AAVP7A1 w/UGWS *FINISHED* pg. 4

It is a pretty nice kit.  No real issues with accuracy or fit problems, etc.  It is missing a few small details such as the light guards and the step on the driver's side track shroud are missing small, anti-slip blocks.  These are easy to add though.  Here is a review of the kit by Vodnik.

It builds into a mid-'90s version out of the box.  For a more current version, there is the overpriced Hobby Fan EAAK armor kit or EAAK mounting hardware for a vehicle without armor.  They only go for about $75 each!!

You could also try to find the MiniHobby kit with EAAK and use the EAAK from it on the Tamiya kit.  The rest of the MiniHobby kit is a really bad copy of the Tamiya kit and sucks.

There is also the Blast RAMS/RS suspension conversion that upgrades it to the most current version with Bradley running gear and tracks as well.  For a full RAMS/RS upgrade, you would need to scratch the new exhaust and its guard though, (like on the below model, you can see the anti-slip blocks on the light guards and step here as well).

If you really want to go nuts, there is the ridiculously-priced Hobby Fan interior set as well.  Only about $150!!!

I have the Tamiya AAVP7A1 w/UGWS kit, Blast RAMS/RS conversion, MiniHobby EAAK, and plan on scratching the interior on mine.  Just need to dig it out of the pile and start it at some point.

Good luck.

Thanks Gino

I don't think I'll be able to buy any AM although I think I might try some PE, I'm a little hesitant since I've never done PE and I don't want to screw this kit up.

Hey Gino,

I've had the Tamiya  AAVP7A1 on order from luckymodel for a good 2 months now with little to no possibility of getting it anytime soon so im crazy enough to go for the Hobby Fan kit you mentioned. Its in stock and going for US$50.99 on luckymodel. 

Silly question but is the Hobby Fan kit (HF051) a full kit or just AM parts for an existing kit. Wasnt too sure when you said  "Hobby Fan EAAK armor kit or EAAK mounting hardware for a vehicle without armor."

Jazza wrote:

Hey Gino, I've had the Tamiya  AAVP7A1 on order from luckymodel for a good 2 months now with little to no possibility of getting it anytime soon so im crazy enough to go for the Hobby Fan kit you mentioned. Its in stock and going for US$50.99 on luckymodel.  Silly question but is the Hobby Fan kit (HF051) a full kit or just AM parts for an existing kit. Wasnt too sure when you said  "Hobby Fan EAAK armor kit or EAAK mounting hardware for a vehicle without armor."

The Tamiya AAVP7A1 (with UGWS) kit has been listed as "available" (meaning not in stock) at LuckyModel for as long as I can remember (I've been using them for the last 18 months or so) and as far as i know it's OOP, so I wouldn't count on getting it any time soon.

The Hobby Fan kits are the (1) applique armor only (HF051) and (2) EAAK mounting brackets only (HF053) (allows you to build a vehicle equipped for EAAK but without the armor panels mounted) Both sets are add-ons and require the basic kit.

Silly question but is the Hobby Fan kit (HF051) a full kit or just AM parts for an existing kit.

The HF sets are conversion sets only.  The EAAK armor kit has only the add-on armor plates in it.  The EAAK mounting hardware kit has hundreds of the small square blocks that the EAAK bolts onto in it.  In my opinion, neither is worth the price they want for them.  As I have said in the past, HF thinks their stuff is gold-plated or something.  It is all over-priced for what you get.

The Tamiya kit is definately a good one.

This is actually closer to a late 80's / very early 90's representation, by 1992 I don't remember seeing an AAV without EAAK. By the late 90's it had all been removed and put into storage (except for vehicles on a MEU, or operating in a "hostile environment", which is still how it is done today) because of excessive wear and tear to the suspension and drivetrain. The EAAK was also deteriorating in the constant exposure to salt water. The plain EAAK mounting bosses can easily replicated with strip styrene. --- Let me know if you choose this path, as I might be able to track down the drawings that show the positions of all the bosses on the vehicle. Don't get too wrapped around the axle about accurate locations because the techs who put on the real ones didn't either. "Hanging" EAAK falls somewhere short of fun on these contraptions.

