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Scratchbuilt sci-fi armoured scout car / AFV

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Scratchbuilt sci-fi armoured scout car / AFV
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 8:40 AM
Here's a scratchbuilt sci-fi armoured car I built a few months ago (only just got around to photographing it :P ).
It's made from styrene sheet and assorted spare 1/35 AFV and 1/24 car parts, and is a "freelance" design I created myself - not based on any existing sci-fi universe. It's actually from a sci-fi setting I created for a computer strategy game I've been working on over the last couple of years (the "Infinity") universe.

It's a Talmor "Trailblazer" light armoured reconnaisance/fast attack vehicle, and is about 1/24 in scale. The design is very loosely inspired by the WW2 British Humber LRC (Light Reconnaisance Car). My original design for this vehicle was closer to the LRC, but it more or less "evolved" as I built the model!







It doesn't look too advanced/high-tech, which is intentional - it is meant to be an improvised, lightweight design based on a car chassis, requiring the minimum of materials and technology for the specification.
Construction is of welded aluminium plate with titanium applique armour plates bolted on to give extra protection to the crew and engine, along with a Kevlar-type inner anti-spall layer. The Trailblazer has a crew of 2 (driver and gunner/commander), is powered by a standard mass-produced car/truck fuel cell motor, and is armed with a light autocannon, two light MGs (one operated by the driver), and a manually-loaded, turret-mounted missile launching rail (similar to that on some modern Soviet/Russian AFVs) which can fire either anti-armour or surface-to-air missiles.

The colour scheme matches the terrain of Talmiun (the home planet of the Talmor) which is a mixture of desert, semi-arid and Mediterranean climates. Many vehicles have extra camouflage applied by their crew in brown, black or green (or a mixture of the three).





This is another vehicle I'm working on from the same sci-fi universe/setting. It's an armoured command halftrack, converted from a light tank (like the German WW2 Panzerbefehlswagen I). Unfortunately the wheels/tracks don't show up very well in the photos.
This vehicle will be open-topped, with a commander's seat and communications equipment in the back. It'll also have spaced armour plates on the sides of the vehicle (you can see the support brackets and the unattached plates in the photos), similar to WW2 "Schurzen".

I've many other designs lined up to scratchbuild in the future (some I've already started work on). Most of my designs are heavily influenced by WW2 and post-war AFVs, given a sci-fi twist, rather than being ultra-futuristic hovertanks and similar.

My future projects include a heavy fighter-bomber aircraft/starship, several standard tanks, a superheavy tank somewhat like the Warhammer 40K Baneblade, and an APC/IFV loosely based on the M113 and FV432. Most of these have a basic hull framework already built, but need a lot more work to complete!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 2:19 PM
Nice bnuild, Drawde. I love seeing original sci-fi designs like that. In fact, I'm working on a few of my own. Thanks for sharing. Later.
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: México
Posted by SteelSnail on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 2:52 PM
Very creative. I like 'em.
The scout car looks big for a crew of 2, though. But it's your universe.
Wish my skills were as good as yours.
I'm most intrigued by the computer game. Is it a mod? RTS or turn based?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 3:57 PM
Thanks for the replies.

The game is a 3D combined strategy/action game, a bit like "Battlezone" (if anyone remembers that; the) but on multiple planets. It'll include both surface and space operations.
I got quite far in developing this game a couple of years ago, but I've since learnt a lot more about 3D graphics programming and have decided to rewrite it using a new engine. So it's currently at a fairly early stage of development, although all the basic physics and logic are working, along with the planet/star system.
I'll be able to reuse most of the graphics and sounds from the earlier version, thankfully.

Regarding the size of the vehicle, it's actually quite small (hard to get an idea of the actual size of the model from the pictures, but it's about 14cm long; also remember that it's 1/24 scale) and the crew compartment only occupies about half of the hull (everything rear of the turret is occupied by the engine and fuel cells).
Without going into too much detail about the universe background (unless you want me to!) the particular faction/race which this vehicle belongs to have a combat philosophy which involves using the minimum amount of crew possible for crew and ships (partly to minimise potential casualties). Most of their vehicles have remote-controlled weapon turrets controlled by the driver with a HUD overlay. Not very efficient by the standards of conventional modern AFV operation, but as I said, they (the Talmor and Letomi) use very different combat tactics to a conventional human army.
The Trailblazer requires a seperate gunner as, being a very basic and low-tech design, it has a manually-operated turret and main gun.

Other factions have a more conventional design philosophy, notably the Foundation (nothing to do with Isaac Asimov's books; a fairly standard human faction with a medium technology level) whose vehicle designs are mostly loosely based on WW2 and post-war types, and the Hegemony of Unity (your typical Soviet-style totalitarian empire) who have the lowest technology level of all, relying on sheer firepower and thickness of armour rather than technological sophistication. Their "Landcruiser" main battle tank is based on the German "Neubaufahrzeug" prototype early-war heavy tank.

I plan to build a model of this particular tank in the fairly near future, but haven't started work yet - but would anyone be interested in seeing scans of the concept drawings I've made?
  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: Oregon
Posted by maxx1969 on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 5:03 PM
Cool builds Drawde! I could use a car like that next time I head into the city. Now that would get some respect in traffic!
~Matt T Meyer
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 7:55 PM
Great Job! love seeing those "in progress" shots too.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 8, 2005 7:57 PM
Well done. You dont see many scout cars with missles these days.
Smile [:)]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 9, 2005 2:55 AM
The missile launching rack is to allow the vehicle to double as a "tank hunter" if necessary. Similar to the modern US Hummvee with TOW launcher. It can be removed if necessary to save weight.

The background history for this vehicle also has it originally being developed as an improvised "stop-gap" vehicle, similar to the British Home Guard makeshift armoured cars in 1940. At this period they carried more or less any armament that could be fitted! After more effective tanks and armoured cars were brought into service, the Trailblazer was relegated to the scouting role.
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Thursday, June 9, 2005 6:11 AM
Very good work. Kinda pushes me to finally start my own scratched project finally Smile [:)]
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: México
Posted by SteelSnail on Friday, June 10, 2005 4:43 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Drawde

Thanks for the replies.


I plan to build a model of this particular tank in the fairly near future, but haven't started work yet - but would anyone be interested in seeing scans of the concept drawings I've made?


I do, if your not too busy.
Thanks for posting the background info. It makes sense now and make the subject much more interesting.
I have always wanted to make a pc game or mod, but my programming skills aren't that good. I think I'm more a hardware kind of guy Wink [;)] Anyway, please keep us informed of your progress.
Just a suggestion: you could photograph the models next to a ruler to show people their size.
  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Tennessee
Posted by MartianGundamModeler on Friday, June 10, 2005 4:04 PM
Nice builds!
The second one looks like the spwan of an m-113 and a half track!lol
Where did you get the treads?
"Some men look at things the way they are and ask ' Why?'. I dream of things that never were and ask "Why not?".--Robert Kennedy taken from George Bernard Shaw's "Back To Methuselah" (Thanks to TomZ2) http://martiangundammodels.50megs.com/index.html
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