Looking good Jason, what's your plan for the colour scheme? I'm trying to decide if I want to start the TUA or the ADATS first!


(Off-topic warning!)
Christophe, that would be a good idea. Other good candidates would be the newer style sprocket and idler (with proper Diehl tracks), and Soucy rubber track and sprockets/idlers.









Jim

Jim, No paint on this one for the review.

Post review I will likely backtrack and add missing details and then decide on the paint scheme.

Thanks a lot for this review build, very interesting to follow with all the detailed information you provide.



Jelger

Moving forward with the hull front there are lots of details to add.

I've broken down the majority of the part additions with images showing the specific part placements.

Starting off is the horn. A simple well detailed resin piece. Placement should be in line with the inner right headlight and above the cable port.



Next is the horizontal resin bar for the engine hatch hinge. I would recommend cutting this piece long and then trimming and sanding it down to fit perfectly.



The driver's hatch interior gets a splash of detailing with a brass wire handle. I used the supplied 0.3 mm brass wire bent with a Grabhandler tool to form the handle shape. There are pre-drilled holes on the hatch interior to assist with placement.



The trim vane gets detailed with a PE licence plate, a spare road wheel, the trim vane release, and the rectangular bracket. These parts all fit into the existing kit trim vane with little to no issue. The road wheel was normally held in place with a simple bolt. There is no mention of this in the conversion so one will simply have to be added.



On the left upper hull the fire extinguisher pull handle and the GPS antenna is added. The GPS antenna simply attaches to the existing antenna mount base plate. The GPS antenna was an add-on to the TUA. It was not mounted on the original TUA nor TUAs with UNPROFOR, IFOR, or SFOR. I am not sure if the GPS antenna was on KFOR era (1999/2000)TUAs but it is likely part of the TCCCS upgrade from the early 2000s.



The standard M113 style antenna guard is provided in five PE parts and can be a bit tricky to align, assemble, and attach. There is a slight bend to the main guard part. Once in place small bolts/nuts can be added with sprue and bolts of your choice.



Jumping back to the hull front and looking down the final drive housings wear bars are provided in PE. The wear bars were made of an aluminum alloy and standard on all Canadian M113s. Prominent weld beads are a common sight around the outside of the wear bars and would be easy to add with sprue.



On the left lower front hull spare track links are added. In the instructions it shows four track links attached to the glacis plate. I have seen anywhere from two to four track links attached in this location. The inaccuracy in the instructions comes from the use of standard M113 tracks instead of the Diehl tracks used on Canadian M113s. On Canadian M113s there are four post mounts used to hold the track links in place. The tops of the posts are tapped to receive attachment bolts and washers. The posts were not included by Legend in the conversion and I was quite surprised by this as it is a very recognizable feature. Some well placed styrene posts will solve this problem. To show the correct placement of the spare tracks I used two links from a set of plastic HKCW M113 Diehl tracks. I did not scratch the mounting posts for the review build. If the mounting posts were added the PE washers would be added on top of the posts to replicate the bolt/washer combo.



On the top of the trim vane release attaches a small resin pull handle. Be careful with this piece and you may confuse it with the C6 GPMG barrel!



Two mirrors are added to the upper hull sides. The brackets are provided moulded on the hull and should be drilled out to receive the wire arms. The mirrors themselves clean up easily. On the TUAs the mirrors used are the same as on the Leopard 1. They can be seen with the rubber shroud or without as provided in the kit. I used the conversion supplied 0.5 mm brass wire to form the mirror arms. It will be your discretion as to placement or if you want to attach the mirrors to the arms themselves.



On the hull top two great looking PE engine grills are provided. These PE parts fit like a glove and add a great dimension to the details of the conversion.



The turn signals are a feature unique to Canadian M113s and have evolved over the years. On the TUA the larger taillight style is used with a rounded guard. The turn signals are very nicely cast in resin. A small PE mount is provided and must be bent carefully so that when attached to the glacis plate the vertical portion sits 90 degree to the ground. The resin lights attach to the centre and two resin bolts are attached to the base portion. The rounded guards must be bent to shape and I used my Mission Models multi-tool to get a consistent bend. The rounded portion must be the same size as the base attached to the hull. On the real TUA wires extend from the back of the mount and attach to socketed leads from the main headlights.

