Rex Ross

OK, I think this is the one

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Flakpanzer-M2...item27f7cdd125


Maxu52
Yeah --- that's the one I was looking at.


You got me all fired up about this flak panzer idea and I got to thinking I could make one out of an old top hull of a Walker M 41 and the quad .50 from a 1/18 scale 21st century model half track. I already used the quad.50 from that model to install on an airborne trailer and I could borrow it for an AA conversion of my Walker Bulldog. I already had a bunch of the big ammo cans so this looked like a one day project. The gun tub that the quad sets in is made from the cap of a large plastic container and a styrene strip extension. I was amazed that the diameter of the container was perfect for the turret ring on the Walker. Yippee, another garage treasure!!! Never throw anything away!!! This was gonna be a one day project, however ------- I realized that the lower half of that Walker was used for another project and I didn't have the track and suspension for it. Shucks !!. So the easy way out was to do a cheap shot and put this thing on wheels and make it a 6x6 wheeled gun truck. So much for a one day project. Here's what I have been able to throw together today. There is still lots to do on this one day deal (that will probably take a week).
rex

Airbrushler

WOW looking pretty cool Rex Ross

Max-U52

Wow, Rex, you didn't waste any time, Bro!

I won't be that fast. I have a set of 1/18 quads if you need them. I'm going to use the set from the 1/16th halftrack so I might be able to get lights and machine gun sound from the original MFU, and I just might be able to use the turret rotation and gun elevation ports on the MFU to power the quad .50s. I'm not gonna start the tank until I get the new upper hull, but I can start dismantling the M16 and get that going on the conversion, probably to an M3, but maybe a different version. Who knows. My head's still spinnin' by how fast you got goin', Rex!

Rex Ross

maxu52
I'm not that fast either. Yesterday I had a manic frenzy attack to see how fast I could assemble things from my spare parts box. Today I remembered to take my medication. Good luck (and skill) with your project. I would like to see build photos as you work the details out.
rex

Rex Ross

At this point I think the only thing left to do is paint it. I would really like to match the camo that it has on the Walker top part, but that is something I'm not good at. I will try, but I think this will get a totally new paint job.
rex

Captain Nemo12

Great work as usual Rex! Which paint scheme do you have in mind?

Rex Ross

There are dozens of Olive Drab shades, but I have a bunch of O.D. tanks already. Desert sand doesn't seem right either. I think I'm going to check around for some kind of a camo job that I can do with my airbrush or even with a hard edge pattern using a brush. I gotta check out some other paint patterns of the tanks in foreign countries. Since this is a "never existed' AFV, I guess it could get a "never existed" camo job too. Sometimes I wonder what the heck makes me build goofy stuff like this.

maxu52 gets the blame for this silly project.

rex

Max-U52

I'll take the blame for a great looking piece of work like that any time you want, My Friend.

You really blew me away with the speed, though. I just finalized the deal for a Bulldog upper hull yesterday, so I won't even have the parts till next week. I'm going to try to get to dismantling the M16 this weekend, but I'm almost done with the airsoft hobby grade tank so I need to get that video made.

That's really a cool looking 6x6, Rex, and I can't wait to see it painted. Maybe some kind of field applied camo? That would give serious license to get artistic, and I really think these vehicles need Kilroy on there somewhere.


Edit: And by the way, Rex, Mein Bruder, the nice people at RCU were kind enough to fix my screen name snafu for me and they changed it to Max-U52. I still can't figure out why it bothered me when guys called me "maxu" but it was my own fault so I had to do something. RCU was really cool about it, and the only reason it took so long is because I hadn't asked until yesterday. Just as soon as they found out I was unhappy with maxu52 they had it changed in a matter of hours. Of course, now I'll probably be in Dutch for lettin' the cat out of the bag, so I can only hope a zillion guys don't suddenly decide they also want to change their name (I'm sure most were smarter than I and got it right the first time). Maybe they'll at least wait a while so it doesn't look so much like my fault.

Imex-Erik

I'll be watching this one...

edoubleaz

My Feedback: (1)

Is this where I tell you I have a 1/18 walker lower hull that you (and only you) could have talked me out of....?

edoubleaz

My Feedback: (1)

I have always liked this interpretation of a limited use American paint scheme from late 1944-1945. My buddy Darren applied it to a "what if" American Firefly a few years back. I will doing a similar scheme on a "what if" project of my own coming soon.

Rex Ross

Max-U52
I'm gonna blame old age, senility and bad eyesight for not noticing the correction in the spelling of your forum name tag. I should be more aware and sensitive to things like that. When I was a kid my name was misspelled too. The name on my birth certificate was Wladziu Rex Rucinski, a result of proud but poor Polish peasant parents. It got corrected (Americanized) to Rex Ross in Superior Court in 1947. The Rex part came from the fact that my Mom thought the Blue Riband Italian ocean liner SS Rex was beautiful. That was the ship that B-17s of the US Army Air Force intercepted and greeted as it approached New York in May,1938. That inspiring incident apparently had something to do with the fact I was born in April, 1939. But that probably tells you more about me than you care to know.

Anyhow, to get back to a hobby related subject. I never cared much for German tank models. Does the fact that I am Polish have anything to do with that? Go figure............
rex

Rex Ross

Erik ....
When I get done with this Bulldog AA 6X6 it could be yours if you will trade a Xion Puma for it.
(Try to beat that bribe Jerry).
rex

Rex Ross

Yeah, that's the type of camo that I favor. I have a couple of examples that reflect my line of thought.



rex

Max-U52

Hey Rex, don't worry about the name thing, you know who I am. My Mom and Oma came through Ellis island in the early 50s. I don't think you being Polish should have anything to do with it. I'm first generation German-American and I work for a company owned by a Polish family and most of our best guys are Polish. One of them can barely speak English, but man can he run a grinder.

