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M113: American Armoured Personnel Carrier
A richly illustrated guide to modeling the nimble M113 Armored Personnel Carrier, a Cold War veteran of the jungle and desert, filled with previously unseen inspirational photographs and drawings.
The M113 has become as much a recognizable part of the US military machine at war as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois and M16 assault rifle. Earning its stripes in the jungles and highlands of Vietnam, it became the most widely armored vehicle of the campaign. Such was its prowess that the Viet Cong gave it the nickname Green Dragon on account of its ability to go virtually anywhere.
Its groundbreaking aluminum hull gives the M113 a relatively low weight of 12ts, this allows it to be easily transported by air and gives it an amphibious ability. The design was also easy to modify and can carry a range of support and indirect fire weapons. From mortars to ballistic missiles, the M113 spawned a progeny of useful and innovative vehicles.
The base M113 is lightly armored and safe against only the lightest of small arms fire and shell splinter. As a result a range of up-armor packages have been used in the past, from sandbags to complex appliqué armur.
80,000 M113s of all types have been produced and are in use with over 50 countries, making it one of the most widely used armored fighting vehicles to be produced. Indeed such was its popularity that the US bought their final M113s in as late as 2007.
The M113 was designed and developed by the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) to replace the heavier and less reliable steel-bodied M59 and M75 armored personnel carriers. It was specifically designed to be lighter, air-portable and have amphibious capability. Carrying a crew of two, driver and commander, who manned the M113’s only weapon, a .50cal machine gun, the M113 would transport 11 soldiers into combat before withdrawing to the rear.
Powered initially by a V8 petrol engine the M113 would be continuously up-engined throughout its frontline and subsequent rear support lifespan. Changes included improved suspension, smoke dischargers and externally fitted fuel tanks. Other changes have included armored commander’s turrets and slat armor.
This LandCraft title looks at the M113s development where the FMC sought to utilize its chassis into as many roles as possible, from smoke generators to flamethrowers. The book also looks at how the M113 was adapted for use by numerous overseas customers and how these are upgraded to suit local conditions.
Finally the title looks at the M113’s changing roles in the more sophisticated contemporary battlescape and how it’s still providing service in theaters across the world in a variety of roles, both combat and support.
For the modeler there is nothing more important than the little things and this image-rich section of Land Crafts M113 title delivers the goods. Filled with crisp photos that show the M113’s many details, combined with helpful accompanying text, forms an enviable visual guide for the enthusiast and modeler alike.
The M113 has become as much a recognizable part of the US military machine at war as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois and M16 assault rifle. Earning its stripes in the jungles and highlands of Vietnam, it became the most widely armored vehicle of the campaign. Such was its prowess that the Viet Cong gave it the nickname Green Dragon on account of its ability to go virtually anywhere.
Its groundbreaking aluminum hull gives the M113 a relatively low weight of 12ts, this allows it to be easily transported by air and gives it an amphibious ability. The design was also easy to modify and can carry a range of support and indirect fire weapons. From mortars to ballistic missiles, the M113 spawned a progeny of useful and innovative vehicles.
The base M113 is lightly armored and safe against only the lightest of small arms fire and shell splinter. As a result a range of up-armor packages have been used in the past, from sandbags to complex appliqué armur.
80,000 M113s of all types have been produced and are in use with over 50 countries, making it one of the most widely used armored fighting vehicles to be produced. Indeed such was its popularity that the US bought their final M113s in as late as 2007.
The M113 was designed and developed by the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) to replace the heavier and less reliable steel-bodied M59 and M75 armored personnel carriers. It was specifically designed to be lighter, air-portable and have amphibious capability. Carrying a crew of two, driver and commander, who manned the M113’s only weapon, a .50cal machine gun, the M113 would transport 11 soldiers into combat before withdrawing to the rear.
Powered initially by a V8 petrol engine the M113 would be continuously up-engined throughout its frontline and subsequent rear support lifespan. Changes included improved suspension, smoke dischargers and externally fitted fuel tanks. Other changes have included armored commander’s turrets and slat armor.
This LandCraft title looks at the M113s development where the FMC sought to utilize its chassis into as many roles as possible, from smoke generators to flamethrowers. The book also looks at how the M113 was adapted for use by numerous overseas customers and how these are upgraded to suit local conditions.
Finally the title looks at the M113’s changing roles in the more sophisticated contemporary battlescape and how it’s still providing service in theaters across the world in a variety of roles, both combat and support.
For the modeler there is nothing more important than the little things and this image-rich section of Land Crafts M113 title delivers the goods. Filled with crisp photos that show the M113’s many details, combined with helpful accompanying text, forms an enviable visual guide for the enthusiast and modeler alike.
64 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2021
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 14, 2023
The M113 is another iconic Cold War vehicle. Born on the basis of the experiences of the infantry in the Second World War on the basis of the theories of General Gavin (former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division) regarding the new role of cavalry in modern battlefields, it was the natural outcome of the previous models of APC M75 and M59.
The M113 is the protagonist of our monograph of the "Land Craft" series published by Pen & Sword. We already know the author, Ben Skipper, model maker and historian who also edited the volume on the Land Rover (reviewed here: https://oldbarbedwire.blogspot.com/........ -british.html). The books in the series are an excellent starting point for historians, enthusiasts and above all model makers. In this case, as mentioned, we are faced with an iconic vehicle that had its debut in battle during the Vietnam War. Indeed, it is one of the most recurring images like the Huey helicopter or the M16 rifle. The need to replace the old half tracks that brought soldiers into battle but made them vulnerable to explosions from the air made them choose the design path of a vehicle that could be closed and land the soldiers in the middle of the fight. What was needed was a certain amount of protection, at least against small arms, and basic speed along with agility. As mentioned, the evolution of the M113, a vehicle that still today after 60 years is still in active service in many countries, derived from two previous models, the M75 and the M59. The solutions were refined and also based on the combat experience in the first years of the Vietnam War the same M113 was improved in some aspects (the ACAV version), being then updated with some versions immediately after the end of the conflict and in the following years .
