I'll start a new thread so as not to clutter the Leopard one . The TLAV/M113A3 has the external tanks, just tough to see in the photo - someone's in the way! The RWS is a different version than the Stryker setup, and the tracks and drive sprocket are a newer type of Diehls. Some TLAV's have a rubber band type of track too. I'll sort through some photos and post them later on.

Cheers,
Jim

Thanks, I think I've even seen them with slat armour...more stuff to build..when will it end....
Cheers
P

http://community.webshots.com/album/561294064ClPftf

There appears to be at least 2 types of rear racks and different bins. Now that I think of it, I wouldn't be surprised at all if a LAV-III bin found it's way on to a TLAV, or a Bison bin.

Cheers,
Jim

hello


nice pics on your webshot page
about the TLAV can you tell me if on this picture, it's an TLAV with slat armor ?




and about external tanks, maybe the Blast models items can be use for the conversions ?

best regards and sorry for my poor english

You can see the hatch cover & top/rear edge of the .50 cal turret. Maple Leaf Models do the correct external fuel tanks, and soon(?) there will be an AVGP Grizzly turret, that you can use to convert an M113. The tracks would probably be the hardest part though. The Skylark Mini-UAV would also have to be scratc-built

Aren't there 2 versions of the TLAV, one with 5 road wheels and the older metal tracks and one with 6 road wheels and the "rubber band" tranks?

Hi Massimo
The 6-wheel stretched one is the MTVL series. The TLAV is also being called an M113A3, at least on the DND pages, these you can find with the new rubber band track and bar armour in Afghanistan. With Grizzly turret or RWS/PWS.

Jim

Hi,

I'm just back from Scale Model World 2007 in Telford (UK) and Azimut had a new conversion from Best Value Models for sale to build a M113 TLAV.
I didn't buy it because after checking the kits they had with them were incomplete but the conversion includes:

- The turret as on the Grizlly (but a different master somehow)
- Sheet of plastic to make the additional armor plating
- Raised antenna bases
- A small set of PE
- And last but not least a decent set of resin tracks which look like the new style rubber band tracks.

I should have a photo of it on my camera but didn't download them yet.

Now my question is, where to find some photos of the real thing?

Gr,
Marcel

Marcel, you downloaded those photos yet?

Sorry guys,

This is the only decent picture of the kit. The model was inside a glass casing and they didn't want to take it out for the photo so had to do without flash (because of reflection)



Now I hope to see some photos of the real thing to compare.

Gr,
Marcel

Thanks for the picture. Way too early to tell conclusively but the kit looks to hit the high points. If the tracks have the right pattern tread the kit may be worth it for that reason alone (anyone else see the shot of the uparmoured Queen Mary with band tracks on combat camera?)

cheers

Mark

Looks like BVM has created a particular variant of the TLAV that looks alot like the brand new variant with those crazy rubber band track. Their model looks heavily based on this TLAV in Afghanistan

[IMG][/IMG]

As you can see there are many similarities to the Afgahn spec TLAV but it doesn't represent the Domestic TLAV from a few years ago.

[IMG][/IMG]

Noticable on this TLAV is the lack of rear bin mounts and the bin itself also this TLAV has a different type of track that looks alot like the old track.

I think that is the Diehl 513B track, it is replacing the older Diehl 213 track with the staggered tread blocks (which replaced the even older US T130 track). BTW, all of these tracks are available as aftermarket items now in 1/35 scale.

I believe the band track shown above is the Soucy track (made in Canada).

I live about 10 minutes away from the Soucy factory, and each time I drive by, I look to see if there won't be any vehicle laying around...because last summer when I was waiting at the red light to turn green, and a M113 pass in front of me on the boulevard !! It was a civilian who was driving ( he has his head out of the latch), I'm pretty sure Soucy were making some test..

The first photo you posted is of a TLAV shortly after they started arriving in Afghanistan. I think now the majority of them have the bar armour package added.

The second photo is likely in Gagetown when the TLAVs were being trialed....the ex-Grizzly turreted TLAVs in Afghanistan came from Gagetown and were upgraded with additional add-on armour plates on the front, sides, and rear...and the 76 mm MBGDs on the turrets.

The TLAVs in Afghanistan with the RWS are also mounting two ACAV gun shields at the sides of the rear cargo hatch and some have bar armour packages.

There are also the MTVL variants in Afghanistan including the ones with the Grizzly turrets....but they appear to only have add-on armour and no bar armour....probably because the bar armour package is designed for an M113 hull with 5 road wheels and not the extended hull of the MTVL.

The rubber band track is about 1/4 wider than the Diehl track.

That stuff looks intense. Is the TLAV bar armour the same as the packages developed for the American M113s? I wonder if anyone is working on a set yet?

From the photos I have seen of the US M113s and the TLAVs with bar armour packages they both look the same.

What I have noticed is different is that the TLAV has additional armour plate skirts that extend below the hull to cover part of the road wheels with the bar armour fitted.

I don't know if the US M113s have the same kind of add-on armour plates as the TLAVs on the sides, front, and ramp.

Anyone know who is doing this work for BVM?

The Canadian AFV Modelling community is pretty small, and I have no idea who is doing their masters.

It looks pretty darn good...a mystery master maker for BVM?

Some bar armour on that TLAV and it would look excellent.

Great new style antenna mounts...the same as being used on the 2A6M and now retrofitted to the LAV 3s.

Here's the link....looks pretty good so far.

http://www.phpshopxml.com/azimut.shop/CID/19aa3640fb366c5683b061005e657f10/function/itemPageDisplay/shopItemCode/BVM35056

though I won't be orderding direct from adv again, owgh.

Looks to be based on the tamiya M113. They should be able to be found cheaply enough I reckon.

But I don't know of any place to get it except direct from the manufacturer in France.

Great Models Webstore in Utah also carries Best Value Models imported from France....they don't have the TLAV listed yet.

http://www.greatmodels.com/

Hi all,

I visited the Azimut shop today and bought the kit, I was lucky to also meet the master's maker, a Belgian guy who happened to be in the shop at the time!

They had a built-up model in one of the display cases, it looks great.

The kit contains a Italeri/Revell M113 with resin parts, photo-etch and plasticard (you get templates to cut the extra-armour out of plasticard.

I'm not a big fan of the Italeri kit, but to tell you the truth most of it get covered by the new parts/armour anyway. I'd change the roadwheels though for some Tamiya or Academy ones.

I'll try to take some photos of the box contents and instructions scans tomorrow.

Cheers,

Christophe

PS : They plan to release the tracks/sprockets/idlers as a separate set as well but not straight away, in a few months maybe.

Thanks for the update. It should be a pretty good project.

[IMG][/IMG]

Cheers,

Christophe

[IMG][/IMG]

Cheers,

Christophe

nt

[IMG][/IMG]

Cheers,

Christophe

[IMG][/IMG]


Cheers,

Christophe

(PS I'll try to take some pics of the resin parts on Monday)

Very nice of you to scan the instructions.

Does the tensioning wheel(used to be called the idler wheel) come split down the middle like the real wheel or is is one piece?