This was actually going to be my second entry, a gang banger Abrams stolen from an armory. Since, in the course of conversion it has come up, well, she is going to be named the "Detroit Rock City." Now if I could only make a KISS army reference I would really feel old. I was trying to think of an AFV that would end up squaring off against the SUMBO and I thought a stolen Arbams would be cool.
I have a bunch of stuff ready to go on the SUMBO and wil try to get to it this evening. At any rate, this is really fun. I think we ought to rename it the "First Annual T2K Campaign."

Thanks everyone,

Heading to the bunker.

Shaun

DAMN! Rumors of stolen armor appear to be true...word just in regarding stolen Abram(s). Our armor up here in northern Michigan should be up to the task! Crew Quality WILL carry the day! The F-150 Technical/Gun Truck will be pulled back when the gangbanger Abrams roll in!

Hmmmmmmm...perhaps a few more tweaks for my M2A2 will be in order.

Also in the works here in Motown is a short story to accompany the F-150 GunTruck...

An ANNUAL T2K CAMPAIGN! WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!! That'd be great! Sign me up NOW!
What a blast this is!

Howdy all,

An annual T2K Campaign huh? I must say, I AM really enjoying myself. Still not quite sure why I've gone so 'Hog Wild' about this whole thing. I'd never heard of any of the story line until now (still don't know it, just ad-libbed from the basic premise I did! )
Still loads of fun.
Heck.....I'll need another year just to save up the money to afford to use up soooooo many kits!!

Ya know, along with the idea of an Annual T2K event, I'll tell you all what we really need! An Annual ' ArmoramaCON' !!!!!!!!!! I don't know about all of you, but I would love to not only see some of you guys (and gals?),but also, see some of these GREAT models we are all building!!!!!!!
Just a thought.........so I thought I'd breach it.

Tread.

Yeah!!!!.........and if I had a good Catholic school ruler I'd smack those knuckles of your's young man!!! #:-)

Tread.

Actually I'm shaking in my shoes worrying about how the ' War Wagon' will measure up on the Gunnie 'meter'...............

...maybe if I just cover the whole thing up with lots of mud. (++)

Hey everyone, I tell you I have had more fun reading (and now posting) the threads here, than actually fighting with the Italeri HEMTT kit's pitfalls!

Tread: Thanks for the support I agree about sharing ideas, I have a couple of things that I was going to "bounce" off of you and Gunny. Are you using the original kit tires? I was thinking about using resing ones, but I want to put at least 6 spares in a rack on the rear of the bed and the $$$$$$ for resin ones would be pretty steep.

Keenan: "Detroit Rock City" Cool. How about "Thats not my pistol thats my LOVE GUN!!!", classic, boy I haven't listened to KISS in forever. My mom actually took a buddy and I too see them in like 1986....my mom was cool like that.
Also as a side note: It wouldn't suprise me if somebody already has a stolen one somewhere in Detroit, I worked there on an ambulance for a VERY short time and it already seemed like a war zone.

Anyway, my roomate and I just dragged my workbench up out of the basement, time to rearrange and get some modelin' done!

-CT

All T2K Warriors - I'm going down to Bakersfield on business Tuesday and Wednesday - so I'll be out of contact.

Please continue the mayhem! I'll check back in on Thursday.

Gunnie

(said in a whisper)....hmmmmm, while the cat's away.....I can tease the Red Team some more, great!!

Went out and stole some lights from the little league ball park and bolted them to the turret.
Almost have the counter weight rack finished...





Go Blue...
Will work on the anti personnel weapons directly.

Shaun

Looking goooooood there Shaun!! "you can run, but you can't hide", from the Blue Team's mighty SUMBO!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta ask ya tho' , why didn't you just saunter on down to NASA at Cape Canaveral and steal some of their arc-lites? Heck, you could use them for your counterwieght and kill two birds with one stone!
I also love the applique armour on the turret sides. Especially the ragged edges....nice touch.

Tread.

BTW, what's your real counterwieght going to look like? Will it be something like the Super Pershing??

I figured out a way to make the Jagged edges on my armor.......The Bandsaw........w/ a 32tpi blade......looks just like something I'd cut w/ a Torch

Tread, the guys are stealing counterweights from tractors and throwing them on a welded up rack. That is why it is taking so long to make them all. I should have made a master and cast them...



