Build of an ASLAV with turret bar armour set in Afghanistan.

The kit is the new Trumpeter ASLAV Kit with Jason Mills excellent update set(s) including the Bar Armour, Comms update, Crew and general update set...

This build has been a long slow progress (almost a year to date), but as i am travelling less for work i have had more time to get to things...so the history shots first, with limited commentary and then over the next few weeks the main progress! But before i start a big thank you to both Arms Corps Models and Mouse House for their time, help and superb customer service.

Hull assembled and new engine deck added: This was quite an easy conversion - just had to take plenty of time scoring around the original and then tidy up the edges with a sanding stick

Side storage Bin:

Storage box full of parts:

Aplying the antislip!: I got this ideaof using the tamiya sand effect from the excellent blog by Adamski ( https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/170525&ord=&page=2 ) and have used it on a number of other vehiclesas well - it is a fabulously easy way to make antislip and doesn't involve hours of prep or fiddle with either glue and sand or Mr Surfacer...



Bar Armour:
The ease with which the individual pieces of etch go together is superb and fititng the slats is incredibly easy - a testament to Jasons skill and eye for detail. (on a different note, Arms Corps Models are no longer producing the bar armour in etched brass - they are going to be offering this update as cast resin).
One major learning from this for me is that you need lots and lots of trial runs for the fitment of both the support posts and the bar itself - the bar on this one is not the most level, but i'm not too unhappy with this, given the level of abuse they take in the field...

Comms Set added and wired up:

Side shot with all corrections and update added to the hull:

Rear:

Sitting with the parade of shame!:

Base coat of tan and green:
On the below image you can see where i marked out the different colours in pencil prior to painting

I used the Mouse House site as the main point of reference for painting the pattern, backed up by google searches and Adamski's excellent blog.

I have used TestorsDeck Tan, with a touch of white and flesh(very minimal) for the "Tan" base colour and the green has come from the Mouse House paint range.

All comments, thoughts, critiques or areas for improvement greatly appreciated.

Just heard back from Jason Mills (Arms Corps Models) and need to remove the IED gear of the front sides...

Jason often has useful information about timelines versus configuration...

Good to see another ASLAV effort on the books. The bar armour is worth the efforts - its very fiddly and requires much patience, organisation and test fitting.

Afghan cars have a good amount of reference about. Nice to see someone use the tamiya grit effect diorama paste - I love that stuff.

don't trust too much in my blogs - they are most certainly a demonstration on how as new information comes to light - even at the last minute , configurations of vehicles may need to be changed to be accurate to a location or time period. Read them and see how I too had to remove or add the MEAO set to varous vehicles , or RWS etc etc.. My mistake was to trust some provocative pictures too much. Although the amount of conflicting information on configurations is in itself confusing. especially conflicting eye witness reports.

I found that the hardest information about configuration was when it involved potentially classified/ or security sensitive stuff. Fair enough too. Try and get someone to give you a good explanation of the equipment fitted in the radio racks in a bushmaster and see what I mean.

good luck with your build,

Adamskii

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your comments - the Tamiya paste is a god send and your posts on using it was a real hallelujah moment... as was the technique for applying the tie down loops.

Agree re the research and photos...this was going to be an Iraq build, but after speaking with Jason (just before Christmas) i decided to build it as an ASLAV deployed to Afghanistan...so out comes the scalpel and putty to remove all 4 boxes at the front + the wiring (hopefully this weekend!

Cheers,

James

The tie down loops also known as footman loops are a bane of mine. I always find a way to screw em up! even when I get them glued down nice and straight - I invariably come along and "rub" them off while handling the model for painting or weathering or further construction. Extraordinarily delicate, and highly apparant when misaligned they really are something that slows me down alot. I would prefer that the kits came with them pre moulded on , even at the expense of no being hollow, just an accurate bump where its needed. especially on the pc where from reference pics it looks like ther are not applied in a single length but rather individual pairs of loops to form lengths. (im sure I be corrected but it looks like the real things arent single or continuos)

The photo etch ones I pulled off as I mad such a mess of them it was horrible. The footman loop sets ACM has are a must as it takes me spare set to complete a model. Real kudos to JM for casting something so fine.

I almost feel like saying worrying about footman loops is akin to worrying about photo etch hinges.. for most people they will never know the difference or appreciate the extra effort, only a select few will pick the extra efforts.

ALso there has been some confusion (mostly from me) over their precise location. check references thoroughly!

Adam

A bit more progress and a disaster...

Laid in the base coat for the black camoflage - before removing the front 4 "boxes"




next steps are to goover the green and the tan coats...

A few more pictures of the tutrret with the bar armour...before one of my kids dropped it on a concrete floor...



fortunately the supporting arms are all ok, but almost every pieces of bar is slightly bent and has had to be removed so i can straighten it...

lastly - the front 4 boxes removed...

Bar Armour almost straightened out and ready for refixing...just need to scratch some of the bolt on elements as they were trashed when the turret was dropped

Applied a second coat of the tan to the lower hull, hopefully more progress over the next couple of days, so long as work doesn't get in the way.

On a seperate note - it is amazing how much more detailed the Arms Corps upgrades look when painted - the paint really makes some of the details pop out.

Second coat of the green applied.. progress pretty limited over the last few weeks due to work and my eldest starting school...

Bar Armour reattached and painting of the turret started...


Also finished base painting of hull and wheels and primed with varnish prior to decals and weathering...


just have to tidy up the wheels...and buy the duke antenna off Jason

Work started on the crew...

stowage cover added - (decal from Arms Corps Models)





Turret ready for decals...


Lenses added to drivers vision ports -

The Duke Antenna kit:
Jason also very kindly provided me with a high res pdf of the instructions - so this long weekend (here in QLD) i know what i'm doing (apart from a long list of gardening jobs )

some more progress:














all comments welcome...

looking good James

Cheers Jason.

Next step - the crew and the stowage... (hopefully making a start on them this weekend...)

James,great build,i like the paint,i see your work area
is like mine and you where all the parts dont you,great work.