Placement of the mounts is very important. There are no guidelines on the hull and Legend provides images in the instructions. Reviewing my TUA references I used a measurement of 18 millimetres from the bottom edge of the resin hull to the bottom of the mount attached to the hull to gauge placement locations.



I have not yet attached the headlights, the IR lights, or the black out drive light. In preparation I did drill out the attachment mounts provided on the resin hull. In reality the mounts are a bracket attachment but these will do just fine.



In summary, all of the details added during this portion except for the GPS antenna are standard to all TUAs. Depending on the TUA an actually antenna mount could be seen mounted on the base plate instead of the GPS antenna on earlier TUAs.

Slowly but surely the hull is taking shape with TUA details. Next up will be the headlights and guards, the wire cutters, and more tie downs!

Great stuff Jason. You are providing loads of interesing info, the build is very clean and very nicely documented.

I'm following.

Mario

Jason, this last set of photos is great. Well def be consulting this thread when I start mine. Like Jim, I'm torn between TUA & ADATS!

Finishing off the hull build included the wire cutters, the headlights, headlight guards, and a number of tie downs.

The wire cutters are fine sub-assemblies in themselves with each consisting of five PE parts and four resin bolts. Take the time to study the parts, the instructions, and where the mounts attach to the hull. The right and left mounting points on the hull are slightly different due to the engine deck on the right side so take care before attaching parts.

On the left hull side there is a small gap to fit the mounts but on the right side it is a bit more delicate at there is only a small amount of room to attach the mounts on the resin upper hull.

This image shows the mounting brackets and the assembled wire cutter on the left side. The wire cutter itself is essentially sandwiches in between inner and outer brackets. The Legend instructions have you run a small rod of sprue between the outer bracket, the wire cutter, and the inner brackets on each side in order to align the parts.

After some trials I ended up heating and stretching some sprue and then heating the end to create a small rounded end. When the sprue was slid through the parts it held in place on one end to allow the other parts to be aligned and glued. Once in place the sprue ends were trimmed and the large resin bolts labelled "A" added to both sides of the mounts.

On the real TUA the wire cutters are designed to have the attachment bolts removed so the wire cutters could be pivoted down during firing so as to not interfere with the missile guidance wires. It will be up to you as to how to pose the wire cutters on your TUA.



This images shows the right wire cutter in place and highlights the resin bolts.




Another image indicating the bolt placements...



The resin headlights, IR lights, and blackout drive light were simple enough to cleanup and mount. On the actual M113 series there is a myriad of wiring that connects to each light and runs back to common points above the lights. Legend does not mention any of the wiring but it is a detail that should be added.

I suspected the headlight guards were not going to be a piece of cake. There is no bending jig provided and you are left to use the instruction images and your best guess as to how to size the guards for bending.

In reality the left and right guards are actually bend slightly differently. The left guard has the curves and then runs straight down on both sides. The right guard has the curves, then runs straight down, and then has an inward curve on both sides...sort of like an 'S' shaped taper. The instructions do not indicate this shaping.

On the bottom on the PE guard legs are small PE mounts that attached to the PE guards so that they will sitting properly on the highly angled glacis plate. Pairs of resin bolts attach to the outsides of each PE guard.

An overview image of the headlights and headlights guards...



A close up view of the headlight guards showing the small angled PE mount...



You have to love the M113s for having lots of tie downs. I added 15 more PE tie down to the upper hull and the glacis plate area.



This completes the hull build. With the wire cutters and headlights added the TUA is looking more and more like the tank killer it was designed to be.

All of the details added in this section were standard on all TUAs from initial production to end of service.



The turret is next and I anticipate several sub-assemblies to tackle the turret build.

I started the turret build with the missile launchers. Legend did a great job with the majority of the details on the launchers but there are some points that should be brought forward.

The launchers do not pivot on the turret structure and are designed to be attached with the launchers at a slight downward angle. This angle is perfectly fine and many images of TUAs show the vehicles parked or travelling with launchers angled down. Trying to change this positioning will create either an inaccurate look or make for a considerable amount of rebuilding of the launchers and the turret sides.

