I built Academy's M163a1/2 some time ago. I had planned on making the Vietnam version. This was not as easy as I thought. So, I removed the turret and primered the hull. I started with Krylon's Italian Olive as a base coat. I did some color modulation using MM OD ana and some house paint. I blended it with Tamiya's khaki drab. The tan camo is MM marine sand. I've begun a pin wash using water colors. The turret seat was done with more house paint(I have a lot of house paint). I still need to paint the roadwheels and tracks. And, add some stowage to the engine deck covered by a tarp. I have misplaced the gun and will finish, once it's found. On with the photos:





Comments of any kind are appreciated. Oh, I need to find some decals for it. Everything for the M113 is a unite specific one and not for the M163. Does anybody know of some that will work or will I have to print some custom ones?

Looks like you are off to a good start. You still have post-Vietnam A2 features on it though. The biggest is the radiator grate and the radiator cap armored cover. The A1 grate is a one-piece square affair. You have the A2 2-piece grate (under/next to the exhaust stack). The radiator cap cover on the A1 was just a flat, circle with a bar handle. The one you have is an A2 armored cap cover. Also, A1s had only one heater outlet (behind the radiator grate on the right side), not two as you have for the A2.

This presents a problem. I was really trying to avoid any major overhaul and can't think of solution, otherwise. Looks like it is time to bring out the pin vise and saw. Does anybody have photo references for the Vietnam version? I can't seem to locate any using Google and Yahoo.

This is a post-Vietnam (looks like mid-'80s at NTC) M163A1. You can see the single heater exhaust and stright exhaust pipe.



There are a bunch of Vietnam M163 pics at this site, but no good pics of the engine deck.

If you have an M113A1, you can swap out the upper engine deck plate with it. They were the same as an M163A1's engine deck.

Here is the engine deck on an M113A1 FSV (Fire Support Vehicle). You can see the readiator cap.



I guess some of the later A1s had the two-piece radiator grates, so you should be good there.

The radiator cap is an easy fix. I'll get that done asap. What I'm really needing, now, are some decals. Has to look pretty to be a shelf queen. Here is are two more photos.
The painted road wheels:

Part of the turret:

From the pictures at the link I provided above, there weren't many markings on them. All I can really see are the Vulcan test unit crest and a number on each. There also appears to be the standard M113-type US Army and a serial number on the back ramp, right side. Other than that and a star on the front, I don't see any other markings.



The one camo version had the unit crest and "DUSTER BUSTER" written on the side. It also had a horse head and "HAVE GUNS WILL TRAVEL" on the swim vane. Decals for this vehicle are in the Academy kit, which you used incorrectly on your last M163 build. All this same info was given in the post about it as well.

That's easy. I have some spare decals that should do the trick.

I still have to add the stowage and tarp. I haven't shaved the gas cap, yet. I need to paint and fix the tracks. I'll do this tomorrow, as I'm currently out of aluminum. And, I need to lay some Vietnam earth pigment down. I made this from brick dust and spray it through my large nozzle. The turret is dry-fitted, until I fix the gas cap.
One question I have is are the ammo bandoliers Vietnam era? The kit comes with some for the unused .50cal and I need to know if I should swap them out.

The ammo cans are fine. The MRE boxes are late '80s and were not present in Vietnam. The US was still on old C-Ration at that time. The boxes were similar, but marked differently.

The M47 Dragon AT rocket in the bottom middle of the below pic is post-Vietnam as well. It should not be on the vehicle at all.


The camo net bag above should have the same color straps as the bag too. They are not a different color.

Lastly, the angled pipe coming out the right rear roof is a bilge outlet and made of aluminum. It should not be rusty at all for those two reasons. It is not an exhaust pipe. It should be the hull color.

By the way, are you doing the camo one or an OD Green Vulcan?

Field applied camo. I will change the color of the bilge. I wasn't too worried about the color of the stowage, as I had planned on covering it. However, I won't be using the large bag. I'm going to stick with the mres and jerry can. I have also decided to leave off the tarp. I may cover the mres with a smaller canvas.

I think I am done with the stowage. I know the mres aren't period, but my father says the only difference to the ones used during the war are negligent. I've started painting the tracks off the vehicle and won't start the ones on the vehicle till I get the adapter for my Iwata. I have also decided to put this one on a simple base, to compliment the weathering. A little more detail to weathering the turret and a little Vietnam earth pigment and I will be ready to call the kit finished. For the base, I am thinking a little foliage with the signature clay earth. Luckily, I have acquired some house paint that is perfect. There may be a long pause on the base and pigment, as I am awaiting some decals. I also have a campaign build I need to finish. And, here are some photos:

Oh. And, I'll be attaching the attenae last to keep from breaking it off again.

