Hello
Today I found in "Blast models" new conversion for AFV Stryker. Unfortunately I can't find any informations about this "improvised Obstacle Blade".
Can somebody give me information when Soldiers in Iraq started to add this part to M1126 Stryker? Can I built M1126 with this "blade" + space armour ?
Thank You
Chris [img]http://www.phpshopxml.com/client/blamod/img/BL35134K.jpg

Frenchy might be able to come up with a picture ore two but you may want to aslo contact Blast Models and see if they would share where they got there reference from.

It is sort of hard for me to imagine them using this version in reality. Look at the mounting points for the support bars. Any kind of pressure would snap them right off. Unless they planned to push some foam... or air. My snow plow for my Jeep has stronger mounting points.

-Mike

It definately looks on the simple side, no hydraulics, chains or any way to lift and lower the blade. Lots of references will be required.

cheers

I apologize up front if this seems like a tease, but I can verify homemade stuff like this exists. I have a photo that I can not share at the moment that is very similar to this. Units are using blades and attaching them like this. It is hoped in the not too distant future I will be able to enlighten you more. There are lots of interesting things going on out there, from our perspectives as modelers.

Based on what I have the modeler might want to attach the winch to that cross bar via a shackle (there needs to be a hole drilled in that cross bar if there is not one there already or there is no room for the shackle). That allows the crew to raise and lower the blade.

Bob

That is some tease! The winch hook-up makes some sense. I just can't get over the weakness of the structure. I guess they can't be pushing too much weight. A buddy of mine in Iraq told me about his hummvee crew throwing a long flagpole with a flat piece of steel plating on the end of it; connected to some chains that attached to the roof for support. They used it to push 'suspicious' object from the roadway. They also threw a ton of hillbilly armor around the front and sides in case the 'suspicious' object was indeed an IED. I will see if I can get a pic from him.

-Mike

Hi Pete
Only one picture, and it shows a different blade. This one belongs to the 38th Engineer Company, 4th Stryker BCT, 2nd Infantry Division.


HTH
Frenchy

In fact Pete was right : I've found another one on my HD


...and another one on Flikr (I'm not sure this one will be very useful )


Frenchy

EDIT The blade shown in my first post is in fact much more elaborated than the one depicted by Blast. There are some other pics of this very blade on the DVIDS website (same unit). The hydraulics are visible on the first picture below :
http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=60496

http://www.dvidshub.net/img_show.php?id=54024

Frenchy

That's much more like what I expected. Thanks a lot Frenchy. You seem to always come through for all of us!

-Mike

Hi Guys:

These ones, and the first one Frenchy posted, are the ESV variant, which is the purposebuilt engineer variant. They can carry a variety of blades/plows. An indication of the ESV is the attachment on the bottom of the front hull (jettison fitting kit) which allows the many types of blades/plows to be attached as well as providing hydraulic power, the missing slat in the front of the ESV, and the lane marker boxes on the rear corners of the ESVs.

The Blast offering is something that is locally designed by units to be used by non-ESV Strykers. I suppose there aren't enough ESVs out there with blades.

Something I noticed in Frenchy's photos is that the Rhinos on the ESVs are not centrally mounted, but off to the right side.

Bob

Thanks for the additional info Bob

Frenchy

There's also the mine clearing dozer blade... Now lemme go find it...