Hello Gino!

Now this is seriously COOL!

How come the hull is already camouflaged? Did you build your M88A1 before?

Good luck with the conversion and have a nice day!

Paweł

Woohoo!  Gino's building an A2 Herc conversion!  Now somebody just HAS to kit it in 1/35 styrene!  That thing has been on my Wish List for decades now.

Thanks guys.  It is coming along.  I hope someone (AFV Club?) does do it in styrene.  It would be much easier.

Pawel

How come the hull is already camouflaged? Did you build your M88A1 before?

As I explained above...

"I bought a built AFV Club M88A1 at a swap meet a few years ago with the intention of using it and the Legend M88A2 Conversion set."

Gino, the thing is you didn't write it was started or even completed... That's why I wondered - I assumed you just bought a kit at a swap meet, not a completed model to rip it up. But I bet now it's going to be better. Good luck with it!

Paweł

It was already built, with lots of missing/broken parts, so a perfect candidate for the M88A2 conversion.

Looks good.  The "88s" are often the the neatest "cluttered" vehicles around.

Lots of gear, but all stowed so as to not fall off.

The more modern variants don't look to have many remaining places to sack out in a sleeping bag any more, either.

I love recovery/engineering vehicles like this! Like something right outta 'The Road Warrior'! 

Very cool! 

Thanks gents.  It is coming along.

I have pretty much finished construction on it. I went with the full USMC M88A2 w/M1A1 Abrams CWS and extended exhaust stacks. It will be similar to this one, with the IED jammer antennas too.

USMC M88 1946×752 204 KB

Here it is so far.

On the below pics, I added a couple things Legend missed, or they were later features than their example had. The rear lights are swapped out with NATO tail lights and there are smaller turn signals added next to the front lights. Not sure why they didn’t add NATO turn signals to the front, but they didn’t.

I built it so the boom still raises and lowers too. Legend would have you glue it all solid. I just had to rework the rope anchors at the top of the boom and not glue the lower attachment points solid.

Here is the M1A1 CWS added. I used a Dragon one left over from their M1A2 kits.

For the exhaust stacks, I used ones left over from the AFV Club M35A1 “Nancy” guntruck. The M35A1 has an older exhaust that runs along the frame and out between the rear wheels. I added the flappers and a few other details to them.

On the side skirts, they did come up short. Instead of trying to graft a piece in them cleanly, I left the rear skirt piece off and drilled attachment holes for it. I have seen a few pics of M88A2s without them, so all is good. You can also see the missing pioneer tool box with mesh covering that I scratched up.

The tracks will be AFV Club indi-links. The rear sprockets are resin ones I picked up somewhere with mud release holes already molded in them.

The road wheels will be left over Takom steel wheels from the USMC M60A1 ERA w/Dozer kit. It includes both the steel and aluminum wheels.

Here are other pieces/parts that will go on it after painting.

Next up will be painting.

I like where this is going, keep it up!

Thanks DRUMS01.  Work continues.  I hope to get some paint on it this week.

Hello Gino!

Lookin' good! Why is there mesh over the pioneer tool frame? What paint scheme do you have in mind for this one? Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Hi Pawel.  Thanks.  I haven't decided on color yet.  Still deciding.  The tool rack being covered is probably to keep the tools from catching on things.  The whole vehicle seems more streemlined.  I'm not sure though.  You can see it well here.

I really enjoy your conversions Gino, always great work. And now that you're almost done, it's about time for Takom or RFM to kit one.

HeavyArty

The tool rack being covered is probably to keep the tools from catching on things. The whole vehicle seems more streemlined.

From dusty memory (my last Amphib stuff was in '91) the 88s always went ashore last, usually in the "tail" of the lift ashore of the armor.  Their bulk limited which landing craft they would fit withiin.  So, there's not a lot of side-to-side room once you get one inside an LCU(L)--(and you want them really close together on an LCAC).  So, keeping things tight and compact is a boon.

That big Masterlock Padlock is a common feature, too--very necessary to make sure your tools remain yours.

Clean and streamlined are also both words for easier vehicles to load into RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) ships, too.

That slight, so very slight, nose-down attitude is going to be difficult to model well. 

It will have to be "enough" to be seen/apprciated; but not so much as to look like broken suspension components.

I'd bet money it's less than a millimeter over the length of the kit--that's les than 1/6 mm around 0.006")  per roadwheel, which is a very fussy attention to detail that only the best of uas are likely to get "just right."

Thanks gents.  I'm glad you like it so far.

Here is this week’s update. I have painted it in NATO Green with some selected parts in sand. I am using the one below as inspiration, but not as a direct copy.

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I added a sand “Valhalla” name above the doors on the sides. I also used a USMC serial number, a left over Marine Combat Chevron, and a shield for the 3rd MarDiv (Marine Division).

Here it is so far. I still need to dullcoat it, add the tracks, color all the lights and vision blocks, add some more details here and there, and weather it.

You can see the marking better here.

More to come later this week

That looks so cool Gino!!! 

Only thing I'd add is she's crying out to be shown 'in action' dragging a stuck AFV out of a ditch or something like that. 

I know it is a late response but FYI - you didn't do anything wrong.

I had one of these conversion kits and all of the resin armor panels had shurnk in one demension or the other.  After about a month of communication with ledgend, they sent me a whole new set, and I still had the issue you mentioned.

While the conversion kit was pretty complete, the engineering was bad

Thanks Gamera.  It is coming along.  I think it will be by itself.  Too big w/an Abrams or something else on the hook.

I have completed the USMC M88A2 Hercules “Valhalla”.

I used the AFV Club indi-link T97E2 tracks. They went on w/no issues and look great.

I also added the cables for the boom and winch from some ship-rigging string that I dipped in gun metal paint so it has a good steel cable color. I weathered it with some selective rust and bare metal on the blade and boom areas where the cable rubs. I then gave it a wash of a dirt-brown color, and then a sandy wash after that dried. I made the sand darker in a few areas for some variety as well.

Here it is, all dirtied up and well used.

IMG_2637480×640 48.5 KB

With the boom stowed.

Some more details.

The M1A1 CWS up top.

This was a fun and rewarding build. Other than the short side plates and short skirts, the rest of the conversion went together without issues. I really like how heavy and big it looks when done too.

Hello Gino! Lookin' really good!Congratulations on another great model and thanks for sharing! Have a nice day

Paweł

Well done

Thanks gents.  I really enjoyed building this one.

She turned out great Gino! Nice work! Love the sand worked into every nook and cranny. 

Thanks Gamera.  It was a fun build.

That's a well-engineered vehicle!    Nice!

Gary

Thanks Gary.  I enjoyed building it.

Fantastic.

Mind, all you need now is an LCU(L) with the rest of the Recovery Section :-D

Thanks Capn.