Greating culture lovers :-)
I have a kit of the Academy M163A1 Vulcan that I bought from Joe aka Sherman2 What mark of the M113 is this variant based on? I know very little about the M113 series If possible I would like to use this kit to build a medic track used over in OIF
It looks like I can build a regular M113 out of it Also how are the indy track links that come with the kit? Thanks in advance

It is based off of the M113A2. The M163 is based off of the M113A1. There wasn't an M163 variant based off of the M113 or M113A3.

Edit: I just read your initial post more carefully. The M163/A1 had a different upper deck than the regular M113 series. The large square cargo hatch was replaced with circular one and the turret ring was much larger than the cupola ring.

Did your Academy M163A1 come with a regular upper hull?

I just finished Academy's this kit. It is good. I made it as Modern Version but unfortunately there wasn't any decal for it. So I applied Vietnam decals. The seperated tracks fit well. Its pictures are on my gallery.

Regards

If I remember correctly, the Academy kit has the standard hull roof piece in the M163 kit. To make a standard M113A2, all you would have to do is replace the M163A2 roof with the standard M113 roof and add the rear troop hatch and other M113 details onto it, leaving off all M163A2 specific parts.

Robin
Here's a pic of the hull roof that came with the kit I think that large round opening is too big for the cupola ring I'll check again by taking off the cupola parts and test fitting them

If that is the only roof section that came in the kit, it is the M163 roof, not a standard M113 roof. The standard roof has a small hole for the cupola and a rectangular opening fr the troop hatch on the roof. The one I built came with the regular M113 roof as part of the standard M113 parts trees. It also contained a tree with the M163 roof and other parts for the M163.

Here is what a standard M113 roof looks like (on an Israeli M113A2 Zelda APC):

Thanks Gino
Well looks like I gotta buy another M113 :-) Only reason I got the Vulcan version was so I can put that gun on the Italeri Hetzer for the T2K build I'll still do that Guess I now have something to practice painting on

I probably have a spare Academy M113 roof. Let me check tonight.

Paul