Additionally 1995 saw the modification to SINCGARS radios which has an antenna mount added along each side. There are also smaller mods such as the EPLRS radio which adds anoth antenna mount on the starboard aft (the kit might have this, memory slips), TACNAV antenna forward of the drivers station, and PLGRS antenna port aft on topside of turret.

I'm not sure how many, if any, non-RAM/RS AAVs are still in the operating forces today. I can only attest to one ragged hagged wore out AAVC7 that hasn't been RAM'ed up in my unit. (RAM production started in 99)

If you need any pics of specific areas let me know, just a matter of remembering to bring my camera to the ramp.

Phil_H wrote:

The Tamiya AAVP7A1 (with UGWS) kit has been listed as "available" (meaning not in stock) at LuckyModel for as long as I can remember (I've been using them for the last 18 months or so) and as far as i know it's OOP, so I wouldn't count on getting it any time soon. The Hobby Fan kits are the (1) applique armor only (HF051) and (2) EAAK mounting brackets only (HF053) (allows you to build a vehicle equipped for EAAK but without the armor panels mounted) Both sets are add-ons and require the basic kit.

Ah bugger thanks for that. I was really looking forward to doing this set so i guess its back to the drawing board and waitig for another manufacturer to re-release this kit...if ever. Any clues who else sells this kit and ships overseas?

Thanks for the information deattilio.

So let me get this straight... if I want to build the late 80's/early 90's version I don't have to put on the EAAK which is basically the kit I have? But if I feel like being adventurous i can put the EAAK mounting racks on to buil a 90's version without actually putting the EAAK  on. Are my summing this up correctly?

ygmodeler4 wrote:

So let me get this straight... if I want to build the late 80's/early 90's version I don't have to put on the EAAK which is basically the kit I have? But if I feel like being adventurous i can put the EAAK mounting racks on to buil a 90's version without actually putting the EAAK  on. Are my summing this up correctly?

You got it.

k thanks guys... I think I'll go with the 90's version and just scratch the mounting racks then.

thanks again guys

Well I finally got started on this one. I'm planning to enter it in the AMPS show in Fredericksburg in April.

Here's some pics of progress I got a couple days ago. The propeller things are pretty cool, the close and open on the model.




The ramp was very squareish, there was a tiny gap and a perfect 90 degree angle and all the ref pics I have it's not like that so i filled it with some glu and sanded the edge down, not exactly as I wanted so I went back today and sanded them down some more. Didn't take a picture however my battery was running low.

I also got some more work done on it tonight. I've skipped some steps...the top as a bunch of tiny parts and what not put on BEFORE you attach the top to the hull...knowing my clumsy self I wasn't about to drop it and have all them break off so I'm keeping them of til right before the paint stage. Have to do a bit more sanding but here's what I have so far.





The top doors flip open too...pretty neat IF it had an interior. While the glue was drying I decided to use some new paints I've been wanting to try out for figures, they're still acrylics, but its the Folkart brand, bought them at Michael's 40% off each. I like em so far. Still gotta add the fourth tan-ish color to the camo to it, but here's some pics









I apologize for the glossyness of some of the pics, just the flourescent lighting, it was hard to find a pic that you could see the colors but it wasn't glossy...by the time I finally got one batteries went dead.

Well thanks for looking, I thought I'd get a lot done on it this weekend buttt then I remembered I have two exams on Monday, anyways C&C are as always welcome, especially on those figs as I definitely need to get better on em.

Josiah

I had some good fun building Tamiya's pre-UGWS version a long, long time ago. Scratch-built the trim vane and added Verlinden's up-gunned turret as well as three Verlinden figures and a lot of stowage. I also added the 'steps' on the driver's side. Large kit and not enough hands to cement top and bottom halves together but got it done and well, I like it (and still do) anyway.

Here are two photo links to my build. Again, a long, long time ago... (July '92)

http://www.mortarsinminiature.com/images/Other%20Models/US%20AAV7A1-1.jpg

http://www.mortarsinminiature.com/images/Other%20Models/US%20AAV7A1-2.jpg

Have fun with yours... I'll be keeping a look-out for your updates.

Thanks for looking in Kevin, I really like yours, very well done, I hope mine turns out as good as that one.

got the camo done

Well I found some time on the bench, almost got the turret done, left the right "side" off so I could manipulate things a bit better.  Also gotta sand some things, most notably the side of that 40mm 'nade launcher.




Here's the ramp finished.



