

ALICE packs, duffel bags, cots, sleeping bags in and out of waterproof bags, CAMMO bag, MRE'S, water cans, this is the 80's so no bottled water. Woodland cammo patterns. Sleeping pads.

https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/legend/lf1169.html

again, some is ok, most not, and tanks didn't look like this with all the gear strewn around the tank!
Dan

REFORGER 85, they're not exactly following their loadplan.


www.tankograd.com/html/img/pool/3022%20M60%2004.jpg

The problem with this set is that it is designed for the M60A1 with ERA and many pieces/assemblies do not fit vehicle withot ERA. I have all three of the sets.

I have gothered these photos in order to use as reference for my M60A3 build

Thanks for all the replies so far. To precise my question: I want to put some crew gear into the Bustle Rack and the equipment should be used in the late 80ies.

I don´t want to overload the vehicle like in the offered sets.
I am aware, that I have to buy a whole set, but it should be from the right time frame.

Thomas

remember that the US Army was quite large in those days and every division can have a load plan and then every battalion can have a load plan.
Find a pic and go with that.
I was in 1AD, 1-35TH Armor and when we had our '60's we had certain gear in a certain place, ie-camo net bags, 40mm boxes, map canisters, etc.
We carried lots of extra gear on the tanks.
Dan

Lots of usefull info Dan, thanks for sharing.

What about ammo cans/boxes (0.50 cal/0.30 cal etc)? Would you use them as storage boxes? Or would you carry extra ammo boxes at the exterior of the vehicle?

We did the same on M-1IPs

One might carry a few .50 cal cans during war games , but not 7.62 ad the coax is mounted inside.
We had a old .50 can that we carried in our bustle rack that we called a “bolt box” that had bolts and ods and ends in it.
Dan

That bottom 1/3 of a 55 gal drum positioned on the right rear fender in the above photo of the tank with the track thrown to the inside (a real headache for the crew) was a "drip" pan that we sometimes carried with us. It was positioned under the tank drain plugs to catch fluid draining from the hull of the tank-- primarily on the unit hard stand (concrete parking area). It was a result of increased "environmental consciousness" in the late '70s and '80s. Most units would have a unit load plan for the bustle rack, but it wasn't always followed. You'd see duffle bags, waterproof bags, helmets (not CVCs, but steel pots) and even cases of Coke in the bustle racks. We usually used a tarp to line the rack as someone mentioned above, but not always. Camo bags and the turret tarp were often strapped to the outside of the rack, or on top of a sponson box. As far as the "load plan" goes -- it was good for a "reminder" of where stuff was supposed to go, but after a few days in the field, it went out the window for the most part. A favorite practice in my unit was to empty the left rear sponson box, line it with a rubber tarp, add ice from the mess hall, and load it with Cokes-- during the summer they'd stay cold for a day or so, longer in the winter. The gear that was supposed to be in the sponson box (tool bag, jack, etc., end connector tool, wrench set, was moved to the bustle rack. Camo poles and spreaders were usually bagged and strapped to a fender sponson box. Infrequently we'd carry a roll of concertina strapped to the rear deck for security use while we were in a lager at night. Almost every tank had a roll of WD1 commo wire somewhere in the bustle rack-- the kind that came in the "donut" roll. You could tell a tank that was just going to the LTA-- (Local Training Area) for a day or so from one that was going to the field for a month from the amount of cargo in the rack or strapped to the fenders. Four full duffle bags usually meant a long stay in the field.the crew would usually keep the stuff they needed access to (like winter gear or helmets) at the top of the "pile".
VR, Russ

In the first link, aside from the 'C rations' everything else looks ok for 1980's kit. The bags, tarps and other items seem ok. What items do you think aren't ok for the 80's?

The Legend sets are fine outside of the C rats. Replace with a couple of early MRE cases (like in the old Tamiya US accessories set) and you'll be fine.

Remember duffel bags from 1945 to 1990 did not change. In fact I preferred an old canvas one that dated back to the 1970s that is identical to the ones in the Tamiya Allied accessories set. The ruck sacks can be converted into CVC flight bags, the tarps are fine. https://www.hobbylinc.com/tamiya-allied-vehicles-accessory-set-plastic-model-military-diorama-kit-1:35-scale-35229

The Tamiya modern Accessories has both large and regular packs. I carried a large one and I enlisted in 1987. Or just leave them out and use the small ones, and the bundled sleeping bags and camo net and rod bags. https://www.ebay.com/i/222548955642?chn=ps&dispItem=1

Italeri's Modern accessories has come tarps as well tools boxes and a roll of commo wire. https://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/ita6423.htm

The old Italeri Accessories set has wet weather bags (That duffel thing on the bottom is a match for a wet weather bag with a tanker's roll inside) and rolled sleeping bags. https://www.hobbylinc.com/italeri-wwii-accessories-plastic-model-military-diorama-kit-1:35-scale-550407

One of the shell tubes can be modified into a case for a muzzle boresight device.

A little story about using the load plan. There were the guys who didn't because they knew better and there was one guy who adhered to it religiously. When in the field for tactics the guys who didn't adhere to it kept fouling everything up whenever they moved the turret. The guy who adhered to it had not such problems. Though we did have our tent poles crossed in an "X" on the top of the bustle rack just so we could always find our tank.

Tent poles can be made from Plastruct Hex rod with a pin stuck on one end. And the pin doesn't have to be straight either.

I've geared up any number of 1980s US vehicles going back to the 1980s and keep a supply of all those accessory kits on hand.

These are the MRE boxes you need for the LATE 80's:



In 89 when I went to basic, I got issued a Kevlar helmet and in AIT i got issued a "steel pot" helmet. So you can say, in the LATE 80's gear was changing. Make note of the water can in one of the pictures, it is black. Some where black and some where a very dark brown. Also note that the old style metal fuel cans where still in use, NOT the plastic ones you see today.

We had loadplans for our Hmmvw's, different ones for the ECM or the ESM rigs. It was followed for the most part but personal gear was usually stuffed where it would fit. I went to basic in 84 and we were issued steel pots. Didn't get a kevlar until mid 87 in europe. ALICE packs were either O.D. or woodland cammo, medium or large. Synthetic duffel bags, the canvas ones were on the way out but still seen, old style web gear. Cammo net bags strapped to the outside of the tailgate but the diamond net was strapped to the outside of the rig so we could drape it as soon as we stopped. If you had a cot it was usually stuffed above the rear wheel but if you were using it when we had to jump (move in seconds) it would get bungeed to the top of the hummvw fully extended. Sleeping pads on the antennas, black air mattresses folded and stashed where they were out of the way. One duffel, one pack per soldier but everyone usually brought a flyer kit bag or another duffel filled with pogey bait, t.p., extra pens and pads of paper because there was never enough for missions. Cases of ramen soup and soda, Coleman propane stove, one per rig, and several tanks of fuel because we never got hot rats in the field. Our systems took up about 50% of the interior space so we were pretty tightly packed. After about a week in the field the interior looked like a street persons shopping cart, damp gear laid out to dry, MRE debris, extra 5 gallon water cans, irradiated milk, little boxes of cereal. When we stopped we would put dirty clothes out side to air out.

After 3-5 weeks in the field our neat organization was covered by the reality of 4 soldiers living cramped in a truck. The tanks would look even worse because they stored everything outside and they were pretty creative in stashing gear around the outside of their tanks.