G6-01 APC

The standard shells available from Tamiya for the G6-01 chassis may appeal to some, but not to me, so I made my own.
The first thing I did was to figure out the overall dimensions. The length and breadth were decided by the chassis, but the height was up to me. I didn't want the shell to be too tall, as this would make the model top-heavy. However I also wanted to build the model at 1/10 scale or thereabouts, in order for it to fit in with the rest of my fleet which is all 1/10 scale. I therefore set about finding a small fullsize 6WD APC roughly 10 times the length and breadth of the G6-01 that looked relatively sleek and low. A bit of Googling found the Puma Otobreda Iveco 6x6 with a total height of 1.9m. However this is measured to the top of the roof hatch which stands proud of the roof itself, so I set the roof height for my model at 185mm.

Next was to work out the overall shape. Since I wasn't setting out to build a model of any particular APC, but rather a shell representative of APCs and military offroaders in general, I drew inspiration from multiple sources. The gently sloping bonnet leading to a more steeply angled windscreen was inspired by the German Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs. The 2-door layout came from the Russian Trecol, as did the general arrangement of the mudguards. The non-existent rear overhang was inspired by the Combat Guard IMI. The inward-angled lower hull was a common feature of many APCs, as were the small windows and windscreen.

Once I had an overall shape in mind, I made templates out of A4 paper, which was convenient as the sheets of plasticard I had for the project were also A4 size. Fullsize APCs are mostly flat sheets of armour with few if any curves, so it didn't take long to get the basic hull designed and templated.

Figuring out how to mount the shell gave me cause for some thought. I didn't want posts sticking out of the top, but I didn't want to resort to magnets or velcro as I wanted a secure mechanical connection between shell and chassis. I also wanted something that left the chassis looking factory when the shell was off, so bodged brackets were a non-starter. I ended up taking inspiration from the Tamiya CC-01 Pajero and Wrangler models, which have a tab at the front of the chassis that engages a slot behind the grille, and two discreet body posts exiting horizontally at the rear.

Instead of a tab at the front though, I used two rearward facing body posts attached to the chassis front post mounts, which engage with a pair of holes in a vertical plate near the front of the shell. The principle is similar to the CC-01 approach, but it doesn't require any flexing of the shell to get it on and off - one just places it on the chassis slightly rearwards of where it is supposed to be, slides it forwards to engage the posts, then puts in two discreet body clips at the rear to stop it sliding backwards again.

With the basic shell complete, I set about finalising the smaller details. I started with the cockpit, which I wanted to contain a 1/10 scale driver head and shoulders to indicate the scale of the model. Without it, there are very few visual cues to indicate if this is a small scale model of a large vehicle, or a larger scale model of a smaller one. Following the example of several fullsize Russian big-tyred offroaders, a central driving position was chosen, as this gives room either side of the footwell for the large flotation style tyres used on the G6-01 chassis.

Other scale details include a large silencer and exhaust mounted on the right side of the vehicle inspired by the American LAV-25, a blue jerrycan mounted on the left side between the first and second axle inspired by the Russian Trecol, and a pair of fire extinguishers mounted on the rear either side of the door. Many APCs have jerrycans of fuel mounted here, but since my APC wasn't likely to be straying too far from the urban 'gas station' network, I didn't see the need for it to carry extra fuel.

This is because, rather than paint it to represent a military vehicle, I chose to paint mine to represent a S.W.A.T. APC as used by the police in several US states. This decision was inspired by the chrome wheels that were supplied with the chassis. Chrome wheels aren't exactly camouflaged - they aren't what you'd expect to see on a military APC. However camouflage is not a priority for a S.W.A.T. APC. Many fullsize ones have bold stripes, flashing lights, etc, and some even have chrome wheel trim.

The S.W.A.T. decals were ordered from eBay, cut from white vinyl. The shell was painted satin black, in a compromise between the shiny gloss black used on some fullsize S.W.A.T. vehicles and the matt black used on others. The wheels are of course stock chrome. A black colour scheme on a shell made of black plastic also helps hide scratches and wear.

The final touch was to add some lights. I had my eye on a Fastrax set but then found exactly the same thing at less than half the price straight from China, so went for that instead. 3mm red lights at the rear and 5mm white ones in front give plenty of light for night driving. I considered adding some flashing blue ones too, and might still do that at some point, but only some fullsize S.W.A.T. APCs are thus equipped, so it isn't a priority.

The chassis was built with bearings, a steel pinion, CVAs and 4WS, and the electronics are waterproof. Subsequent to completion of the shell, I widened the chassis a little by fitting it with WR-02CB arms. This makes it a bit more stable without significantly altering the looks.