Slightly O/T-Academy 1/35 Ontos

[Felinoid]

Looking at an e-mail from Great Models Webstore, I see that Academy has released a 1/35 kit of one of the strangest-looking armored vehicles ever- the Ontos. Basically a light tank chassis with 4 (count 'em, 4) recoiless rifles all facing forward. It was used by the USMC in Vietnam as a fire support vehicle, with varying results.

Just strange-looking enough to make me want to add one to the stash...

Felinoid

Edit- 6 (count 'em, 6), recoiless rifles. Thanks, Grandadjohn

Edited April 11, 2010 by Felinoid

[grandadjohn]

Great Models is the only one showing it as "in stock" in the US. Number of 106mm guns is 6 though, not 4

[Finn]

Here are a couple of reviews of the kit:

http://www.missing-lynx.com/reviews/modern...reviewcs_1.html

http://www.missing-lynx.com/gallery/modern/ontos35sz_1.html

Jari

[dylan]

sprue bros. has em

linky

[Felinoid]

Great Models is the only one showing it as "in stock" in the US. Number of 106mm guns is 6 though, not 4

Whoops :) ! Should have learned to count somewhere along the line.....

[MexMarine]

I built the revell one years ago, I am looking foward to get one of those :)

[FTWalker]

@ Flyingfortress-

Go fo it!

There's a pretty extensive build log of this kit in Armorama's forums LINK. Unfortunately, it appears as if a lot of the photos were taken down :)

There's still enough in the thread that you should be able to glean some info from it.

According to that thread, the kit doesn't seem quite as bad as the Zaloga review makes it sound.

[gmat]

Lionmarc Model designs has produced metal recoilless rifles either singularly, $5.50, or as a set of 6, $26.00. Most plastic recoilless rifles, Verlinden, Dragon, Academy and AFV club are too thin.

http://www.lionmarc.com/store/

Academy screwed the positioning of the torsion bars to the hull. At best, the rear two should be lower.

Best wishes,

Grant

[madmanrick]

I really like these types of esoteric armored vehicles. I've built the Revell kit back in the day and I will probably spring for this one soon. I also like the M56 Scorpion on which the M50 Ontos was based, it had a 90mm gun!

Edited April 11, 2010 by madmanrick

[Andre]

I don't do armor, but this thing does look pretty funky - it's like an angry crab crossbred with an anime tank.

Cheers,

Andre

[Felinoid]

The reviews have scared me off a bit, but the challenge exists...

OK, first I have to deal with the Hase 1/72 Tornado MK.3 in Canadian markings.

THEN

The 1/72 F-86F in "what-if" Argentinian markings. I recently learned the Aregntinian AF had planned to use F-86s for air defense from the Falklands, I have envisioned a 3-tone blue/grey overwater scheme.

THEN

The 1/48 Hase F-86F RSAF in "what-if' markings-I want to do a 3-tone desert scheme for this, even though the RSAF only did NMF and grey anti-corrosive finishes.

Any thoughts?

Felinoid

[MKopack]

Several years ago I got to crawl around in/on an old Ontos. Odd little vehicle. Seeing the pics of the fully armed kit, my first question is that if you've already mounted six recoilless rifles - why stop there. With a little imagination they should have been able to add at least another six!

Mike

[Andre]

Any thoughts?

Thoughts? The Canadian Fin should be in a 439 Squadron tiger scheme (either hi- or lo viz) and the Argentinian Sabre should have yellow identification bands.

Oh, and either Gillian Anderson or Monica Bellucci should be my girlfriend. Hell, why not both. :-)

Cheers,

Andre

[FlyingSnowmew]

I picked one up today. Lots of parts for such a little tank.

[FlyingSnowmew]

Doesn't the assembly of the guns look like such fun :wacko: ?

If all else fails, throwing the guns into a jar of MEK will assemble them pretty easily.

Want to see who can get theirs built first?

[FlyingSnowmew]

Ummm,what's MEK?

It's an extremely powerful solvent. In other words, there will be no more guns, just liquid goo.

Edited April 21, 2010 by Uncia Uncia

[madmanrick]

Ummm,what's MEK?

MEK aka Methyl Ethyl Ketone or Butanone. Butanone dissolves many substances and is used as a solvent in processes involving gums, resins, cellulose acetate and nitrocellulose coatings and in vinyl films. For this reason it finds use in the manufacture of plastics, textiles, in the production of paraffin wax, and in household products such as lacquer, varnishes, paint remover, a denaturing agent for denatured alcohol, glues, and as a cleaning agent. Butanone is also used in dry erase markers as the solvent of the erasable dye. It is a very good "glue" for styrene plastic (among others).

[FlyingSnowmew]

Unofficial Ontos Group Build

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....p;#entry1970587

[LanceB]

MEK aka Methyl Ethyl Ketone or Butanone.

Also aka "The Ketone Sisters (Methyl and Ethyl)". At least, that's what the Gunny called it when we were going to Harrier FRAMP school...