I'm wanting to throw together an armored escort MUTT. I'm not modeling a specific vehicle. I've got Academy's M151a1 and want to do something interesting with it for our 'wheels' them at next month's club meeting. Anyway, I've been researching the armored mutts and have notices that the m151a1c was the favorite chassis for this mod. I'm having a hard time finding info on specific visual differences between this and the stock a1. I know there s a beefier suspension that I don't care to address unless it will drastically affect the curbside look of the truck. I've also read that the rear panel was different but I can't tell exactly how. I know the a1c was the basis for the mounted 106mm recoilless rifle and I've got a few good pics of those trucks, but I don't know what mods would be specific to a weapons carrier and which would be typical of the a1c chassis. Also, while I'm not wanting to do a specific vehicle (so I have some creative freedom) I do want to be reasonably accurate or at least historically plausible. So, my other question is about the armor mods. I've noticed that early on there were field mods. Then the army came out with 2-3 different armor upgrades (I'm specifically thinking of the latest upgrade with the high, armored 'box' around the vehicle. Would these be totally uniform or is there room for some historically minded creative licensee? I realize I'm a bit contradictory here but I hope you get my point. Thanks.

I guess these pics should help you to decide :

http://www.warwheels.net/M151A1C_armoredmuttHAUGH.html

IMHO, many armored jeep appear to be standard M151 & M151A1...

Here's another example :





If you prefer to stick to a M151A1C-based project, you'll find useful pics here :
https://picasaweb.google.com/108328064504500353314/ReferNcia_VeCulos_M151DiversosMUTTs04?noredirect=1#

I guess the different rear panel and the relocation of the spare wheel and the fuel can holder are the most visible giveways...

HTH

Frenchy

Thanks very much. As I should have expected, tracking variants is never simple, especially during war time. Thanks frenchy. I like the look of that last one. I think I'm gonna go in that direction.

You're welcome Anthony. If you're looking for an even more unique vehicle, and even though it's not armored, you can always build this one






Frenchy

Woah! That's awesome! I may have to do that. Any more pics or links on that one?

All I can say is that these pics have been taken circa 1971...The website they were originally posted on ( www.history.navy.mil) is apparently offline...

Frenchy

Do you just want to do a Vietnam version. You can use the M151A2 and do some crazy stuff the marines did with them after the war before they had Humvees, even after they got them.

They used rollcages and all sorts of weapons and mods, very cool. They needed a light attack vehicle and had little money to buy them so they came up with that. The roll cages looked like plumbing stock and not like the race cars. Real low budget stuff.

As for Nam. To get it right it's not exactly about the armor. They had a lot of different versions, like hillbilly armor until kits started showing up there. They did use some of the M151A1s that mounted the RR gun with it removed. But most were plain old M151A1s.

So that is something you can play around with. It's the arms they used. It's really about getting that right, how they mounted them and what they used.

I have seen a gunjeep with a tri-mounted M60 arrangement on a pedestal mount and a lot of double M60s. The best one yet and I am going to make this one very soon I hope. This one is really cool.

It had a mini-gun in front of the passenger with the ammo in a tank behind him. In the back on the pedestal mount was one of those hand-cranked 40mm grenade launchers. That is the coolest M151A1 I ever saw. You can find it on the web you just have to do some google searching.

So yes you can use a lot of leeway just get some of the important stuff right. A lot of them had an M60 on a short mount in front of the passenger. Very few had a 50 cal, they were too powerful. Some mounted the 50 cal on a tripod in the back and fired only forward, probably with the driver out of the jeep.

Thanks again. I'm probably gonna do a twin m60. This is great info. Ill try to post pocs when im done. Thanks.