Need Help With Viet Nam Era ARV's

Sounds like an M-88.  

Yup, sounds like an M88 to me as well.

What chassis is that based on? That looks to be the one.

M60 series tank chassis. In 1/35 AFV Club makes a nice M88 kit.

stikpusher

M60 series tank chassis. In 1/35 AFV Club makes a nice M88 kit.

Not quite; it was based on the M48A2 tank. The later M88A1 shared the same engine with the M48A3 and M60 series tanks.

As to the kits, regardless of which  manufacturer's box (Revell or AFV Club) they are all the same basic kit. Only AFV Club makes the Vietnam era M88, a rather rare kit. All the rest of the boxings are variations of the modern Cold War/Desert Storm and beyond M88A1. While the M88A1 was replaced by the M88A2 in heavy armor and mechanized units, the M88A1 is still in US use today.

Hello friends!

Let's not forget the exotic M-51 - based on the M-103 chassis - it was used by the Marines.; Here's a link to a resin kit of it:

www.perfect-scale.de/.../M51-HRV.html

Hope it helps, have a nice day

Paweł

Thanks guys.That M51 is badass,Pawel.

Thanks guys.That M51 is badass,Pawel.

Rob Gronovius

stikpusher

M60 series tank chassis. In 1/35 AFV Club makes a nice M88 kit.

Not quite; it was based on the M48A2 tank. The later M88A1 shared the same engine with the M48A3 and M60 series tanks.

OK. The engine and return rollers are what threw me off. The M88s that I served alongside with had diesel engines, and I knew the A3 and A5 M48s were diesel, but those also had 5 return rollers, vs the 3 on the M60, and M48A2 (which was gasoline engined). Did the original M88 also have a gasoline engine? 

Yes, the original M88 was a gasser like the M48A2. Main difference between an M88 and M88A1 is the engine and the auxillary power unit (aka Little Joe).

Some M48s had three return rollers. All M48A5 tanks were rebuilt M48A2 and M48A3 tanks. The number of return rollers on an A5 depended on whether or not the original A2 or A3 had three or five when it was manufactured.

Roger that! Thanks for the clarification. I knew about the M48 changes, but am not very familiar with the 88 series.

yes the original M-88s were gassers. in thr BRD in the 70s that meant the GOER tanker pulled a trailer with a MOGAS pod so you could refuel the 88s and the jeeps while refueling the tanks. it was usually the second to last vehicle in a convoy trailed by the chase jeep. in the winter staying close would keep you warm as long as you didn't pass out from the exhaust. if the 88 commander didn't like the officer in the jeep he would tell the driver to turn the magnetos off and back on, usually causing a flame to spit out the back.