Shaun

Well, I've got to get to work in a wee bit, so I better take the opportunity now to post an update on my 'War Wagon' progress. Since I rarely check (I know I should) everyone's journal entries in the Campaign folder, and rely too much on this thread for more timely updates.....I will assume for the moment that everyone else does the same.
Here it goes:

I've got the entire 'first' HEMTT built up to the passenger cab addition (cabs built and waiting on interior paint). The under carriage on this vehicle is primarily unchanged from stock. The only changes I've made are 'turning' all four front tyre's a wee bit to the right. This involved the usual sawing, softening, turning, and gluing. Came out looking pretty cool, the four front tyre's accentuate the change just right.
Now, on top of the vehicle's frame is where some of the change's start to take place. I have removed the motor/generator/PTO unit from it's stock position directly behind the front passenger cab and just in front of the cargo box, and built an elevated diamond plate pedestal in it's place out of sheet Plastruct. Installed on top of this will be the War Wagon's first line of AA defense. I will be grafting the Avenger anit-aircraft, SAM/Stinger manned turret from the Italeri Humvee/Avenger kit onto this pedestal. It fit's jussssst ever so nicely!
So, now I have the War Wagon's 12 O'clock covered (I already have the Avenger turret built and ready for paint). I also already have the cargo box built and ready for my GunTruck treatment. Now, I've pretty much got the additional plate armour addition's figured out, but I haven't made my final decision on the armament within the box.....I originally thought of the standard open topped, manned MG stations, but something about that just doesn't seem 'survivable'. So I'm leaning towards a more enclosed arrangement. More along the lines of 'animals' Monitor entry.
(Hint, hint....would love some input at this point guys and gals).
O.K., on to the 'rear' HEMTT. I have approx. half of the rear sub-frame built. Reason for this is the 'rear' HEMTT is going to be going under the knife the most. I will be doing some chopping/kit-bashing to the front section of the frame rails to reconfigure for the trailer hook-up interface. This 'rear' unit will also have incorporated, four (4) scratchbuilt outrigger's to accomodate the War Wagon's long-distance, first strike capability (more on this at a later date).
The plan at this stage is to use the 'rear' HEMTT's front four tyre's and build a dolly interface......this is still 'up in the air' because of possible time constraint's incurred by all the other kit-bashing going on. So I might just do without this configuration based on my final decision on the rear HEMTT's final draft.
Damn.......gotta go.
Hope this update doesn't bore you all to tears, and makes some sense (I typed it all pretty fast, didn't proof-read).

Tread out.

GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about a 20' shipping container w/ gun ports cut out & extra plate armor added????

LOL! I forgot to mention the 23DM542-N HEAT-N shells. See that "N"? That's for NUKE! #:-) Yeeeeeeup! 152mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Nuclear ammunition! LOL! #:-)

Hmmm... annual TW2K campaign? Does this mean my current entries will be too early for next year's TW2K? #:-) Seems like it hehehehe with all the problems I've been having...

Ok, I haven't taken pix yet of the assembly line (read: Lazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyyyy) but here's an update:

"Enlarged" the Black Eagle's turret
Stretched by 3cm (not 6cm as I initially posted) the hull and started filling up the void
Thinking of fixing the engine deck by once again setting up a meeting with Mr. Coping Saw, Mr. Cutter, and Ms. T-62A tank

I haven't started fixing the T-2001 Nor have I touched the other four The Black Eagle is taking waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on my hands.

Howdy matt,

Just got back from work. Thanks for the suggestion, but trying to avoid the slab-sided, big flat, 'paint-a-target-on-me' arrangement. Hence, my 'front' HEMTT will actually have the applique armour normally found on USMC AAVP's. That is, above the cargo bed. I have already designed rather neat (IMHO) flexible shielding for the normally exposed, over-sized tyre's below the cargo bed on both 'front' and 'rear' HEMTT's. It will be comprised of a slotted 'curtain' of Kevlar strips hanging down in front of the tyre's very much like the clear plastic slotted curtains you might see at your local Supermarket.
I was hoping more for creative armament suggestions. I have been thinking of using M113 carcasses mounted on the cargo bed (for the record, and this info could be for you chris, the M113 shells fit almost exactly on top of the cargo bed side rails). This configuration would allow me to mount dual armament systems (M113 based) in the cargo bed of the 'front' vehicle (and I haven't ruled this out).
As the song goes, ".....still thinkin'.........."

