I'm currently doing a Humvee with the Pro Art hardtop set but wanted to do it in 3 tone Nato with sand coloured ASK fitted. Looking for after market ASK doors the only set I could find was Pro Arts with aircon, which looks great but is a little pricey considering the air con would not be used and I can never get PE to work the way it should anyway. Also the Eduard set looks more like earlier bolt-on additional armor for the existing doors rather than a complete door replacement.. I know soneone is going to suggest I just scratch-build them myself. Believe me, that is not a good idea!

So, I send Pro Art an email to suggest they offer the ASK doors and side panels as a set on their own and got a very nice reply from Dirk saying he'd look into the possibility.

My question for ye guys is: is this something ther'd be interest in if the price was right? Imagine just the doors and side panels from this set:
http://www.proartmodels.be/mod_productgallery/mod_productgallery_028.htm
or is there something else already out there that I missed?

Cheers,
Sean

Sean - first great Idea: NATO scheme Hardtop Humvee with sandy yellow ASK. Or HArD - there is the HMMWV Armored Demountable Kit (HArD) in Pro Art set, not the ASK.
Second great idea - HArD set separately. I'would buy it for at least one conversion.

I scratch the Doors myself but what you suggested is a great idea indeed Sean!

Sean--Eduard actually makes a set of the ASK armor (#35785). Ciro built a Humvee with it a few years ago, so try searching for it here in Armorama. The Eduard set is a bit hard to work with, but it yields a very convincing ASK Humvee.

I agree with Lucas. Eduard's ASK kit is the real thing - but like anything Eduard its PE and as you've suggested, PE isn't your forte - mine either! As far as I know, there isn't any plastic or resin ASK set. In my opinion, Pro Art's ASK set doesn't look like the actual ASK door but a hillbilly addon (though the rest is "ASK-like").

On a side note, how is the hardtop set? I've always wanted to try it. Here are a few pics from my humvee image collection in case you don't already have them. If you need any other, let me know (this is pretty much all the hardtop pics I have, but I have tons of interiors of humvees in general)







Jeff

Hi Jeff,
those pics are great: thanks! 3 colour schemes in one and I'd not seen these with weapons rings on the roof....hmmmmm....must see if it's not too late to add that.

The Pro-Art hardtop set in lovely. No warp or bubbles and a perfect fit onto the humvee rear body and around the windscreen. The side and rear doors are also perfect fits. There are a few reinforcing cross bars to be fitted on the underside of the ceiling which were a little bit fiddly to get right but nothing too dificult. I've not cut the resin antenae mounts from the pour-block yet and may end up using plastic from the spares box. I'll post some pics over the weekend.

Cheers,
Sean

Here's another one with interesting markings :




Frenchy

Jeff - please read carefully all earlier replies

Going back through my ref books there seem to have been different versions of ASK, usually distinguished by different windows. Is it something that matured from the origional sets that were shipped out to be fitted in country to then becoming factory fitted?

That is one of the HMMWVs from the 518th Convoy Escort Platform Company (Provisional), better known as the 518th Gun Truck Company.

Does anyone have any shots of the inside of the hardtop? Im intrigued as to the layout when the weapons ring is fitted. Is the rear cargo section separated from the crew compartment?

ASK was a factory kit for 2-door, and 4-door uparmoring and also included side panels and i believe underarmor (not the clothing ) and armored windshield (not to be confused with the uparmored windshield on M1114s and M1151s). It was issued in the midst of various units in country and depot level units in Kuwait making armor out of whatever they could find. Some actually looks like it could've been factory install. That said, I'm not aware of any evolution in the ASK sets (though I could be wrong here). By the time ASK was being fielded, a massive influx of M1114s followed thereafter by M1151s and MRAPs combined with unit commanders forbidding underarmored humvees outside the wires, made ASK humvees obsolete and renderred to use inside FOBs.

When it comes to modelling, what I love about humvees so much is that there is hardly a standard and in many cases on a unit by unit basis there were vast difference. You can do just about anything when modelling a humvee.

