This combo has been kicking around in my head since 2003 when during the invasion of Iraq the need for "hillybilly armor" was quickly discovered. While most soldiers were scrounging scrapyards full of busted Iraqi armor the mechanics deployed to Kuwait from Anniston Army Depot in Alabama on their own time were chopping up a five ton truck and a no longer serviceable M113. Now some may recall a gun truck from Vietnam with an M113 in the bed which had a regular cab on it. This would have left the driver and passenger exposed. In this case, the M113 was cut open and placed over where the cab used to be. The engine opening was plated over with aluminum and bullet proof HUMVEE windows cut in. This part is true and I have the pics to prove it.













This constitutes the research portion of tonight's show. I'll try to find the article I read about it but no promises. These pics are all I've ever found about it. Apparently, it never got farther than this point in favor of the MRAP trucks. My desire is to show what it might have looked like thundering (or lumbering, as the case may be) down the road to and from Bahgdad. The article pointed out that the ideal Slammer would have been on a later model truck frame, which is what I have here. I'll include an ACAV shield for the .50 cal and probably some other guns on the sides. In the photos you can see the vents for the engine compartment but I will close them up. The drivers and TC hatch will remain. The rear door will remain with some sort of ladder to get in and out. As I recall, this was built on a dump truck frame which was a little shorter but the kit I have is the regular cargo truck frame which might leave some room for a proper porch. Maybe something like an old time passenger train car.
I did a quick search to see if I had started a thread on this already but it seems I've mentioned it numerous times. I guess its time to get started!

And about bloody time too Ken ...it's nothing but Alabama Slammer this..Alabama Slammer that...    

Now this I'm very very much looking forward to this 😀
You'll need a 5ton truck ..M35 and up would work 

Sweet! Looking forward to this. 

I've got the Italeri kit of the M925 Shelter Truck. I already used the shelter for a generator container. I'm using the Academy M113 kit which will have many parts left over. More parts for kitbashing other things! The pics show it built on an M800 series truck but the preferred truck would have been an M900 so win win. I've got a couple of Mk19s laying around to go with the mandatory .50 cal.

Quote from: kerick on February 25, 2025, 09:15:22 PMI've got the Italeri kit of the M925 Shelter Truck. I already used the shelter for a generator container. I'm using the Academy M113 kit which will have many parts left over. More parts for kitbashing other things! The pics show it built on an M800 series truck but the preferred truck would have been an M900 so win win. I've got a couple of Mk19s laying around to go with the mandatory .50 cal.

Excellent..the base kit is a M35 ..just a later version of the truck ...yeah this will look good 👍
Least the wheels ain't to bad ..unlike the big foot version with Italeri released  ..those are freaking terrible.

So much coolness in this combo, really looking forward to this

I'm not looking to add any aftermarket parts or anything like that. Just keeping it simple this time. Even the paint scheme is predetermined. Good old overall sand. I'll build some sort of boxes to fill the space where the tracks used to be.

Naaaa I wouldn't bother with AM either really..not unless I was going the whole hog which you and I ain't..was thinking of a 8x8 one but it'd be too long and look like a rectangle box sitting on wheels with a angled front 😏
And that would definitely need AM wheels cause the Italeri/Revell ones suck .

I'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:12:48 AMI'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Yep ..rushed em in so fast didn't have time to paint them ...which is great for doing dust effects on NATO camoed vehicles 

Quote from: Wardukw on February 26, 2025, 09:27:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:12:48 AMI'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Yep ..rushed em in so fast didn't have time to paint them ...which is great for doing dust effects on NATO camoed vehicles 

I managed to glue together the truck frame tonight. A quick test fit shows there will be lots of room behind the M113 hull for a porch unless I shorten the frame. IIRC the original Slammer was built on a semi tractor frame or dump truck frame so was shorter than the cargo truck that comes in the Italeri kit. I put together the wheels too. The wheel rim halves don't match up very well and I'm not sure what to do with that. Maybe some custom wheel covers to hide them.
I think field green was the color used on the underside of trucks and stuff. I'll spray that on the frame and under the fenders etc and paint the "outer" areas sand. Some green replacement parts will make it authentic.

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:57:30 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 26, 2025, 09:27:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:12:48 AMI'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Yep ..rushed em in so fast didn't have time to paint them ...which is great for doing dust effects on NATO camoed vehicles 

I managed to glue together the truck frame tonight. A quick test fit shows there will be lots of room behind the M113 hull for a porch unless I shorten the frame. IIRC the original Slammer was built on a semi tractor frame or dump truck frame so was shorter than the cargo truck that comes in the Italeri kit. I put together the wheels too. The wheel rim halves don't match up very well and I'm not sure what to do with that. Maybe some custom wheel covers to hide them.
I think field green was the color used on the underside of trucks and stuff. I'll spray that on the frame and under the fenders etc and paint the "outer" areas sand. Some green replacement parts will make it authentic.