Tread.

Sorry GIB..........don't believe you. Considering you are on the blasphemous 'Red Team' , or should I call it the 'Sepia Team' instead, since you're team is sooooooooo washed out!!! I can't believe a thing you say.........I don't think the 'N' stands for 'Nuke', but instead, stand's for 'Nitrous Oxide!!!!!!!!!!!

......hehehehehehehehehehehe.

Tread.
#:-) #:-) #:-)

hmmm...I do have a very old Tamiya M113 carcass sitting in one of the scrap bins...hmmm

Howdy chris,

Both the Tamiya and the Academy M113 body shell fit exactly (and I mean exactly) over the outer edges of the completed HEMTT cargo box lips. Even the Tamiya shell fits just dandy even though it has the axles cast on the shell itself (whereas the Academy does not). The reason I said almost exactly in my previous post is because the curved front fender area of the M113 hangs over so it won't lay flat. You would have to either lower the front or back cargo gate, or lose it entirely to allow the shell to sit flat/flush.
Now, using the M113 shell would allow either of us to use any of the M113 configurations with very little work involved (very tempting ). The M163 Vulcan would be a great choice, but that would limit me to a single unit.......................still thinkin'......

Tread.

quick update: You can use Evergreen square stock strips (item #166) in .080 x .125 size to place underneath either side of the M113 shell and level it out just dandy.

Tread.

Gunnie,
I saw your i-mac in the clean-up pics. It strikes me how many people install their PC next to their modeling table. No matter what you do : the fumes and dust that come from your table are NOT good for PC's. And I guess I-mac's don't like to be near modeling tables either....
I crashed a PC like that, so I'd just like to issue a word of caution to all of you here... !

I still have an unbuilt Ford Mutt stuffed away somewhere. Would that be an acceptable model for this campaign ?
If so, I'll join up right now. I do Market Garden as well, but I think I can wing this over the next week or so before we go back to WWII...

I don't really understand the purpose of this campaign. Would a simple Ford Mutt do, or does it need modifying ? Does it need to be in a dio ? How about The Remnants Of A Ford Mutt After The Big Bomb Dropped ?

Jan,
Try this link for a Premise on the idea of the Campaign.....

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Comet/6498/twilight2000main.html

Howdy Jan,

To answer your question. If you are building it for the patriotic, apple pie, and chevrolet BLUE Team, then the answer is a resounding YES!!
IF, on the other hand, you are building the Mutt for the dastardly, borscht, and GAZ red team.........the answer is still yes....I guess.....but you had better paint a big white circle, and a red cross on the sides of it so you can help hauling away all the casualties the red team will be suffering!!!!
#:-) #:-)

Tread.

...hehehehe, this is fun.

Jan;

Pretty much anything is OK for this Campaign. That's what makes it such a blast. An old M151- No Problem. Figure it was in the hands of a private collector, or stored in the back of some depot. Now take a look at it and see how you would modify it in the area you have found it.

Is it in Europe? Then it would probably be involved in the grinding slugfest of MEchanized warfare being waged by the remnants of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. What would YOU do to fix it up for that environment? Add more weapons, some add on armor of some type?? Maybe a Stinger AA load, your imagination, coupled with some common sense is the rule here!

There are a multitude of WHAT IF vehicles being built here.
- A 105mmL7 armed Sherman called SUMBO for the defense of the citizens of the state of Indiana, USA.
- A couple of Monster Guntrucks, armed to the teeth on HEMMT (I think that is the right acronym) platforms.
- Fictional (or drawing board) Soviet tanks, APCs with various weapons systems.

Doi or no dio- your choice! Some are and some aren't.

Well you get the idea- A M151 MUTT would fit right in! Read through (I know it is a bit long) this thread, go the Campaign page and read the builder logs and main Campaign thread, but whatever JOIN IN THE FUN!

Welcome Aboard General Failure!! I just noticed you were an OFFICIAL T2K Participant!

You'll love this campaign- just let your imagination run!