Small update. I removed the Coke box and replaced it with period soda and beer boxes.

Hey Matt. I don't want to be insensitive, but since you've asked for 'constructive feedback', let me offer a bit.

First, Gino has offered you some excellent advice. He is a man who has been in, on and around these machines for many years and has spent a lot of time building and researching. He gave you advice about the grates, the radiator cap, the camo, the markings and the MRE's. However, you seem to have listened to none of it. I understand the fun in just building a kit for the fun of it and painting it however you want and hanging all sorts of cools stuff off of it, accurate or not. I do this on occasion just for a break from the tedium of historical research. However, if I can say this without being cruel, don't ask for advice that you don't want. You're still using the MRE's, you haven't changed the radiator cap despite the excellent pix Gino provided at your request, you've used a totally fictional camo scheme and a green star!

I don't know your experience level and, agin, I don't want to be cruel, but if I may, I'd like to offer some advice. For the level that your building and painting skills seem to be, don't worry about conversions and accuracy and detail. Worry about building a good kit out of the box and painting it well. For example, I noticed blobs in your paint, nasty overspray, silvering on the decals, mold lines all around, etc. It's not the end of the world, but these are the basics.

Master the basics (Shep Paine's book is still the best on this subject) and learn to control your airbrush. As an example, consider that Armor Modeling Rock Star, Mig, builds most of his kits out of the box and uses masterful building and painting to make them spectacular.

Please understand, I mean this in love and kindness; I'm not trying to belittle you. But, I think we all need someone who will tell us the truth when we need to hear it.

Anthony has hit on the head my thoughts exactly. That is why I stopped giving advice and feedback. You don't really seem to want it since you are not following any of it. So why waste my time looking for pics, crafting a reply, etc.

I agree that you should focus on the basics for a while and then step up to conversions and other items such as historical acccuracy.

I thought I had already done the radiator cap and covered over it with stowage. Looking at some photos; I missed this and it is my fault. I trimmed the gas cap instead of the radiator cap. I will correct the cap this evening. I still intend to cover that area with stowage, so I won't bother painting it. As for the mres, I can still cover them with canvas. Are you saying that there was no field applied camo on the m163?

Right, there was not. Most "field applied" camo you see on models is BS. This is especially true on US equipment. There is not a lot of leeway for the crew to add their own camo when there is an established standard they have to maintain.

In Vienam, there were only 6 M163s tested. 5 were in standard OD and one had the experimental camo I showed above. That is it. They also had the markings I showed above, not a green star, etc.

Also, all the stowage you have on top of the radiator and air intake would not be there. They would block the airflow and the vehicle would not run, especially if you cover them with a tarp.

Do you plan to finish the rear lights and their guards as well? They are still missing in your pics. You haven't removed the second heater exhaust either.

Lastly, the ammo feed chutes are attached wrong somehow too. There should not be that much slack in them. They should be tucked inside of the turret, like the below pic of an '80s M163A2.

So, this project becomes a "what if". I just noticed I had failed to install the tail lights this morning. It's too humid here to paint, so that will have to wait until tommorrow. As for the stowage, I accidentally shaved off the wrong cap. I don't see many options for covering the error. Would a camo net be more feasible? I have no problem relocating the stowage to the rear of the vehicle. Right now, it is just covering the mistake with the cap.
There is a mysterious hole on the left side of the vehicle, as you can see in the photos. This hole also appears in the instructions, but there is nothing to fill it. Do I need to fill it or is it accurrate?

That hole in the side of the M163 is the forward bilge outlet. The M113 family of vehicles has two bilge pumps, one in the engine compartment and one in the crew compartment, to remove the water that gets into the vehicle during swimming ops.

As a guy that spend a few years on M113s, you woud lnot want to put those ration boxes on the intake grill as the radiator is underneath that particular grill... Cover up the grill on your car and you will have the same effect in 1:1 scale. A great place for the ration boxes would be the right rear corner of the M163.

Good luck on the finishing of this build.

John
John

Thank you John. I've already started some stowage on the right rear corner and may go ahead and remove the ration boxes entirely. I'll cover my mistake with the cap by placing a piece of camo mesh over the radiator and engine hull.
I am seriously considering chopping up a old Tamiya M577 and replacing the rear deck on the M163.