Ken those rims shouldn't worry ya ..once there mounted it not an easy thing to notice but one thing I do with all plastic Italeri wheels is remove the locator pins ..that's what throws things off .
I'll bet that the original Slammer used what's called a day cab chassis...these don't have a sleeper so the entire truck is much shorter than one with a sleeper..6 to 8 feet shorter in fact and easy to find too...christ knows I've driven my far share and I hate em ..bot enough leg room for us tall folk 😆

Quote from: Wardukw on February 27, 2025, 01:01:16 AM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:57:30 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 26, 2025, 09:27:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:12:48 AMI'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Yep ..rushed em in so fast didn't have time to paint them ...which is great for doing dust effects on NATO camoed vehicles 

I managed to glue together the truck frame tonight. A quick test fit shows there will be lots of room behind the M113 hull for a porch unless I shorten the frame. IIRC the original Slammer was built on a semi tractor frame or dump truck frame so was shorter than the cargo truck that comes in the Italeri kit. I put together the wheels too. The wheel rim halves don't match up very well and I'm not sure what to do with that. Maybe some custom wheel covers to hide them.
I think field green was the color used on the underside of trucks and stuff. I'll spray that on the frame and under the fenders etc and paint the "outer" areas sand. Some green replacement parts will make it authentic.

Ken those rims shouldn't worry ya ..once there mounted it not an easy thing to notice but one thing I do with all plastic Italeri wheels is remove the locator pins ..that's what throws things off .
I'll bet that the original Slammer used what's called a day cab chassis...these don't have a sleeper so the entire truck is much shorter than one with a sleeper..6 to 8 feet shorter in fact and easy to find too...christ knows I've driven my far share and I hate em ..bot enough leg room for us tall folk 😆

I should get another one and build what's called a bob. They take a truck like this and remove one rear axle and shorten the frame considerably. It's only good for driving in parades after that so I don't see the point of it.



Take your girlfriend out for an off road drive and "run out of gas" in the middle of nowhere........

Quote from: kerick on February 27, 2025, 06:27:47 AM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 27, 2025, 01:01:16 AM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:57:30 PM

Quote from: Wardukw on February 26, 2025, 09:27:22 PM

Quote from: kerick on February 26, 2025, 11:12:48 AMI'll have to do a few parts like some of the wheel rims in green to show the lashed together style of it. Like most of the vehicles in Iraq. When I was there in 2003 most of the vehicles were NATO camo instead of sand.

Yep ..rushed em in so fast didn't have time to paint them ...which is great for doing dust effects on NATO camoed vehicles 

I managed to glue together the truck frame tonight. A quick test fit shows there will be lots of room behind the M113 hull for a porch unless I shorten the frame. IIRC the original Slammer was built on a semi tractor frame or dump truck frame so was shorter than the cargo truck that comes in the Italeri kit. I put together the wheels too. The wheel rim halves don't match up very well and I'm not sure what to do with that. Maybe some custom wheel covers to hide them.
I think field green was the color used on the underside of trucks and stuff. I'll spray that on the frame and under the fenders etc and paint the "outer" areas sand. Some green replacement parts will make it authentic.

Ken those rims shouldn't worry ya ..once there mounted it not an easy thing to notice but one thing I do with all plastic Italeri wheels is remove the locator pins ..that's what throws things off .
I'll bet that the original Slammer used what's called a day cab chassis...these don't have a sleeper so the entire truck is much shorter than one with a sleeper..6 to 8 feet shorter in fact and easy to find too...christ knows I've driven my far share and I hate em ..bot enough leg room for us tall folk 😆

I should get another one and build what's called a bob. They take a truck like this and remove one rear axle and shorten the frame considerably. It's only good for driving in parades after that so I don't see the point of it.



Take your girlfriend out for an off road drive and "run out of gas" in the middle of nowhere........

Really can't figure out why you'd take a perfectly good 6x6 and turn it into a 4x4 ..it's gotta be the Americans obsession with giant pickup trucks .
Here before anything over 3.5tons you had to have a heavy goods license to be able to drive it which caught quite a lot of owners of American pickups out ..but with so many motor homes bring on our roads and then being so easy to drive ..like all US made pickups they changed it to 4.5tons ...that made alot of folks happy 😊

The bed on that thing looks like it's from a cargo trailer. So that means a truck and trailer they had to chop up to make that thing. Dumba$$.
I got the front axle installed tonight. My wife had a gall bladder attack Wednesday at 4AM. Surgery was today so she'll be home tomorrow. She's doing better already but not much building getting done. I'll be the cook and butler this weekend but things will be better next week.