Also got the bow plane (is that what its called?) Doneskies, it's completely movable but because of gravity it just hangs down.  Gotta do a bit of sanding on those ejector pin marks on the bottom of it too




Also mocked up the side things that go on the front, I can't actually put them on until I put the road wheels and tracks on, which'll be after painting.



If I remember correctly I have to add a step for the driver? Gotta look at some pics and see how I'm gonna go about doing that, then It's pretty much just putting all the little fra-gi-le (hmm must be italian) parts on the top then put the mounting bosses on and its of to painting.

Also put the first coat of flesh on...way to light, this is also what I first used as the light brown camo...now you know why I bought a different color LOL. I'm just going to mix it with the light brown I used with the brown and it should make a nice tone.



Thanks for looking...critiques are welcome...

The build is coming along nicely, I'm not too crazy about the figures at this point but, I'm sure that they will 'fall in' as you progress.

The anti-slip pads are located in the position as shown on my model. (Lousy blow-up of a condensed web photo). I basically copied the shape and depth of the existing anti-slip pads that are molded on the model, in styrene and glued into place. There are six. (Again, this model was built a long time ago.) I tried to find you some actual photos but had no luck.

My take on it anyway... I could be right, I could be wrong. No expert on this subject and my reference is long gone but these are the 'steps' that you are looking for.

Have fun!

Looking good so far.  Kevin's interpretation is dead on.

There are also anti-slip lugs on top of the light guards too.

There are a bunch of great walk-around pics at Prime Portal.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks Kevin and Gino.

Kevin, what is it about the figure that's not doing it? Is it the camo? The flesh?

For me, the figure camo is way too splotchy.  There is an actual pattern to the camo.  The different colors should be finer.  Each squiggle should be more defined.  Also, you have the squiggles crossing seam lines in the clothing.  They should stop at seam lines and between different pieces, like the vest and pants.

Here is a close up of the Woodland camo to see what I mean.

Your color combos look a bit off too.  The more predominant colors are green and brown.  I start with green over all then larger squiggles of brown.  Next I do the medium squiggles of khaki.  Lastly, I apply fine squiggles of black.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Gino, I'll redo it and try what you do.

Good for you, for at least trying to do your figures, Josiah. Nothing gives a model a sense of scale like figures.

The critiques on the camo are good ones. It's symptomatic of a new figure modeler--when I was first painting figures, I aimed for a "ball park" rendering of them, Only much later when I got some sharp criticism did I really buckle down and really concentrate on them when I realized that they were actually detracting from my models instead of enhancing them. Keep practicing; you'll get there.

I would suggest a light wash of Burnt Sienna over your base "flesh" color there. This is a good way to get some correct color in the facial creases. Mitigate the intensity of the color with white or ochre. I use Windsor &  Newton's Artist Acrylics for skin painting. A mix of white and burnt sienna gives a killer skin tone.

This is s good looking kit. Quite a burly-looking vehicle!

Thanks for the help doog I'll go ahead and try it, my sister has some oil paints so I'll have to go borrow some.

 Got a start on scratching the mounting bosses today. Pretty difficult (at least for me) I figured I'll cut strips out, drill some holes in them, then cut 'em up mount 'em and when they're all dry and whatnot I'll file them down to where it'll look the best.

Welllll that's not a very good way, because almost none of them are the same length and a lot of them would go on straight on the AAV. Also the drill tip broke so I have to stop or just go without putting holes in them OR use and exacto knife to put holes in them. The first picture is of the holes with the exacto knife...pretty lame looking.

And this last one is after filing and whatnot.



I think it'll look better with paint, but  that wont fix the crookedness of some and uneven length issues.

Josiah, yeah that's a tough one to do with the drilling-out, but one thing that will help you trim those  more effectively than an exacto would be a straight-edge razor blade. I always keep one handy--much better for straight cuts.

You should be able to trim those up fairly evenly.

Gotcha, I'll see if I can find one at work tonight

Short update, got everything on, just need to do a bit more sanding.

Thanks for looking,

Josiah

Here we go, got the first layer of base coat on. Got some touching up to do in various places notably the non-slip things.

Nice!  The anti-slip pads look pretty great !

Thanks Scorn!

I like how the drivers side turned out, but on top of the lights is kinda ehhh so ima do some touch up sanding on it.