Heya, Folks,

Just finished rigging the boom on the AFV Club M88 and I want to show it lending a helping hand by lifting a farmer's water buffalo stuck in the mud.

Got the M88, an old Graffitti Creations water buffalo (and farmer)...

Any idea what the best (and easy to model ) way to rig a water buffalo would be? Again, the crew is using the boom to hoist the stuck animal out of the mud.. I assume that the crew might utilize a camo net (a la "Apocalypse Now") or fashion some sort of sling. Just looking for ideas.

This is a really odd question, I know...

Thanks, folks!

Regards and Aloha,

John

I guess the realistic issues you would have to look at are:

-if the Water Buffalo was so stuck, how could they put a sling under it?

-lots of farm animals are recovered from being stuck the old fashioned way.....harness around the neck and slowly pull....the animal will do what it can if it is not exhausted.

I think your idea is good but it comes down to how much artistic licence you are wanting to input.

I would say use something to replicate tensioning straps hooked up to the boom and have your diorama as the hooking up of the Water Buffalo instead of the actually lifting.....having the Water Buffalo still stuck with the farmer and some crew members around in with muddy boots and shovels and motioning to a crew member still on the M88 might portray a better story. Maybe construct one of those old fashioned wooden ploughs to give a sense it is a farm animal?

If you are going to have it lifted then don't forget to give the contrast between dry mud on the top of the Buffalo and lots of wet mud where it was stuck.

Just some ideas for you. Good luck with your project.

Hi Buddyif it was me ,i`d go with the camo net.If they used slings they`d risk cutting the poor thing in two(a,la,cheesecutter stylee !!).

http://www.largeanimallift.com/

Thanks, Guys,

Awesome input... Thanks for the reality check and great detail ideas (the differing shades of mud --- great detail!), Jason.

I'll probably go with artistic license, but keep the scene within semi-realistic bounds (and try to avoid a scene which would end in sliced water buffalo )...

Does anyone know what hatch the engineer operating the boom would be looking out of? I would assume the hatch to starboard of the driver's hatch, but hey, I don't know for certain...

And thanks, Matt --- good pix on those contemporary animal lifts...only in this day and age would there be a dedicated website! Ya gotta love the internet!

Okay, found a couple of pictures with twin .50s and an ACAV-type commander's gunshield. Gonna try and knock that out, assemble the indie tracks and then I can jump in on the vignette (can't call it a "diorama" because that would guarantee it won't get done)...

Thanks again for the encouragement and help, guys! Much appreciated!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.

I doubt you are still working on this one, but just in case you are here are some thoughts.....

Based upon my limited experience with water bulls and tracked vehicels in the paddies....

1. I think you would be more likely to find the M-88 stuck in the paddy and needing help from the water bull. I used to have a pic of two M-48's and a bulldozer stuck in the mud near Hill 10.

2. I doubt a cammo net would help with a water bull at all. Those things (water bulls) are huge. If anything you would need a cargo net......much more stout that a cammo net. If I remember correctly, the Vietnamese used to rig a rope around the horns of the water bull...mostly for encouragement on general direction rather than recovery though.

3. Just for general info, water buffalo are some mean critters. Most Americans learned quickly to keep their distance. I don't think they liked the way we smelled. If yougo forward with the diorama, better show the farmer rigging the buffalo rather than the vehicle crew.

Just a few random thoughts on the idea.

Semper Fi,
Dave

Hiya, Dave,

Thanks for the ideas! Yeah, I'm still working on this project, however slowly (family and work get the lion's share of my time and energy). Finally got the M88 built, added a shield for twin .50s (found it in a picture on the internet) and some additional gas can racks on the rear deck. Nothing prize winning, but still fun to do (the wife helped out with the shield as she's an artist and can actually draw a straight line)...

Have this one (and the AFV Club M-41) base coated --- on Gary's recommendation, I tried a Tamiya rattle can shade of O.D. --- still a little light for my taste, but I haven't done any washes yet. That Vietnam-era O.D. really is tough to recreate!!

I'll probably be going with more than a fair bit of artistic license on this one, so bear with me...

The M88 will be on the roadside leaning out over an adjacent paddy.

Just so you can see the water bo, I'll probably be having it lifted in a sling. Going to show the animal already rigged and just starting to get a lift.

There will be a Vietnamese farmer, of course. My Uncle is an old Marine tanker and he said, you did, that these animals were ill tempered, but that they tended to behave around kids. So if I can find it amongst all my junk, I'll include the Legends grunt with kid on his shoulder...

Again, at this point, I know that realism is pretty much out the window, but hey, it's a hobby, right? At the pace I'm moving, this will probably take a while.

Thanks again for the support and info, Dave!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.

Johnny -

I'd really like to see the diorama when you finish. Please post a picture.

Semper Fi,
Dave

Hi Johnny

If you have that .50 cal x2 picture saved on your computer, could you please send it to me? ( evr(at)telia.com ) It might be the one I already got, but just to be sure...

Looking forward to see pictures of your project.

Cheers
/E

Johnny -

I'd like to see that pic of the .50's as well.

[email protected]

Semper Fi,
Dave

Will do, Guys!

I will e-mail you tboth the pix when I get home from work--- there's a low angle close up and a longer shot where you can see the entire vehicle.

And will post pix of the dio when done. I'll post pix of the M88 here as well(once I figure out how to do it) --- been chasing after my two and a half year old, which does not leave much energy after a full day of work...

Still gotta figure out the figures... Waiting on the Hobby Fan M88 crew from Lucky Models (I love 'em but sometimes they do take months) ... Waiting for the new Trumpeter CH-47A crew to come out, which includes a grunt with his arms in the air (guiding the bird in or out), which would work for this scene.

Going to try printing some custom decals out on the wife's new fancy printer --- hopefully, it will work!

Still got a loooong way to go on the diorama, though, but I guess ya gotta start somewhere!

Thank you for your support, guys!!

Have a good one!

Regards and Aloha,

Johnny B.