Born in '39, eh? Guess I'll have to be more forgiving when you get grumpy. You're entitled.

One of the things I find strange about this hobby is how I can separate the politics and the history and just be fascinated by the technological advances made in so many areas. I seem to be able to ignore all the bad stuff and have fun with the cool little machines, conveniently forgetting that they really have only one purpose, and that's to kill human beings. That's the kind of complex stuff I don't like to think about. Thinking hurts my head.

I now have a Bulldog upper hull enroute and I have the video thing half done so hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get started on the M16 to M3 conversion, freeing up the quad .50s for use when the hull arrives. One thing that worries me is that the turret rotation and gun elevation motors only have on and off for power. I really want to make the quad .50s fully functional and I'm not sure how well the Taigen MFU will work for that. I can also go with the RX-18 or the HL 2.4 systems but I don't think that will help. I might have to get this one on the 9X radio. I do think I can use the machine gun circuit in the bulldog to work the LEDs in the .50s without too much headache. I'll know more once I get the quad .50s out and see what I have to work with.

Rex Ross

Max-U52

To be truthful and accurate about my heritage, I am only half Polish. I am also 1/4 German and 1/4 Russian. This is really a problem when I watch a WWII movie because I don't know which side to root for. When it comes to tanks and anything military, it all looks good to me.
I never saw a tank I didn't like. Even the ugly ones.
rex

Max-U52

First step is done, disassembly of the M16. After making the video I tried the halftrack and everything still works as it should. No reason why it would be otherwise, but you know RC, it rarely does what you expect. I tried to disconnect the MFU sound on the IR tank and when I did that for some reason the tank wouldn't start. The two have no relation to each other, but you unplug channel four and it just won't start up. Just one of many, many things that's really had me scratchin' the melon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY902ZRyoQY

Max-U52

Need a little help, guys. Anybody know anything about wiring in a quad .50?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPyJ--o10s

Max-U52

Ok, guys, here's where I'm at. I tried to trace the wires to the LEDs but when I took the unit apart I got to a point where you have to remove a plastic gear that's pressed on and I'm not going to mess with that so if anyone has ever had one of these units all the way apart I could use a little help figuring out exactly which wires run the LEDs. Other than that it's coming along nicely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyV63xPNgCo

Ex_Pat_Tanker

I'll strip mine down tomorrow - I need to paint it anyway.

Rex Ross

You have done one heck of a job with your AA bulldog. Sheesh .... mine is just static and I still haven't painted it. I can't believe how you have been able to get everything working so far. Your skills in that area are far beyond my level and capabilities. Sometimes I feel like I don't really qualify to post anything on this forum. Everybody seems to build better quality and more complicated stuff than I am able to glue together. I ain't trying to sound humble here, it's just a fact. Anyhow, the thought of doing what you are getting done never entered my head. Good video! Well done.

Also, I'm glad to see somebody has a more cluttered and bigger mess on their work bench than I do!!!!
rex

Max-U52

Hey Fellas, hit a snag and need some help. I've been on this thing all day and I'm gettin' a little punchy. You can tell because I call Rex's post a "text". Hippie brain in action.

Rex, we all have our areas where we're better or worse, but you're one of the best all around scratchbuilders I've ever seen. I only wish I could do some of the things I've seen you put out. When I saw the hull you cast for the M7 I was green with envy and dreaming of the day that I'll be that good, should I get lucky and live that long. Too bad we're so far apart. I'd gladly wire up your AA unit to get one of those great paint jobs you do. Is the whole 6x6 vehicle static? If so you should put the AA on the bulldog like you originally planned. You could use the turret rotation from the tank for that awesome tub you built and put in a servo for the gun elevation. You'd need a slip ring but that's no big deal. I don't think you'd be able to get LEDs in those tiny 18th barrels, but you'd still have the gun sound from the tank MFU.

The video shows the problem, if anyone can help I'd be eternally grateful. I don't really want to put this on the 9X with a geko to run the AA unit, but I will if I have to. And I still haven't figured out the darn LEDs! So I'm gonna hit the rack and hopefully when I get up someone will have written in with an answer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRq9xDYbA1c

Max-U52

Oh yeah, I'll also gladly trade this thing for a Puma.

Ex_Pat_Tanker

Patience grasshopper - let me sleep and sober up a bit. (ok, a lot then...)

The wiring ain't so bad, well no actually it is that bad - lots of spindly enamel coated copper strands that break easily I have one gun to isolate and fix on mine - hope I can as it drives me nuts to only have 3 guns working...

Ex_Pat_Tanker

Purple wire = LED +
Black wire = LED - (and presumably ground for the elevation limit switch)
Grey wire = Elevation Motor (inboard most of the right hand group of 3 wires)
White wire = Elevation Motor (inboard most of the left hand group)
Yellow wire = Limit switch (middle of the right hand group)
Blue wire = Limit switch.

(Green and red go to the rotation motor)

LED voltage isn't much, but more than 1.5v - testing the wires with a AAA battery barely registers. I'd guess they are 2.5 to 3v?

(Good news is that all 4 guns work, it was just a dry joint).