Can anyone tell me if they still make a model of the " Mule " . It was like a flatbed off a pick up truck with a motor and tranny and one seat and a steering wheel and had a 105 recoilless mounted on it. One was even used in the movie " Maximum Overdrive " with an M 60 mounted on it. I'm just returning to modeling after a 40 some year absence and would love to get a hold of one of these again. Built one back in the 60's when I was a kid and had a blast making a dio with the " Mule " as the center piece and plastic green army men around it.

Steve,
Dragon makes a kit, just as you mentioned, with the recoiless.


BTW, welcome back!

Mule Kit

Jim

Thank you for such a quick reply. And yes it has been WAY too long away. At least I have an idea where to start to find some of the stuff I did when I was young. Funny thing is that a lot of what I see on these pages is what we had back then. Guess the old saying holds true "the more things change the more they stay the same ".

Thanks again.

Steve,

I like you came back after being away for a while. There are some very helpful people around here, so don’t afraid to ask anything.

Jim,

Trust me I am NOT shy. If I need to ask I will definitely ask. Seems you guys know more about armor than I know about every thing in general. Makes it easy to ask for help on subjects when there are so many willing to help. BTW that is the one I was looking for. And Thank you again for the help.

The kit you built back then was a large, 1/15th scale item since re-released by Glencoe a decade or so ago, as I recall. Dragon's is a much newer kit, and at 1/35th, less than half as big, but it's more accurate with better detail. They offer it as a load carrier or as a 106 mm recoilless rifle carrier.

Dragon's kit #3315

...and #3317 :


and Glencoe's 1/15th scale kit :


HTH
Frenchy

Thank you guys for all the help and info. It's nice to know that they still make these kind of kits for us old farts to reminisce about and build. Might need a magnifier for some of the smaller parts now but still will be a fun little project.

Steve,
I am spending my time between building Armor and Ships at the time. I just hope I never again start to build aircraft again. If that happens I am in for trouble.

Most of what I build is aircraft. Let the wife pick one out to build and she came home with a 1/800 th Kitty Hawk. 3 months and 90.5 hours on that monster. Let the youngest son pick the last build and he brought home a 1/48th M4 Sherman from Tamiya. Started looking for sites to glean info and tech tips from and found this site. The Sherm is done and I have now started to talk to you guys and... well the rest is a new found love for the hobby again. I won't be a rivet counter but I will get as close as I can to making really good looking models of whatever subject comes across the bench. Thanks to all of you guys for the support and the help and I'll give back what I can in return. (see some of my other post in painting)

Found an M41 Walker bulldog on the shelf of the LHS today and should be starting it sometime over the weekend. Hopefully will remember to get photos of the build process to post along the way .

Thanks again for the help.

Steve -

I like your quote:



You probably already know this, but in the Marines the mules were found only in infantry battalions. I noticed one box top showing the mule tooling around near a 175 gun...not a very likely scenario sinc the grunts were pretty stingy with them.....all the while disparaging the lineage of its inventor. We cannon-cockers used M-151's, M-37's, M-35's and M-54's.

Rarely did the grunts take the mules to the field, so they were found mostly in rear areas making noise and dust (or mud) and hauling water cans, rations and supplies.

Semper Fi,
Dave

I took some photos of one a couple years ago: http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/17151

The Mules went to the field.We had one with a 106 mounted on it firing support for us on Operation Starlight in 65.A Mule also came out and picked myself and some other Grunts up and took us to the battalion aid station when we were wounded.I guess I am just telling old war stories.Now the military is looking for a Mule type vehicle to use in Afganistan.Everything seems to go in circles.

Dave,
Found the quote on a bumper sticker of all places. HuuuRaaa

Sabot,
Thanks for the pics link, might come in handy for paint guide in the future.

Ted,
Thought I'd remembered seeing one in action in an over flight once.

I know this isn't the mule you want but this is a new version.

and another


Bill

Bill,
Looks like a militarized golf cart but gives me some new thoughts on something to build. Thanks for sharing that. Brings up new possibilities for a diorama. Hmmmmm. Just said in another thread how supportive my wife is and how she finds stuff around the house for me to use in my addiction to the hobby. This will give a reason to find new stuff for me to use instead of going out and buying it.

Steve
Glad you like them, I especially like the mag wheels!
Bill

Bill,
Yeah, nice touch especially for the military.

See.Everyone looks down on Grunts.

On the seventh day God rested.Marines filled sandbags.

Ted,
Not always. When inverted I'd have to look up.

There is a more modern version of the Mule developed by Lockheed. I saw a mock up one at the Armor Warfighting Conference here at Ft. Knox last spring.
Lockheed Mule.

I think in military/government jargon, it's referred to as "up-armored" LOL

Looks like it could some sort of that slat armor for added protection.

Sabot,
Before long there won't be anyone in a war. Everything will be automated. Sound like a movie plot to anyone. Maybe Hollywood had some insight to modern warfare that they weren't telling anyone about.