Veteran's Group Build feeler

Howdy Top... Good to see another SNCO aboard, even if you're a youngun'.. (PEB 26 JUN 76).. I was in the Green Machine long enough to get the tenth hashmark, and it looks like you'll make it too, lol..

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stikpusher

Welcome aboard Top! I like the sound of those builds. You enlisted just over a week after I arrived at Ft Benning for OSUT... I enlisted 08/11/83 and arrived Benning 11/08/83...

Rob, I have not come aross the Verlinden M1037 conversion or I would have snatched it up. I was thinking of perhaps buying one of the Italeri Shelters along with a stakebed HMMWV and doing the conversion myself. The shelter would need to be cut down in length at least, but It would not be too hard. But that will have to wait for sunnier financial days. Right now it is dig in to the stash.

 

I've got an extra Italeri shelter kicking around the parts box. It is designed to fit into their M923A1 or M925 5t trucks, so it is probably too wide as well as obviously being too long. I have an old "in progress" build Academy M998 and can compare the relative size of the Italeri shelter to the HMMWV bed. Most likely, the HMMWV could probably squeeze inside the shelter.

The Verlinden M1037 S250 hut is a giant, thick PE sheet that you bend into a cube. It is designed to go into the Italeri HMMWV, but since Academy heavily based their HMMWV line on the old Tamiya Bushmaster HMMWV kit which in turn was a reboxed Italeri HMMWV kit, it should fit perfectly in either an Academy or Italeri HMMWV.

The Verlinden S250 is not truly accurate; they made the hut to fit perfectly inside the bed of a standard HMMWV kit, but the actual hut was designed for the old Dodge M880 or Chevy M1008 full sized pickup truck beds so the HMMWV required tailgate hinges to offset the length. Considering whether or not to deal with this issue has long been the factor of why it's still in the stash.

The Verlinden M1037 is set #20 037 and ran about $15 back in the day. This isn't my build, but you can see the hut is a little too short.

I guess I could build a couple of the intel systems I worked on.  The AFV Club M548 ammo carrier chassis can be converted to the MLQ-34 "TACJAM" system I served on.  I could also build the TRQ-32(V2) mobile receiver/direction finding system.  I need one of those shelters you guys are talking about; but more importantly does anyone know if anyone makes a kit of the M1008 CUCV?  That's the Chevy 5/4 ton pickup later replaced by the HMMWV.

The TRQ-32, we called it the "Turkey-32", shelter would be a little harder to build; but it definitely be unique.

http://store.spruebrothers.com/135-miniman-factory-m1008-cucv-pickup-chevy-pickup-35016-p25004.aspx

Thanks Rob!

I compared the shelter to the size of the HMMWV; the shelter is about the same size as the entire body of the HMMWV less the hood/engine area. Better off using styrene sheet to scratchbuild one. Not sure if it'll fit in the M548, I'll dig out my kit and see.

The one for the 548 is going to have to be scratch built.  I've done it before, years ago.  It was the first contest I ever entered.  I did a dio of a TACJAM site, system vehicle, chase vehicle and figures.  It took 2nd place!  Been hooked ever since!

I wish someone did a CUCV in plastic.  $85 for a resin kit is a bit hard to swallow. 

Yes, looking at the Italeri Shelters I see it is of a different type. I might as well scratchbuild one when I go to tackle it. So much for that idea... IIRC, there was at most 6 inches behind the drivers overhead bow and the front end of the shelter. Just enough room for the turnbuckles that secured the front end. I never paid attention to the tailgate area and how it projected as opposed to the turtleback, stake bed, or soft tops. I do recall there being some slight difference in the shape of the underneath framework where the pioneer tool rack would attach. A "V" shape set up vs. a "H" shape between the bumper and the next forward main crossmember.

Well gents, the Vets GB thread is up and waiting for recruits in the Group Builds forum.

Here’s forty shillings on the drum
To those who will volunteer to come,
To ‘list and fight the foe today
Over the Hills and far away.

O’er the hills and o’er the main
Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain.
King George commands and we obey
Over the hills to far away.

Not having been in any CS or CSS units, or around any of the Air Scouts that used those things, I'd be interested in seeing what's actually inside the cube...  Rumors abounded in the Combat Arms Community that they came with A/C, heaters that would do more than keep themselves warm, wall-to-wall carpet, overstuffed furniture, stove, refrigerator, big-screen TVs with VCRs, pool tables, hot and cold running water, and the occasional bush-bunny...

The only time I would have interaction with S250 shelters was when we would go to the field and the Forward Support Battalion would attach a missile hut to their Maintenance Support Team that was permanently assigned to my UMCP. We'd only get the missile hut if we task organized and received a mechanized infantry company.

It was basically a big box with shelves and electronic repair and test equipment inside. Both repairmen tried their best to try to sleep inside the hut and not have to set up a tent. It wasn't anything to write home about and often looked like 20 pounds of stuff crammed into a 10 pound bag.

Now the larger S280 shelters that went on the back of 5 tons were veritable Taj Mahals.

