Hi friends

I'd thought I'd post som WIP-photos of a current project of mine, a C-HET tank transporter.
The tractor truck is of course the Hobby Fan kit, but the Hobby Fan trailer isn't the standard US trailer for the M911 truck, something I understood only as I was to start the build.

What to do? Well as the were some plans and photos available on the web I'd thought I'd try scratch building the M747 trailer.
This is the progress so far.
I plan to use the Hobby Fan trailer wheels, even though they are a little too large and narrow compared to the original,
but I hope it won't look too bad when finished...

Any ideas what to put on the trailer?
I plan to build a US Army truck, and the C-HET were their prime heavy mover from 1976 to 1992 if I'm not mistaken, so there are some alternatives.















regards
/Tomas

Tomas, I would LOVE a set of those plans if you are willing to share.

Looks like Tomas is using drawings from TB-43-0209 "Color Marking and Camouflage Painting of Military Vehicles, Construction Equipment, and Materials Handling Equipment Manual" :

http://automotiveaccessories.tpub.com/TB-43-0209/TB-43-02090313.htm

http://automotiveaccessories.tpub.com/TB-43-0209/TB-43-02090314.htm

Some basic specs :

http://miscpartsmanuals3.tpub.com/TM-55-2320-258-14/TM-55-2320-258-140015.htm

http://miscpartsmanuals3.tpub.com/TM-55-2320-258-14/TM-55-2320-258-140016.htm

http://miscpartsmanuals3.tpub.com/TM-55-2320-258-14/TM-55-2320-258-140017.htm

This trailer is fitted with 15.00 x 19.5 tires.

Here's a load option :



Keep on the good work Tomas !

H.P.

Hi!
Very interesting work so far-I do not remember to have seen a blog contructing this trailer before. It looks as if you planned to use the kit trailer´s wheels. Be warned, these are quite different from the wheels that should be used with the trailer you are constructing. On the M747, the wheels overhang the width of the flatbed remarkably. Half of the outer wheel is overhanging the bed. I think this is very characteristic with this trailer. Keep on with your interesting project!

Andreas
Andreas

Hi Tomas,

great job! Have you thought about using your scratchuilding skills on the tractor? There are some issues with the angle of the bonnet and the cain roof. Second to that the part of the side of the bonnet in front of fender is different for the US version than for the export version (the HF kit). The angle of the front part of the fender itself is also dfferent.

Matthijs

Hi
As Andrea said the trailer wheels comes largely out the bed here a pic :



Otherwise, the Hobby Fan truck tractor presents important and very visible defaults here some samples :

Interesting camo scheme here (Reforger 85) :

http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDownload.action?guid=a4712cd0288ed2b5c642060b01ce972e2b70ecf4

http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDownload.action?guid=752bd5f0af75ae47de839eb4ac902cdc8a1c9136

H.P.

Hey,
here is a link to a page where who seems to be an owner of the real one has linked some useful TMs to download. Scroll down to last post on page 3 of the thread:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?64736-M747-Manual-Needed/page3

Greetings
Andreas

Another load option :


H.P.

Hi,

you could also load some warsaw pact equipment. I can remember having seen M 747 loaded with some BMP or T54/55 (sorry, no details in my memory abart of that, its about 30 years ago) travelling in a convoy on German motorways in southern Germany. These warsaw pact vehicles were used to show the US army units the vehicles of cold war´s possible enemy.

Unusual load, but another possibility.

Andreas

H

Hi, Andreas,

Around the end of the 70-ies, the US Army had a depot in Grafenwoehr of East block equipment (though some vehicles had landed there via Israel, coming from the various Israelian conflicts) and where used by Allied partners during so called intelligence and info days. During these days, a mini show was arranged to inform military people about the specific details of these AFV's. Amongst them wereT55's, T62's and BT152's. I can remember that a lot of details were already missing or painted by an US Army ' artist' .
As a young lieutenant from the Dutch artillery, I was leader of a small group of Dutch Faun's, FTF's and German Faun Franziska's (the first ones in service in the Bundeswehr) to pick up US show material for the 41 (NL) Armored Brigade in Seedorf, BRD.

Hi

Damon: Sure, happy to help. Henri-Pierre is right, most of my material is from old US manuals, but if your'e still interested send me your e-mail in a private message.

Henri-Pierre: Thanx for the link, that's the one I'm useing.
Some of the plans have measurement on them so with a decent copying machine you can scale the plans to 1/35 without any problems.

Andreas: Hello Andreas, yes I'm aware of the (big) difference between the Hobby Fan Talbert wheels and the M747 wheels, but I have no idea if there are any wheels that I can use as replacement.
The overhang is certainly caracteristic of the M747, and the Talbert wheels are so narrow that it's difficult to portray them correctly for a M747.
Does anyone now if there are any more suited wheels out there I could use? I would be super happy if there were.

Matthijs: I hadn't planned to but perhaps I could, you and others tips on the kit issues are most welcome.

Pascal: Thanx, perfect illustrations. I have to admit I don't know the missing features on the HF-kit that good. All help is greatly appreciated.

All: thanks for the encourageing words, links and photos.

/Tomas

Hi Tomas

I know it may be far-fetched, but I wonder if some M1 155mm Howitzer carriage wheels would fit the bill...

According to the TM, the M747 is fitted with 15x19.5 tires (and 11.75x19.5 rims). The carriage of the M1 is fitted with 14x20 tires :


Maybe you could modify one wheel and make resin copies ? (or buy eight M1 Howitzer kits ) The result would not be 100% accurate but closer at least...

H.P.

Sent a link to you on PM for the pics, feel free to re post if you want to. Cheers.

Many thanks Damon
Wonderful photos, they'll help me a lot.
Kind regards
/Tomas

AHHHH! the classic HET, grate work friend! Keep us posted.

Tomas;
where are the updates? So loving this build that I am going to try one myself. Just got the tractor. Let us know how it is going. Cheers.