Am on the verge of buying one of the venerable Tamiya M577 command post kits, and had a few questions about its use in Vietnam:
1. How often was the power supply generator removed whilst parked?
2. What did the transmitter mast look like when up - and how common was this?
3. Did the wooden sides as featured on the Tamiya kit become duck boards for the floor of the attached tent?
4. Did the tent ever just get left off or was it an integral part of the vehicle at all times?
5. Is the Tamiya kit any good? are there any problems/issues I should know about?
It's going to be sat parked on the big Mekong dio, hopefully with its mast up...
Thanks in advance

Richard

Richard-- I will attempt to answer some of your questions. The 577 should bear the markings of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Yeah, I know there were other mechanized units in Vietnam (notably a brigade from the 5th Infantry Division), the 11th is the best choice (IMHO). Now, the generator was usually retained in the basket unless downloaded for maintenance which was quite frequent--oil change, etc. You put a 292 antenna on the end of the extension poles to improve your radio range. Normally, we either threw the 292 over a limb or dismounted the entire 292 system and set it up besides the vehicle. It was not unknown to run around with two or three pole extensions in the holder while the vehicle operated unusual but not unheard of. The canvas extension was rarely on the vehicle let alone employed. They may have done so at regiment level, but the squadrons usually just backed the tracks together and lowered the ramps for a quick set up. At night we buttoned up the track to cut down on their light and noise. Gino can comment on the pros and cons of the kit. We had a long gun battle on Armorama one time over the use of the floor boards. Like I stated earlier, if you did not have the extensions mounted why carry the floor? There are a thousand asnwers to your questions that I trust others will contribute. There was no standard way of doing anything in Vietnam (once again in IMHO). Vehicle configuration depended on the unit, the year you were there, the commander's desires, the weather.. I escaped the monsoon on the first tour. By the second time, I was up north and with an infantry outfit....miserable weather, but I digress.
Hope this helps and causes others to pipe in....
DJ

Maybe these pics will help you to find a few more answers (providing you don't already know them )....
http://picasaweb.google.pl/zippo132/USM577Vietnam#

HTH
Frenchy

Yup, I concur all with what DJ said. The kit has no real bad areas. It will build into a Vietnam era M577A1 stright out of the box. There are a few motorization holes to fill though. I also drilled out the holes on the gererator housing, the holes for the boom to remove the generator, and the antenna mast holes to make it look better. I also tweaked a few other areas as well. You can check out my M577A2 I am currently working on in the Constructive Comments Forum to see how it looks.

Thanks guys - that was not only lightning fast but spot on too - just what I needed...
I won the said kit on e-bay a few minutes ago so it's all systems go!
Might get the Eduard pe for it...
It'll pair up with a "normal" M113 - I was worried a single one on the dio might look out of place but this will sort of balance the scene. It will also add a bit of emphasis on the warehouse type building it'll be next to - as a command centre of sorts.
Pics of the other M113 tomorrow if I remember to bring my camera into work...

Rich

You can see from the photos posted by Frenchy (very nice by the way) that standard configurations are not visible. I would add that you need to get some bridal veil to use as an RPG screen. Several of the photos have them either emplaced or carried between the trim vane and the engine access door. Experiences vary, but this is chain link fence that would pre detonate an incoming RPG and cause deadly bits of chain links to go flying all over the place. A good and a bad to ever counter measure. Do well!

Hi !

Tamiya M577 command post kit is very lousy. Look my other albums -
http://picasaweb.google.pl/zippo132/MyVietnamM113#
http://picasaweb.google.pl/zippo132/AustralianM577ACVVietnam#
and http://picasaweb.google.pl/zippo132/ARVNM113# with some ARVN M577 pics.

regards

Hi Jerzy !
Welcome to Armorama and thanks for all the pics you have collected. Great reference stuff !

Frenchy

Ok, remembered the camera, here are three shots of the M113 as is -





New Tasca fuel cans and pe straps to come, plus need to make a ramp pulley.
One M60 is off and will be being cleaned next to the track.
Possibly some more storage to come...