I'm assuming by your suprise, that there is not a provision for a turret ring on the hardtop kit? Also is there any interior detail to the hatches, like being able to portray them open?


Kuba, thanks. I was tired when I wrote it, must've just missed it.

Jeff

Thanks for that Jeff: my mistake. I've now gone and educated myself on the difference between ASK & HARD and many other options. As you said "You can do just about anything when modelling a humvee"

So I've taken Roy's advise and start to build them myself. Before looking, please bear in mind I've never scratched anything significant before, so don't laugh! These are my initial attempt with what was available:


They will be done in sand colour.
Here's the body in 3 tone and the hardtop in Nato green:

And the hatches Jeff:

The top left one is the exterior, the other two an interior view. The inside molding is a nice and crisp central rotating portion and a locking bar yet to be painted. They can be attached opening up or down. There's also a nice lip around 3 sides of the hatches
I should have taken a pic of the inside. There is a major support beam runs across the roof between the 2 door pillars which would have to be left out if attaching the weapons ring. I've decided not to go for this at this stage....

Cheers,
Sean

Go for it Sean, practice makes perfect!

I recommend getting your hands on some plastic card (sheet) from hannants or any good hobby shop. You can also buy pre-cut plastic strips of different length and width mixed in a bag which are really useful and will cut out most of the hard work for you!

ASK doors are easy enough and a perfect start to scratching!

Below I've put together a basic guide I hope might be some help. I'm sorry I didn't attach photos but if you need any help just drop me a line. Dont forget to dry-fit everything before gluing!

DOOR FRAME
1 - place each of the model kit doors onto a preferred plastic sheet.
Trace around the doors using pencil or pen (make sure to trace around inside of windows too as a refernce point for your new armoured windows). When finished cut the doors out with a sharp craft knife. (leave the windows for the moment)

2 - Cut out a LONG and thin piece of plastic that is slighly wider than the plastic being used for the doors themselves.

3 - Wrap the LONG piece of plastic strip around the door frame until both ends meet and cut off any access. Glue this into place.
(this frame around the door should be slightly protruding all the way around the door frame)

4 - cut the door handles out from the original model doors and attach them to your new scratchbuild doors.

WINDOWS
1 - get some clear plastic sheet and cut out your window. remember they are completely square. they are the same dimensions from top to bottom of the original glass windows just not as wide. You can use the original windows if you want, you just have to cut one side of them down slightly.

2 - when you have the windows to shape trace them around your window markings you already have on the Doors. Take time and make sure you are happy with their location and cut the new window frames out from the door frames. Becareful not to make the window frames to large.

3 -Take another strip of plastic again slightly wider that the clear piece for the glass and cut four strips to make a square frame around the clear window. again the frame should be slightly protruding

You might want to choose leaving the window closed to begin with but if you want to open them its not that hard, just do your homework on the hinges, there is loads of reference material about. The same goes for the internal layout of the doors, there is not much work that has to be done but don't bother if you are keeping the doors closed.

this is only a shot-gun effect but its the basics of how I did mine on my Humvee Ambulance (see my photos on kitmaker) , Post your work when you can bud, best of luck and enjoy!

your off to a good start Sean!..

Thanks for that guide Roy: it will come in handy. I've test fitted the doors and after lots of filing and sanding they all fit, but than means if I put a rim on they wont!

It sounds so simple to cut out the windows, but keepint is square is not as easy as it sounds. Only one thing for it: practice, practice, and more practice....

What do you think? Do these look the part?


Thanks,
Sean

Looking good Sean, even better now!

More progress on my first real attempt of scratchbuilding....
The doors are complete and added. They didn't fit quite right so I left them open. Just decals and weathering to complete and more stowage inside and on the roof to be added. "constructive" criticism welcomed!

Thanks for looking,
Sean

Nice additions!

Finally complete:




Cheers,
Sean

Wow, nice Strykers in the background... Nice humvees too!

Thanks Rus