So I just picked up Tamiya Military Modelling mag and it has some great photos of the Stryker and in particular, the bar armor package.

I know that some of the guys who frequent this site work with Dragon and other major model kit producers...

Do any of you think that with the current slide molding technology that one of the major kit makers releasing Strykers would be able to do so with styrene bar armor...?

Either way I will be buying the kits... An Accurate Armour aftermarket set would probably be great, but on the pricey side...

Just curious...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Much Aloha,

John B.

It would probably work. Just a matter of getting the actual dimensions from a real vehicle for all components. Even with slide moulding it still might look to solid and not portray the armour properly.

I have the Accurate Armour set for the Warrior still waiting to be done. The set is excellent but it will take some time to assemble...the key is to not deviate from the instructions.

I think the Stryker armour package is actually slats not bars...I believe when the armour packages were developed for the ASLAV the vertical portions were slats but the horizontal portions have been changed to round rebar type bars. I think this reduced the overall weight of the armour package but still maintained the same degree of protection.

Either way I will still wait to see what these kits are like for their basic details and accuracy before committing to them or after market parts.

You would figure by now Trumpeter could have at least come out with a preview of the production kit instead of the one time showing of the resin master.....mmmmmmm.

I hope so. I think if someone does a photo etch aftermarket set, won't those metal slats just be too thin?

The real slats appear to be about 1/4 to 3/8" thick which is .007 to .010 thick in 1/35 scale. This is right up at the top end of the thickness of available PE sets which are usually in the .04 to .06" thick range. Still, it can be done and look right.

It would, however, be an absolute bear to assemble and be very fragile unless you were soldering it together.

Paul

Leo Commander is correct. The Stryker uses SLAT armor instead of the BAR armor used on the ASLAVS.

Ric

heh, do up an entire model in PE bar armor and good luck handling it :-)

There are four very nice colour views of the Stryker with SLAT at the end of the Tankograd "MOWAG Piranha" book. (Pages 61 & 62)

Also, I'm thinkin to do it with Evergreen strip. If you buy appropriate width strip & thickness, you really onlu have to cut lengths. A jig would be the way to go. It's basically initially a square bar frame with the slats welded in, with 2 or three uprights in the small frames and five or so in the larger ones.

The Tamiya Model Military (December, Issue 8, not November) has a real good shot on page 20 with the braces and mounting bars, and it's clearly slats welded into square bar frames (no round re-bar in the shots I've seen).

Photo Etch may work, ABER or the like may even make real nice sets, but personally, with something this "fritzy" I'd rather do the initial run, at least, in plastic with thin cement.

Otherwise, probably go blind and mad trying to solder it....

Howdy fellas,

Am reading this thread with some interest. For what it's worth, I have also been trying to devise the easiest way to scratch up some bar armour for my 'Nam era boats. My solution {so far} has been to build a simple wooden {yes, I used MDF as usual } jig that looks like the reverse image of a ladder carved into the jig. My only concern is, that to keep the 'bar' armour to scale I will have to use very thin styrene rod. So thin in fact that I have concerns about it sagging in the middle of the span.
So, I've thought about switching to ultra thin metal wire laid in the jig, and soldering each rung to the runners by using one of those Cold Solder guns you see at Radio Shack.
I know, not very hi-tech, but that's what I've got so far..........

Tread.

Lemme know when you figure it out, Tread!

I've got a Nimix Monitor I've got to build for the Riverine campaign... Joe Ford, in his great monitor scratchbuild, decided to go with long lengths of brass wire down the side of the hull, foregoing each individual vertical armor row or assembly. Looked great, too.

I was thinking of using Plastruct fencing myself... Some of their architectural picket fences look as if they might do the trick. Of course, they'd have to be the right dimensions.

Been waiting on the Stryker as well --- this is just my opinion, but if either Dragon or AFV Club can somehow mold the slat/bar armor,assembly then I think that they would win the battle of the Strykers with kit purchasers (unless of course, the kit blew big chunks in any other areas...) Though I think it looks cooler than cool, I would not be willing to invest the time, money and effort in either scratchbuilding it or building it as an expensive PE aftermarket set.

Have a good one, Tread! Keep up the good work.

Much Aloha,

Johnny B.

Hey guy's,my friend of Pro art models told me that he will do the slat armor,and some other sets for the stryker.He is just waiting for the kit to come out.
Greets Jan

IIRC the SLAT is under a 1/4"thick. the whole thing is made from the same dimension flat stock with the exception of the support arms, which is 2" square tube. might be 1.5 square tube

That's good news, Jan! I just hope the price is within reach of most of us.

Well, the PE Warrior bar armour set by Accurate Armour costs about $92.00 USD. It is a great set and still in my stash. I would really like AA to produce the Stryker slat armour...maybe wait until the Dragon and AFV Club kits are out though.

I really can't see a slat armour set for the Stryker coming cheaply. If an aftermarket set for the Stryker bar armour can me made accurately with anything other than PE materials it would be great but what would the quality be like?