On the front underside of the launchers small PE reinforcing ribs are added. On the real TUA there are visible weld beads around these ribs. What is also apparent is that the front angled underside of the launchers is moulded solid and should actually have a visible inset cut with angled supports on either side. Again, there is no way to add this feature without rebuilding the launchers.

On the rear of the launchers the end cap of the missiles are added as well as small curved reinforcing pieces of PE on the rear underside of the launchers.

The missiles are cast into the launchers so this is the only option for posing. Creating empty launchers would have been an excellent feature but would have required a great deal more detail on the inside of the launchers.

On the turret top the gunner's hatch is added. The instructions show it positioned open or closed. Posing it open is not really an option as the turret opening is cast solid except for a slight indent. In order to attached the hatch in the closed position you have to removed the post on the underside of the hatch as well as sand down the mount on the turret. The turret sits flush in the grooves and there should be a small visible gap at the rear of the hatch.

To the turret you add a small resin lifting lug behind the hatch and two circular brass lifting loops. The instructions have you form the lifting loops from the 0.3" brass wire. There is no diameter mentioned. They are attached to the top of the small raised mounts on the turret at an angle that follow the turret hatch angles.

The optics covers on the TUA turret were modified during service and are OK on the kit for almost every version. Originally the optics had only pop on/pop off covers but were eventually replaced with hinged versions.

For a TUA serving as a new vehicle in 1989/1990 it would have the original pop on/pop off covers. This would require the removal of the hinges and associated mechanism.


This images shows a side view of the turret with the missile launchers attached to the turret. You can see the slight downward angle when attached. The arrows show the inset bolt on the launcher and the hinge. These two detail should line up in as a landmark for placement.



This images shows the TOW missile end cap as well as the PE curved part on the underside of the launcher.



In this image the circular brass lifting loops are highlighted as well as the closed gunner's hatch. Also note on the front of the turret the optics covers and hinges. As stated earlier the covers with hinges were not on the 1989/1990 era TUAs.



Here are images of the turret coming to life on the hull.





In this image below you can see the rear of the turret. Visible on the left rear of the turret is a circular location for an antenna mount. On many TUA this location was used for an antenna mount. On early TUAs the two piece long antenna could be seen. As the short one piece antennas came into service in Germany these replaced the long antennas. This were visible on TUAs in Germany onwards. The mounting of an antenna on the turret usually eliminated an antenna mount on the left rear of the hull.

Very tidy Jason, looks grrrreat as Tony the Tiger would say.

Ryan

The Kvaerner Eureka Armoured Launching Turret is a very interesting design with limited space on both the interior and exterior. Using the rear of the turret an outrigger mount was added to hold six Wegmann 76 mm Multi-Purpose Launch Tubes. Originally designed by Wegmann & Co. GmbH almost 40 years ago for the German Army the grenade launch tubes have been incorporated onto dozens of nation's armoured vehicles. The grenade launch tubes are capable of launching various types of smoke, tear gas, distraction devices and anti-personnel or "HE" ammunition.

On the TUA there are two bank of six launch tubes. In a unique two tiered mount they are angled outward to provide an arced dispersion.

The mount is quite simple. The bottom launch tubes are attached to the rear base of the turret. There is a "table" with three support legs welded over the bottom row. On the top row another three launch tubes are attached.

The bottom row all angle to the left and the top row all angle to the right. There are slight changes in the placement angle on the far left tube on the bottom row and the far right tube on the top row. The instructions show the placement of the tubes but there are no placement indicators on the resin or PE parts. Keep in mind on the bottom row there should be a bigger gap between the left tube and the centre tube. This is accurate and required for the centre support arm placement.

Once the bottom row is attached the PE parts are added to build the support legs. Legend appears to provide double the amount of PE parts but you actually double up each PE part to create thicker support arms and the upper base plate. This is a unique approach to getting a realistic thickness on the parts.

The three support arms are placed on the resin base. The outer left and right support arms should be right on the edge. The centre support arm is place in the larger gap between the left and centre launch tubes.

The top mount also doubles up on the PE parts. Attaching the upper row of tubes is simple enough using the instructions. Note that the front edge of the base of the tubes should be back from the edge of the base about 1 mm.

