Ever since my friend and fellow model builder extrodinare Mike DelVecchio built the Hobby Fan M-56 Scorpion, I have wanted to get my hands on the old Revell kit that was issued in the 70s and 80s. This weekend, another friend and fellow model builder, Tim Rothenberger point out to me one of these kits available on Ebay, and for the first time it was under 50 dollars shipped!!! Suffice to say, I own it, and I am going to share with you all my efforts to build it straight OOB. I am sure I could add a lot with aftermarket, PE, and some other things, but there is a method to my madness that some can probably already guess. For starters, I thought I would show you the kit as I recieved it.












Later today I expect to actually have it built, and I will take pictures along the way!

Steps 1 and 2 are complete, with some minor fit issues and alot of little bits of flash. There is one spot I expect I might have to fill with putty and another small hole in the barrel that I expect will need the same treatment, but here it is!

It may have had the copyright renewed in 1971, but the kit was actually designed in 1958, along with Revell's other 1/40th scale efforts.

The travel lock parts are pretty chunky, but the detail on the engine deck, especially the grill, is very fine. The vinyl track is a very respectable effort, within the limits of the material. The real track was made from belts of heavy rubber, stapled together, and joined by metal cross bars. It was based on the chassis of the Otter all-terrain snow tractor, and the tires were actually pneumatic (offering the possible embarrassment of a tracked vehicle with a flat).

A small number were deployed to Vietnam in the 1960's, but their lack of armor protection (only the gun shield was bulletproof) made them unpopular.

Thank you for that info Gerald!!!!! I might have to use some of that info at a later date!

It's a neat-looking little vehicle.

If you want a closer look at the vehicle, Nicholas Moran did a two-part walkaround of the Scorpion as part of his "Inside the Chieftain's Hatch" series of videos for Wargaming.net -- Part 1 and Part 2. Since he's up on the vehicle pointing out details and opening hatches, you can probably get all kinds of material for up-detailing the model if you wanted to.

Man! You didn't waste any time getting started on this one, did ya?

Looks like you're off to a good start bro.



Chris

Been waiting for this one for a year or so, and with 45 year old plastic, who knows how many hundreds of year it might last, so I had to put it together as fast as I can!!!
Some of its getting done with white glue though, cause there will be alterations made after next year LOL

Got a little more work done today including some primer and parts!