Found this nice shot - will try a figure inside mine like this I think...

The kit will benefit from some photoetch (I believe Eduard has a set for the 577), and most vehicles after the initial production batch were built with one-piece sidewalls, so the joint between the 113 hull and the rear extension will need to be filled (on an early vehicle, you'll need to add a weld bead). Kit tracks are vinyl bands with no detail on the inside face at all, so replace them with the aftermarket items of choice.

Nice shot of a 2nd Armored Division Artillery vehicle. It is not a Vietnam location looks like Fort Hood.

Right on the ID of the 2AD vehicle, but the red corner reflector stripes suggest a 2AD forward brigade in Germany. That, plus the MERDC camo of the 70s and 80s required the use of a contrasting background color for the bumper numbers. Those in the photo are simply black on the overall forest green camo color, like vehicles from a POMCUS site.

Richard,

Currently have a vietnam M577 on my workbench -



Used modelkasten tracks and the eduard PE set, all other detailing is scratchbuilt using plasticard & brass bits. Lovely kit when done but you have to be careful with that hull joint.

More pics can be found here http://s437.photobucket.com/albums/qq98/andyevans_2008/M577/

Any questions, I'll be only too happy to help.

Regards,

Andy

Nice piece of work Andy
Cheers
Seb

...very nice... thanks for sharing. Definitely food for thought, and thanks for the heads up on the side panel fit. (I gather it was only the early model that had the weld seam?)
Now, the kit arrived this morning, and I have to say, I think I've been spoilt by Academy - their M113 (as built above) has an interior... and a back door which can be opened... no such luck with the tamiya... so scratching an interior is step one, at least so as I can open the little back door and stick a figure inside as per the photo of the 2nd AD above...
Gino, can I copy your interior please? I have some reference of the innards (engine bulkhead, drivers position) from my 113, but I think the rear part is all I'll pay attention to as this will be the bit seen (top hatches closed). Some careful cutting needed though for that back door!

Thanks

Richard

... or, thinking about it, as the ramp on my other 113 is down and the door closed (academy door and ramp are separate bits - and just tacked together) I'll gently tear it off and open the door, use it on the M577 and replace it with the ramp (with closed door) from the Tamiya!
Bingo. (let's hope they fit each other)

R

Andy-- very nice job.
DJ

Of course you can, I don't hold a patent on it or anything like that. Good luck on it.

wow nice 1 andy what did you use for the tracks?

Martyn

Thanks,

I used the modelkasten workable tracks for the m577 which also comes with the drive sprocket. Bit of a pain to clean up and assemble but the results are worthwhile.

Richard, just be careful if you are using the eduard PE set. If I remember the generator housing was a pain to put together, when bent the two sides that meet the upper hull are not the same length and I had to trim one side. (Then again, it could be me bending it a bit crap !).

Thanks for all the good comments, just need to get the paint out now !!

Cheers,

Andy

Yeah it's a toss-up between ModelKasten and Fruilmodel for the tracks - I used the Fruils before, and they're great, and at the mo, the same price as the Modelkastens...
Thanks for the heads up on the Eduard... I doubt it's your bending - I've had problems before with buts that just don't fit...

Good luck with the painting. Which era/scheme are you going for?

Any colour you like as long as it's green ! Probably oing to do it as an 11th ACR in Vietnam, 1969. (If you have the osprey vanguard armour of the vietnam wars there is a colour plate of an M577 there), although it shows 20mm ammo boxes on the top, not wooden as I have done. And I'm not particularly fond of the massive horse painted on the side.

I have an old PBR crew at rest set by azimut and one of the figures looks great in the cupola so will be using him, scruffy individual that he is.

Got to finish my latest project first - M48 with a full marine rifle company aboard. Sick of painting figures already !!! Anyway, I'll start a new thread on that one when I get a little more done (Don't want to hijack your post !)

Regards,

Andy