Here is a webshots album of an empty S250 shelter: http://news.webshots.com/album/557006971eoXaOW

Hi guys, first off - thank you all for your service and belated well-wishes for Veterans day to you all! I've not been active for some time, my last post was about a month ago as life has gotten in the way. Just sat down for the first time in a while to model last night...any how, I'd really like to lurk here and perhaps join if you'll have me.

You see, I'm fairly new to the armed forces. Back in September I swore in to the New Jersey Air National Guard and am a member of the 177th Fighter Wing. I leave for basic training in Texas in February and won't be back home until August. It doesn't give me much time to complete a model, or even get one really! I signed up for Aircraft Armament and will be loading ordnance on F-16s. Hopefully I can snag a Viper kit for Christmas or something. 

I'm really trying to get back into the swing of modeling, so I'm kinda hoping that building something that will soon be my "reality" will get me motivated again. 

Let me know what you think!

Hans von Hammer

Not having been in any CS or CSS units, or around any of the Air Scouts that used those things, I'd be interested in seeing what's actually inside the cube...  Rumors abounded in the Combat Arms Community that they came with A/C, heaters that would do more than keep themselves warm, wall-to-wall carpet, overstuffed furniture, stove, refrigerator, big-screen TVs with VCRs, pool tables, hot and cold running water, and the occasional bush-bunny...

 

I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors. But during my tenure as a Commo Sgt for the 160th Inf Det Long Range Surveilence, I had two of those beasts that were mine at one point or another in time. Unfortunately for us they were never equipped as they should have been with a suitable amount of radios, but we did have HF and FM Radio systems, Digital Message Device Group (DMDGs), a Fax and/or a UGC-74 teletype, plus assorted commo gear (antennas, encryption/decryption stuff, grounding rods, wire, phones, AN/GRA-39 remote device) etc. And since we had either a 5K or 10K generator we obtained various comfort items such as ice chest, small microwave, etc. There was a non functional A/C unit on the front of each shelter which our support units could never seem to get working, so basicly all they did was blow hot air inside the shelter. Lots of fun on a 115* day when the HF radio is kicking out t least that much heat inside the shelter.

I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors.

Figures... I'm cleared all the way to FUBB (F...Fouled-Up Beyond Belief) and can't get a confirm...  

But do you have 'need to know' Well if I could ever get my scanner to work I have a few pics that would be great to post. 

All right all you veteran types, the roster is started on theGB thread for this build. GB begins in 5 days.

As usual I'm late to the show, I have been wanting to build a UH1-D Aeromedical Evac ship I was the Medic in for a while. This is a good motivator!

So is it OK to join up in the GB this late? It's been quite a while since I last posted, that damn annoying thing keeps getting in the way (I think they call it life?) .

just want to get back in the swing of building.

Cheers,

Paul 'Doc' Watson.

Doc, you aremore than welcome to join the build. Come on over to the thread in the Group Builds forum, list which kit (scale/maker etc.) you will be building and I will add you to the roster. The build just started two weeks ago and is running fine so far.

But do you have 'need to know'

Nah... More of a "Want to Know"...  'Course, back when I ran the BOC (Battery Operations Center) and we gave up the CUCVs for the Humvees, I built my own version of the cube from plywood and channel iron... The Battalion Commander hated it, but I got away with it until we could no longer avoid sling-loading that vehicle... Then I had to tear it down and put the soft top back on...

But while it was a hard-top, it was really nice in there... Had the radios at the center-front, top she;lves for the ash & trash, right side was all "desk" and the wall held the sitmap and various other chartage, while the left side was a fold-up rack for m' fartsack, and also held the Coleman stove and coffe pot... Many a cold & frosty morning did I do all the reports and Bn commo-stuff, sensitive items reports, etc, without ever getting outta bed... Even put a top hach in so the air guard could ride comfortably up there...  BTW, that was same Humvee that I got some leather seats in from a junked BMW...

LOL! oh the customized vehicles... I never did much to any of mine, but I have heard some stories... best one I saw myself was a casette deck wired into the intercom system of a Bundeswehr Marder SPW when I was on exhange program with the 223rd Panzer Grenadier Battalion way back in 1984. It seems the driver was a country music fan (of all things for a German to be- I guess that cowboy stuff and Westerns were pretty popular) and he liked to have his tunes with him in the field. It had to beat me and my TC singing Hotel California at NTC during night movements...

"... on a dark desert highway..."

During ODS, my company's headquarters platoon put in a BlauPunkt stereo in their M577 that they pulled out of an old, wrecked car on TapLine road.

We used to go the Hohenfels with an ammo crate of CDs and jam with music.  We called ourselves KPIG radio, "The voice of Hohenfels"!

I am sure they both beat AFN...

Ahhhhh Hohenfels....

RESlusher

During ODS, my company's headquarters platoon put in a BlauPunkt stereo in their M577 that they pulled out of an old, wrecked car on TapLine road.

We used to go the Hohenfels with an ammo crate of CDs and jam with music.  We called ourselves KPIG radio, "The voice of Hohenfels"!

I had a cassette deck installed too.. We crossed into Iraq with Panzerlied blasting out over the Battery Net..

"Ob's stürmt oder schneit, ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß, oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter, doch froh ist unser Sinn,

Ja, unser Sinn!!!"