Hi guys (gender collective), I'm fairly new to this group but not to modelling, i normally build 1:24 & 1:25 scale model trucks (out of box, kit bashing, transkit, scratchbuild etc) however my current project and the few that i've got planned for the new future call for advice that fellow truck modellers can't give.

I'm a Recovery Mechanic in the Army and i'm currently building a HRV, this will be followed by 20t Trailer then the MRV. Once the three parts of the B vehicle recovery fleet are done i want to turn my hand to the three A Vehicles, M113AS4 ARVL, Aslav-R and M88A2 HERCULES. I know that these can be bought in one form or another and built with litle difficulty in 1:35 however i want to do them in the same scale as the trucks so they'll be 1:25 (can you imagine a 1:25 M88A2 )

I'd like some advice from anyone who may have tempted fate in this way before 9either this scale or these vehicles) and some points on what to look for when building militay vehicles. Also if you know of any reference material for these vehicles in either hard copy of web sites it'd be greatly appreciated.

One of the great scratchbuilding masters that has graced our presence was a man with the callsign barv
His work was amazing and inspired a great many modelers and his focus was on engineering vehicles.
While he is no longer with us his work is still around. You can look through his threads and get some ideas on where to start, how build incredibly intricate pieces and make stunning pieces.
In his threads you can gleen information from the photos and comments, look in the backgrounds for plans and drawings. There is a wealth of information.
Here is a list of the threads he started while a member.

barvs work

The hardest part of the M88A2 will be the wheels. You can use an old Bandai M60A1, but for the prices these kits go for, I wouldn't recommend buying one just for the wheels. I have several of these kits - if you want to make a mold of a wheel set I could loan you one. As for the drive sprocket, it's very poorly done as the kit is motorized. Luckily the sprocket is not hard to do, as I"ve done them for my ongoing 1/24 IDF M60. You can also use the tracks from the kit, but you'll have to cast more links.