1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built, for Aliens Dropship

[Dizzyfugu]

This SF vehicle has no real/true media paradigm - it was actually spawned as a landing vehicle for a Dropship model from Aliens, the utterly horrible kit from Halcyon. That kit was/is a joke - it features a (crappy) bay with a ramp that can be built in a half-lowered position - but there is NO space to carry anything inside, the hull is actually closed!
Consequently, there's NO inside at all... You had/have to scratch anything, what I did maybe 25 years ago - the APC kit was to be positioned in the opened landing bay, fit into the internal storage space of the Dropship and low enough to be actually able to roll out, under the Dropship's chin.

Anyway, the Halycon Dropship is (righteously) long gone (even though its ruins remain in the basement), but the self-made APC that did actually fit into the opened bay survives to this day. And I was surprised that I never took any pics of it? O.K., it's not really spectacular... but here we go. ^^


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


What you see here actually is a highly modified Jagdpanzer IV/L70 from ESCI. Its tracks were replaced with four axis' and eight wheels (these come from the mobile platform cranes from the vintage Imai Macross Factory!). The hull was lowered on the sides, between the wheels, to allow a door on each side for access. Were once was the gun barbette, a flipped-over Bf 109 windscreen allows the driver some view. Beyond that, some surface details were added from the spares box.

Finally, it was painted in a simple overall olive drab, with some dry painting and weathering - plus some real dust of maybe 20 years on display  .


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) - Scratch-built/kit conversion by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Nothing fancy, but it actually looks pretty futuristic, despite its WWII genes?

[cataphractarius]

Honestly?

It doesn't look Sci-Fi at all to me - it looks like a perfectly plausible vehicle! My first reaction was "hey, on which 8-wheeler is this based?" until I read the bit about the Jagdpanzer. It looks utterly believable - absolutely fantastic! 



Hmmmm, I have some Jagdpanzers of Ye Olde Matchboxe Compagny lying around somewhere. Now there is an idea....

[Mossie]

I'd go with Cat, it doesn't look overtly sci-fi and that's in keeping with the style of equipment seen in Aliens.  This one looks like it could be a predecessor to the one in the movie, more archaic looking, being replaced by the newer version.

[Weaver]

That's a great little piece of work! 

I twigged the Jagdpanzer, but the cockpit canopy had me stumped: great bit of sparesboxology there.

[Dizzyfugu]

Just for clarification: this vehicle was not supposed to look 100% like the Aliens APC - that is pretty different. But at its time there was no 1:72 version available, so I looked for "something" that would look plausible and that would go into the opened Dropship bay for display purposes. I was surprised, though, how clean and relatively modern the result looked - but the "real" APC is more SF, totally agree.

[cataphractarius]

Finally I remembered what it reminded me of - the Lockheed Twister:

http://www.amphibiousvehicle.net/amphi/L/twisterspecial/twister.html

Just in an upscaled, uparmoured, non-articulated version... 

I wonder how a RWS would look on top of this beast.

[NARSES2]

I twigged the Jagdpanzer, but the cockpit canopy had me stumped: great bit of sparesboxology there.

Same here. I must admit I like this type of Sci Fi, where things are not to futuristic 

[Weaver]

Just for clarification: this vehicle was not supposed to look 100% like the Aliens APC - that is pretty different. But at its time there was no 1:72 version available, so I looked for "something" that would look plausible and that would go into the opened Dropship bay for display purposes. I was surprised, though, how clean and relatively modern the result looked - but the "real" APC is more SF, totally agree.

The WWII jagdpanzers are good for that: in the days when there wasn't much modern AFV stuff available, me and my mate used to make Sci-Fi grav tanks from Panthers and Jagdpanthers. Other good candidates are the T-34, and of the Russian Su-whatever assault guns, the M10/M36/Wolverine and the M8 Greyhound (if you lose the "quaint" turret).

[Father Ennis]

Pretty neat !!!  I like it.  I have a question,what is the mecha in the background   It looks very interesting ...

[Dizzyfugu]

Pretty neat !!!  I like it.  I have a question,what is the mecha in the background   It looks very interesting ...

It's a scratch-built construction of mine - from various ruins and remnants of my first mecha era in the late 80ies. One of a kind (and silent 'star' of the pics):


1:72 "Moa" - Kit bashing/scratch model by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 "Moa" - Kit bashing/scratch model by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 "Moa" - Kit bashing/scratch model (rear view) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 "Moa" - Kit bashing/scratch model by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Never posted it here because it is more than 15 years old, but still younger than the APC 

[deathjester]

Well, they are both most excellent!  Don't worry about the age of your Whiffs - we just want to see what awesomeness you've created!

BTW, those two models have a certain look of the Halo series about them - I could just see the Master Chief leaping out of that APC!!

[Dizzyfugu]

They probably stole the ideas and designs from me... 

[Father Ennis]

That's a really fine looking mech you have built ! I liked your APC but that mech is just incredible ... !   I've been a big fan of Battletech since it started and you design looks like some of their newest designs !

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. It looks menacing... originally it was inspired (a bit) by the ground mecha you see in the Terminator future sequence - that's where the hunchback style and the guns on the arms come from. But otherwise I took what I could find and save. 

[Mondria]

lovely APC, not a big fan of the wheels they can use more detail bit of tread pattern, but with a kit that old I cant see a problem with it

big fan of the cannons on the mech, fits really well with rest