Hover "tanks"

Springheel Jack · Post by **Springheel Jack** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:38 am

I've just dug these models out of storage. I built them 1994 according to the date on the underside (anyone else date their models ?).

The main hull on each is made from plastic sheet. One is a Hover-Rover recon. vehicle and the other is a Saracen 2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

The backstory is they were built by Vickers Fighting Vehicles in response to the increasing vunerability of slow moving wheeled vehicles and low flying helicopters. They were then supplied to the Sultanate Of Oman. God knows what the fuel consumption of the IFV would be !

They are lightly weathered but this tends not to show in my photos.

http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc440/modelpicsk/

Wug · Post by **Wug** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:50 pm

Those are nice. I like the skirts and your use of mesh.

Mike

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:18 am

I agree with Wug. The weathering is understated but effective. For instance the rubber skirts look quite real.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:18 pm

Ditto for me! Those builds a great! They look like something the army would use in the near future.

The understated weathering is pretty realistic. The US army (if that's the army these belong to, that is) wouldn't let their vehicles get too dirty if they could help it.

Springheel Jack · Post by **Springheel Jack** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:51 pm

Thanks for the positive comments. The skirts were made from oval section rigid plastic conduit which comes in approx 4' lengths.

The mesh screens are made from offcuts of dressmaking material. I think it's called "Vylene" and is used to back dresses. And it cost me nothing. It makes a great alternative to photoetched mesh.

The engines on the IFV are cocktail stick containers.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:47 am

You mean that grille material isn't photoetch?!

I need to get me some. You think a dress shop would have scrap Vylene in the back room they'd let me have?

seam-filler · Post by **seam-filler** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:55 am

MillenniumFalsehood wrote:You mean that grille material isn't photoetch?! I need to get me some. You think a dress shop would have scrap Vylene in the back room they'd let me have?

It's Vilene (Vylene is a type of plastic) and this trick is a very old military modeller one. Look for "Wondaweb" in the haberdashery section of a department store and it costs cents.