Sometimes I suffer from a silly scratchbuilding syndrome.

Every once in awhile I get bored with building models of "real armor" and start thinking......"what if"'.

Then I start thinking......"why not"?

These are a couple of the things I have had fun with that got out of hand. They might not have happened if someone had taken the glass of Bourbon off of my workbench, but hey.......when you're retired, senile and live alone......ya get to do what ya want!

The six wheeled, quad .50 armored car is my idea of a T17E2 Staghound on steroids, or maybe a T19E1. I had the tires from a Toys R Us thing in my junk box and a spare 21st Century Sherman, a 21st Century M16 halftrack, and a spare Tamiya turret. Put all of that stuff in a box with a Dremel tool, some glue and paint...... and shake well........ for about a month. Out will come a weapon that would have won the war in 1943 if I had been a designer at Aberdeen back then! This vehicle is R/C.

The halftrack (3/4 track?) with the 40mm AA gun on it is what I imagine Ward LaFrance and Marmon-Harrington would have come up with if they had collaborated on a project. But Ward LaFrance/Marmon-Harrington is too long a name to type and it wouldn't have fit on the grill over the radiator. So I named it my Mack/Reo. That's easier to spell. This was supposed to be R/C, but that didn't happen. Not yet anyhow. It rolls and steers, but that's all so far. The suspension was inspired by the French and Italian tanks, the White T17 and the Mack T19. I built the 40mm AA gun a long time ago and took it off of the trailer chassis it mounts on for towing . This thing is my answer to the German Sd.Kfz 7/2.

Then there's an armored fighting vehicle I call the "Shermgeschutz". It's my answer to all that German stuff that is similar in appearance. I posted it in the Gallery a long time ago............ Well, here it is again. It is not R/C. I wish Mato would come out with VVSS track with duckbills, then I could convert this to R/C.............. grousers would be cool too.

I have one other goof ball item on my shelf, but I don't have the guts to post it. I don't want to be banned from the forum and called rude names.

Does anyone else out there build stuff that never was? Please tell me I'm not the only one.........

Rex, Those are some serious Builds, Awesome!!!!!!!!! I love them, The Sherman is really cool as are the rest.

Now that's what I'm talking bout Rex! That is really the inspiration I need to break out of this to the "T" mind set of making my tanks accurate armor. After all, I'm no where near any club to participate in competitions or reenactments and such....so why should it matter to me....I haven't the slightest clue.<div>
</div><div> Coming to this site has really been an inspiration and one of the main driving forces to spark such a high interest in this hobby. But I've been locked with the burden to make my vehicles accurate to history, forcing me to spend countless hours researching one piece to the tank! Really not that fun, although it is satisfying when you accomplished that one piece.....needless to say, I'm still on my first tank out of three......... embarrassing, I know.....but as Panther F pointed out...prolly cause I spend too much time here, lol.<div>
</div><div>Those vehicles are absolutely awesome. Keep it up man, and post that other one you speak of! I want to see it and if you don't....PM it to me!</div><div>
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Wow would you call that a hunting sherman .
Would Patton of liked it hell yes its packing a big gun .

Jimmy

Jagdpanzer would not fit.......... Maybe a Sherman German Hunter

I would call it a serial killing maniac gone bonkers. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Rex,

Seem's to me that the Isreali's missed out on a few 'upgrade oppotunities' there [8D]

There is no such thing as a bad model, just a poorly executed one - and none of your "what if's" are in that catagory, so post away!

Mart

You are the only one!! But we love ya anyway.

I like the JAGDSHERMAN. Makes you wonder why they didn't try that.

I always wondered why the US or the British didn't clone the 88mm artillery piece. That thing was amazing.

Hi,

Thank you for posting. All three are outstanding modeling efforts. Very clever and seemingly plausible. Really fun stuff and super skilled workmanship.
I do like that "Shermgeschutz", but I think the US Army in 1943 just would have called it the M4 SHGV (Sherman Hunting German Vermin).

John

I think the" what if" stuff is great. You should be proud of all your builds as they look great. I for one would like to see the one you called a goof ball. If it's up to your normal standard then I'm sure no one will be to hard on you. Keep up the great work.
Alan

Very nice work and a lot of immagination. With all the variations tried in WW II, any of those was plausable. The Shermgeschutz is neat and Isreal did have something close with a 160mm mortar, but yours has a lower profile and looks like a mini T-28. Great ideas for cleaning up the spare parts box. Nice modelling skills.

OK....... I will post a photo of my "goof ball" project this afternoon to satisfy the mystery for you and BiggTony. It's really silly...........however, the neat thing about being an old coot and village idiot is.......I don't care about whether or not I look like a fool. If ya have a big laugh, or even just a medium giggle, be my guest. Laughing is good.[sm=bananahead.gif]

man I LOVE that Shermgeschutz!.......I bet ya anything if the war had dragged on that we would have probably played with that very idea. Makes you wonder if the germans ever did some kind of conversion like that to captured&damaged Shermans?.....

This is embarrassing, but here's my "Goof Ball" build.

Years ago, I was trying to decided whether to join an R/C tank club or an R/C ship club. I couldn't afford to do both, so I thought of this compromise.

The tank hull is one of those Chicago International Abrams tanks that was fast enough to pop wheelies. A real good cat chaser. The PBR was scratchbuilt on a $20 Toys R Us R/C hull that comes real close to the PBR hull shape. The top parts are all scratchbuilt and are somewhere between 1/16 and 1/20, take yer pick. But it is R/C and runs well in water.

For some strange reason, neither club invited me to join their group.

Those are not silly scratch builds. They are very nice & look like they could be made for the Army very easy.
Joan

Love it!

I like it. Now that's what I call thinking outside the box. Keep up the good work.
Alan

The Japanese had a couple interesting amphib-tankettes....


Hey Don, here's one for you...put a Tiger turret on and mount a torpedo in place of the 88..