I have completed the M577A2 for a customer. It depicts one from about 1985 in 5th ID, 105 MI. It is built from the Tamiya M577 kit, with modifications to bring it up to A2 standard. You can see the in-progress build and a description in the Constructive Feedback Forum.

Here it is.





More can be seen here.

As always, all comments are welcome.

Gino-- fantastic job! That's more real than the real thing....very well done
Stay safe
DJ

Gino,
Kudos for the build. I just got one from DJ based on your WIP photos and I have to say, what a turd of a kit in its basic form. I guess that I have my work cut out for me to get it up to par but what the heck, it is called modeling for a reason.

John

Gino,

Great job, now it does look like some's home Love the coffee stain on the shelf.

Darryl

Looks great. Another satisfied customer. The radios are nicely worn and the documents are a great touch.

Only comment would be that the TC hatch locks down just a bit closer to the hull than you have shown.

Paul

Thanks guys. Glad you like it.




I thought the hatch looked a little high. Thats were the Tamiya bump-stop puts it at. Guess it needs to be shaved down a buit next time.

Gino,

Great job mate. I really like the clutter you have built into the vehicle. The rolled up maps are a nice touch. Wish I had of thought of it.

You have inspired me to take some pictures of a M577A1 that I recently completed. It’s in service with the Australian army in the early 2000’s.

Its is built from a mix of the tamiya and the academy kits with eduard photo etch, modelkasten tracks and a bunch of extras from mouse house who make all the bits and bobs needed to covert an off the shelf vehicle to Australian mods. Most of the interior is scratch built.

Good work mate. Gotta love the ACV.

Wow Wayne, that interior is sick! Beautiful work!!

Wayne that is just BRILLIANT !

Amazing job....Amazing. Well done

Paul

Thanks Wayne. Yours look great too.

Wayne, mate, you have spent way TOOOOOO much time in SHQ Troop.
Very nice job over all and so is yours Gino.

Cheers Jason

PS is that my travel mug on the bench Wayne?

Gino, you've done really good job on your model but it seems there's one thing missing inside: I don't see kitchen...

Very nice build. Well detailed and has a very good feel to it. Against the right backdrop you'd be hard press to tell if it were real or really in scale.

SHQ = hotel California. Once you enter they never let you leave.

Can’t say I liked SHQ but but it does make for a different modeling topic.

Next on the list is a spanners vehicle, an ARVL. I managed to pick up an interior kit from Maple Leaf models before they went out of production. It’s very nice indeed. There’s gonna be allot of hydraulic cables to sort out in that one that’s for sure.




Yeah. The mouse house RAAC CES kit came out just after I finished kitting out this one. I was spewing as I had just finished the inside. I would have used a few of your hollowed out .50 cal liners for documents holders, and maybe a 1/2 water jerry. I like the decals that come with the .50 and .30cal liners. The odd splash of colour such as the Hazchem explosives diamonds is the type of thing that can really make an impression. I had to make do with the Pro Art modern radios set which has a nice laptop, GPS, digital camera and all the radio handsets to deck out my 4 x 524’s. If they only had a Clark mast then that would have been good but hey what can you do.

I did however use the mousehouse track gear bag (it’s up the front on the right near the radios battery box), the brew mug (of course, it is a gin palace after all) and there is even the gas bottle (stowed on the roof).

Mate that CES set is golden. All the little bits and bobs needed to add that touch of realism and make a model look lived in.

Cheers

W

Nice Build Gino

I have one of these on the shelf awaiting my attention

cheers

keith

Fantastic models both Gino and Wayne... I got my 577 a couple of weeks ago now, and as mentioned in another post, was dismayed to find it had no innards!
So, have just won an Academy M113 Zelda (cheapest option on e-bay for that family of vehicles) to give me the start of the interior I plan to build inside the Tamiya 557... With me so far?
My questions:
1. I plan on using just the floors and partitions and driver's area from the Zelda, along with the rear door/ramp (so I can have the little door open). The rest of the interior I hope I can scratch build, working from the examples above. Is there anything else I can use from the Zelda that would be ok in a Vietnam era 577? (radios, engine??)
2. Anyone have any tips on the Eduard 577 photo-etch? I have it, but the guidelines for the roof are wooly, to say the least. Prime portal has some great shots but I'm not sure whether any of the fittings are the same as the ones in Nam...
Any advice gladly received...

Taa

Richard

that looks awesome. great attention to detail. good job, thanks for sharing.

That's one great job. I love all the small details that make it look "lived in".

The detailed walkthrough pictures on Prime Portal are of an A1 converted to A2 so the roof should be the same. No reason to change.

Paul

Yes, the basic engine and interior are the same A1 version that is in all the Academy kits. The radios are also correct for a Vietnam M577, it is a VRC-160, which is the vehicle mount for a A/N PRC-77.

Good luck and thanks for the compliments all.

Many thanks Gino... that's good news, I hate to consign a large proportion of a kit directly to the spares box, even if it was cheap...
And thanks Paul, I was hoping to use those pics as a direct reference, and now I can...
(there are precious few Nam era pics of the insides of these things) I guess it would depend on the exact use (Command post, div. HQ, etc) as to what was inside, but would the basic set-up be the same? (ie radios, air cleaner, storage, floor level fuel tanks, folding benches)...

Yes, the basic interior is the same as I have built. You could actually do it exactly as I did (with the exception of leaving the engine access cover as one piece) and it would be fine for Vietnam as well. The inside didn't really change.

Gino's build is a good guide for a US Vietnam era M577.

Remember though you will be building an A1 standard vehicle not an A2 as he did so make sure there is no shocky on the 2nd road wheel. A1s had shockys on the 1st and 5th roadwheel. A2 had them on the 1st 2nd and 5th. If you’re using the Tamyia kit hull it should be fine but if you use the academy kit hull you will have to grind it off.

Some crews in Vietnam removed the crew heater. The cylindrical thing in the right hand sponson up the front.

The radio set up in mine will be wrong for a Vietnam ear US M577.

As for the Eduard photo etch. It was fine. A big portion of it is made up of the cage for the generator. I tried to make this work but could not get it to look right. I the end I just sanded the kit plastic parts down to a scale thickness and drilled out the holes.

If you’re looking for a good reference picture of the generator that comes in the kits there is one here: https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/120708&page=3

I also purchased the M113 interior photo etch set. It’s got a bunch of stuff which is useful for the driver’s bay.

Wayne has it down pat. As long as you use an A1 hull, you will be good. Here are a couple pics of Vietnam-era M577A1s.

40th Armored in Germany. Notice the weld lines on the hull for the upper extention.


11 ACR in VN. Nice pic of a short tracked M551 Sheridan too. Anyone know what type of trailer that is?


Another 11 ACR M577A1.


17th FA, Germany.


M577A1 interior, basically the same as mine.



That should get you started.

Good luck.

Guys, thanks so much - you've really helped out alot.
I'm using the Academy shell, and essentially just the "top box" from the Tamiya, as the parts fit together better, and the top fits with just some minor adjustments.
Hope to have some wip pics up in a few days, but time is being taken up currently on building shacks and hooches for the dio...

Thanks again
Richard