Missing from the launch tubes are the cap retaining chains. This is a prominent detail and could have easily been included by Legend. There is no external wiring visible on the launch tubes or the mounts.

Here are images showing the completed grenade launch tubes and mount assembly. The arrows highlight the PE supports. They are not angled outwards and sit 90 degrees to the resin base.





Additional images showing the turret on the hull. The red arrows again show the support arms and the black arrow shows the upper tier base.

Cheers, this is great, I was hoping to start this one sooner than later...looking forward to seeing the end result..UNPROFOR or Nato 3 colour?

The final sub-assembly of the turret was the attachment of the C6 and associated mount to the right launcher.

If you are building a TUA between 1989 and early 1992 do not add the C6 or the mount. The C6 was not added until the UNPROFOR mission in the Balkans. This was a result of the crews needing an intermediate level of protection above their personal weapons and below a TOW missile. The Rules of Engagement during UNPROFOR would not have permitted firing a TOW missile at a soldier with a rifle as a defensive measure.

The C6 mount consisted of three main components. The first was a metal U shaped mount welded on to the launcher. The next was the machine gun mount. This was simply a Leopard coaxial machine gun mount adapted for attachment on the TUA. The third component was a vertically mounted ammunition box cradle.

In the conversion the launcher mount and the coax mount are cast as one piece. Take the time to look at the instructions so you know what to remove and what to keep. The ammunition box is an easy cleanup.

The C6 GPMG is provided in four resin parts. The receiver with butt stock, the barrel and gas tube, the carrying handle, and the muzzle. These parts are fragile and a sharp blade and patience should be taken to clean up parts and attach them to create a straight and aligned C6.

The casting detail is good...but...and this is a big but...the C6 is inaccurate. 99% of the time this C6 would have worked for another project but on the TUA the C6 is a right hand feed as noted by the position of the ammunition box. Legend failed to modify the C6 in the conversion. Modifying the C6 would be a major cutting and rebuilding job.

The TUA C6 mount could be fired electrically via a solenoid or manually with a firing plunger at the rear of the mount. There is no mention of the electrical solenoid cable running from the rear bottom of the mount to the underside of the right side launcher. The manual firing plunger is visible but in my opinion it should be a bit bigger and extend further from the rear of the mount. On the real TUA the main sight was aligned with the Missile Guidance System and in turn the thermal sight was then adjusted to the main sight's point of aim. The C6 mount was then adjusted manually like it would be in a tank with the main sight at a range of between 500 and 600 metres. The gunner could then use the same crosshairs for the main sight, the thermal sight, and the C6 GPMG.

A resin 7.62 mm ammunition belt is included to run from the ammunition box to the right side of the C6. The belt must be cut and bent to fit. I found the resin belt very fragile and a dip in hot water to bend it made it even more fragile.

This image shows the mount attached to the right launcher. Note the centre of the mount lines up with the recessed bolt on the launcher. The mount is attached just slightly above the recessed bolt. When attaching the mount ensure it follows the same angle as the launcher in the slightly depressed angle.








These next images show the ammunition box attached to the mount. There is only a small amount of space for proper attachment.










This image shows the assembled C6 GPMG (left to right: receiver/butt stock, carrying handle, barrel/gas tube, and muzzle) and the ammunition belt in place. Ensure you align the C6 down the centre of the mount and so it follows the line of the launcher.




With only a few more details to add this M113A2 Tow Under Armour build is almost complete.

The missile launcher ends were fitted with very fine circular PE rings. The instructions don't point out these parts at all and you won't find them on the build images on the Legend Productions site. They are a nice detail that helps to define the end of the launchers.



The final detail I added to the OOB build was the buckles and straps on the water can and the fuel jerry cans. The PE buckles are tiny so I used thinly cut strips of Tamiya tape to create the straps. On the left is the water can (black arrow) and on the right side is the fuel can (red arrow).

Here are the final build images. The Legend Productions M113A2 Tow Under Armour conversion is overall very impressive. The casting detail is top notch and the level of accuracy is very high.

There are details lacking or inaccurate as I have pointed out in the build blog review. This conversion is heads and tails above the old Verlinden offering. I am very impressed that Legend Productions took on this project. The TUA is a very unique vehicle with lots of potential for further detail and configurations.

