Hi, All. Am finishing up a set of Saudi National Guard V-150s, one with the Cockrell 90mm , the other as an armored ambulance. The kit got me addicted. I want to build up the Mecar gunned version and the 20mm version. Most of the pictures I'm finding on line are CGC sales photos, ones with the Cockrell gun (Portuguese, Saudi) or ones with the M-706 type , twin MG turret. (Philippines) I've not found any Mecar gunned rigs in service. As for the 20mm version , all I've found is a couple Malaysian Police ones and a poor photo of a Hatian one with maybe a 20mm. Any ideas who, if anybody operates(ed) the Mecar and 20mm versions?

Post some pics when you are done your projects if you can.

I searched "V-150 20 mm" and instantly found pics....of both the 20 mm turret and the Mecar cannon on V-150s.

How are you searching for images?

I've searched for V-150, V-150 20mm, V-150 Mecar. All the usual suspects. The pic of the Mecar and 20mm are Hatian. I'd seen the Polis ones. Seen the Mecar with the green/sand/black camo, but never seen who's it is. The grey one with the 20mm is Saudi ... I think. The usual sources tell what countries used the V-100/150 but not which versions.

The last image I posted is Indonesian.

I believe this one is also Indonesian...very stunning camouflage.

You need to check carefully which version of the V150 that each version is based on.

The early V150 had the same length hull as the V100 (like all the Hobbyboss kits).

A lot of the export vehicles were based on the later V150S hull which (in 1/35 scale) would be 13mm longer.

http://www.network54.com/Forum/110741/thread/1243371997

Regards,
John

Hello.

Actually, apart from the Cockerill-armed V150S which it is still using, the portuguese army has tried a single Mecar-armed V150 in Guinea-Bissau, during the last years of the portuguese presence there.

I've seen the Saudi V-150s listed as 150S. Figured it stood for "Saudi". I checked some photos, the Saudi ones look to be short hulled ones. ( distance from rear of front wheel well to forward hatch edge looks close to the same width as the hatch. ) Not sure if it is a given or no, but the stretched ones seem to have double wide hatches on the side. The Indonesian ones with the Mecar look sharp. Colors look to be U.S. MERDC colors. (Does anybody make Indonesian decals? Only ones I've found thus far are from Takom's AMX-13 with SS-11 missles kit) Echelon does have Portuguese markings (for a Cockrell). Not sure what unit it is for. Any clues if they are for the unit that used the Mecar trial vehicle?

I don't know the Echelon decals, but they could not be for the unit which experimented with the Mecar. That was an expeditionary unit (Bafatá's Cavalry Squadron), whereas the Cockerill-armed V150S were since their inception until very recently used by the Armoured Car Group (Grupo de Autometralhadoras), belonging to 6th Cavalry Regiment in Braga, with a small number attributed to the Cavalry School.

Portuguese V150/V100 family hulls with Mecar was used in Guine (Portuguese Guiné) during the Colonial war aside with the V200 ( home made Chaimite) You can find in the internet photos of one.
There are three photos put i still not knowing how to upload here.

The available decals are for the V150S of the EPC ( cavalary school unit by 2007 - by now dismantled)

I tried searching for the Bafata Cav. Squadron . No joy. Any clues on paint scheme and markings?

No - the V150S looks the same from a distance as the V150 (and yes, that makes it really difficult to spot the differences) - the double doors are NOT a diagnostic. The additional length was added by Cadillac Gage to increase internal capacity and also improved the ride of the vehicle. The change was made in the early 1980s and affected the entire V150 production line from that point forward.

The additional length is generally forward of the side doors - check out the link in my original post as this shows where I added the length to my project.

On each side, there is a vision port/firing slot in front of the crew door. On the V150S, there is a greater gap between that vision port and the front 'break' in the panel where it joins the angled front panel (it makes the vision port and side door look as though they have been fitted further back along the hull). Unless the photo shows a vehicle exactly side on, that differential can be very difficult to spot (I was half way through my project before I realised that the vehicle I was building was an 'S' - and I had multiple images of the actual vehicle I was building).

Regards,
John