Highs- Excellent overall detail and no issues with fitting of any parts to the base kit.

Lows- Some details lacking or inaccurate. This is minor and for the most part can be added by an intermediate level modeller. Bear in mind this is a conversion and not a kit. You have to expect to put in extra work.

Verdict- I applaud Legend Productions for creating this unique M113 variant. A great combination of high quality resin and PE parts.

Score- 90%

As a post review adage I thought I would post some additional images showing alternate arrangements for the grousers.

This image shows the grousers moved to the right hull side with both TCCCS components fitted. The grousers sit literally on the upper rail of the side skirts with only a small gap above and below.

I have also added the circular communications component to the TCCCS. This is an old Maple Leaf Models part and not included in the conversion.

Finally I have provided the bolt holes in the right side hull. As I mentioned before this was for attaching the hull length exhaust shroud.

There is another configuration for the grousers on the right hull side. If the TCCCS components are not fitted the grouser racks could be positioned along the same line as the TCCCS box with the forward edge of the deflection guard just slightly back from the angled edge of the glacis plate.



This images shows the left hull side void of the grouser racks and the left rear antenna mount removed.

Here is a quick summary of the TUA modifications:

1989-1991- No CCTAS mounted on the cupola, no external exhaust or crew heater shroud, no C6 GPMG mount, short or long antenna on the turret, antenna mount on right rear hull, no GPS antenna (may have a standard antenna mount in its place), may have a raised exhaust, pop on/pop off sight covers. NATO three colour camouflage.

UNPROFOR- 1992- 1994- External exhaust and crew heater shrouds, no GPS antenna, no TCCCS components, CCTAS fitted on cupola, short antenna on the turret, no grouser racks fitted. White overall with C6 GPMG mount NATO green, missile launcher interior NATO green.

IFOR- 1995- 1996- Same modifications as UNPROFOR TUAs as they were simply repainted in overall NATO green. From IFOR onwards the use of the side skirts was limited.

SFOR- 1996- 2003/2004- In addition to UNPROFOR/IFOR modifications the grouser racks were added (left or right side), TCCCS components added to right hull side, GPS antenna added. NATO three colour camouflage or overall NATO green. During the SFOR mission wire cutters were added to the turrets. Either a single wire cutter similar to the wire cutter on the LAV III TUA turret was added on the centre of the turret in front of the gunner's hatch or dual vertical wire cutters were added on the outside of the turret lifting rings.

KFOR- 1999/2000- Same modifications as IFOR TUAs. Mostly overall NATO green. when the launchers were elevated or depressed the white paint from UNPROFOR could be seen on the turret sides and trunnion.

The TUAs did not receive external add-on armour as seen on the sides, front, or rear of other Canadian M113s. However, with the side skirts removed applique armour is visible attached to hull sponson over top of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd road wheels.

With that being said there were variations on the grouser racks and even TUAs into the 2000s before retirement could be seen without grouser racks, in over all green, in NATO camouflage, and even with the extended exhaust but without the perforated exhaust shroud.

If you are looking to further detail your TUA I suggest the following:

1. Base kit or aftermarket tow cable for the ramp.
2. Wiring for headlights, horn, and signal lights.
3. Wiring for the C6 GPMG solenoid.
4. There is also a visible cable that can be added on the underside of each launcher running to the turret base below the launchers. (difficult to see)
5. Add the six bolts holes on the right hull side.
6. Add the grenade tube cap retaining chains.
7. Add four tie downs along the upper right hull side on the edge along the length of the stowage bin.
8. Add six tie downs along the upper left hull side on the edge along the length of the two left stowage bins.
9. Add the four spare track mounts on the left lower glacis plate.
10. Add an angled tubular guard to the side of the perforated crew heater shroud.
11. Add thin styrene support strips to the rear upper hull to eliminate the overhang of the lifting eyes.
12. Depending on version add an antenna mount to the turret.

Have fun with your Canadian M113A2 Tow Under Armour build using the Legend Productions conversion.

Thanks to Legend Productions!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site.

Absolutely great build review. Very detailed info and perfect photos to compliment your thoughts about the kit. I hope to see your progress on painting it as well...

After everything is done perhaps we could do a full feature for the network, what do you think Jason?

Mario