The luck of the M113 vehicle is given by its easy versatility which made it a fantastic platform to create dozens of versions all more or less successful. Ben Skipper's book, like every book in the series, is methodical in telling the story of the vehicle. After a brief introduction and a brief history of the design and development of the medium (which outlines each version) we have "The M113 in detail" which instead goes into the details of the medium. A very useful table on page 21 gives advice to the modellers on which version needs attention and details which, if rendered incorrectly, would defeat the effort of realism sought by the modeller.
A short section outlines the service and war actions of our vehicle, with a series of extremely interesting color photos. The variants (many) of the M113 are instead on page 28 with the description and the photo of the wide range of models created from the base of our vehicle. It is amazing to notice how the designers' imagination was unleashed. We even have a version (VISMOD) created to simulate a Russian BMP in exercises (with appropriate cosmetic changes) or fog launchers, versions of missile launchers, ambulance cars, vehicles in use by NASA and command tanks. This is a section that is sure to inspire many modelers to try to reproduce a unique and interesting medium.
The part of the book that is most interesting for the modeller is the central and final one, with the reproduction of 8 color profiles of various M113s in use from the beginning in Vietnam (where the enemies had renamed it "Green Dragon") up to our days. The profiles are all interesting, from a chromatic point of view the one used by NASA and the version used by the South Korean Army in Vietnam stands out. Then follows the section of the assembled models with a prevalence for the M113s under the Australian Army. There are in fact two M113 MVRs (the models are all in 1/35 scale) and an FSV model. These are M113s modified as infantry support vehicles that mount turrets taken from a Scorpion (MVR version) or a Saladin (FSV). The MVR was created after the FSV and both carry a 76mm gun. A classic 1967 US Army M113 completes the series of 4 assembled models.
The following section analyzes the many models on the market, focusing primarily on the 1/35 scale ones, modification kits and various decals that help create unique models of little-considered armies and wars.
What more can I say? The book, while dealing with a vast theme and which obviously deserves an encyclopedic tome, manages to give an excellent narrative of the development of an iconic medium which is still used in many countries 8 and which will most likely continue to be so until 2050). The photos, many, of the various versions, the color profiles and the assembled models represent an inspiration for those who want to try their hand at this hobby, as well as the information present is useful to the historian who wants to know more about one of the iconic vehicles of the War of the Vietnam is one of the main means of the Western arsenal in the Cold War. All that remains is to find an M113 on the kit market (following the useful guide at the end of the book) and try your hand at assembly!
The M113 is the protagonist of our monograph of the "Land Craft" series published by Pen & Sword. We already know the author, Ben Skipper, model maker and historian who also edited the volume on the Land Rover (reviewed here: https://oldbarbedwire.blogspot.com/........ -british.html). The books in the series are an excellent starting point for historians, enthusiasts and above all model makers. In this case, as mentioned, we are faced with an iconic vehicle that had its debut in battle during the Vietnam War. Indeed, it is one of the most recurring images like the Huey helicopter or the M16 rifle. The need to replace the old half tracks that brought soldiers into battle but made them vulnerable to explosions from the air made them choose the design path of a vehicle that could be closed and land the soldiers in the middle of the fight. What was needed was a certain amount of protection, at least against small arms, and basic speed along with agility. As mentioned, the evolution of the M113, a vehicle that still today after 60 years is still in active service in many countries, derived from two previous models, the M75 and the M59. The solutions were refined and also based on the combat experience in the first years of the Vietnam War the same M113 was improved in some aspects (the ACAV version), being then updated with some versions immediately after the end of the conflict and in the following years .
The luck of the M113 vehicle is given by its easy versatility which made it a fantastic platform to create dozens of versions all more or less successful. Ben Skipper's book, like every book in the series, is methodical in telling the story of the vehicle. After a brief introduction and a brief history of the design and development of the medium (which outlines each version) we have "The M113 in detail" which instead goes into the details of the medium. A very useful table on page 21 gives advice to the modellers on which version needs attention and details which, if rendered incorrectly, would defeat the effort of realism sought by the modeller.
A short section outlines the service and war actions of our vehicle, with a series of extremely interesting color photos. The variants (many) of the M113 are instead on page 28 with the description and the photo of the wide range of models created from the base of our vehicle. It is amazing to notice how the designers' imagination was unleashed. We even have a version (VISMOD) created to simulate a Russian BMP in exercises (with appropriate cosmetic changes) or fog launchers, versions of missile launchers, ambulance cars, vehicles in use by NASA and command tanks. This is a section that is sure to inspire many modelers to try to reproduce a unique and interesting medium.
The part of the book that is most interesting for the modeller is the central and final one, with the reproduction of 8 color profiles of various M113s in use from the beginning in Vietnam (where the enemies had renamed it "Green Dragon") up to our days. The profiles are all interesting, from a chromatic point of view the one used by NASA and the version used by the South Korean Army in Vietnam stands out. Then follows the section of the assembled models with a prevalence for the M113s under the Australian Army. There are in fact two M113 MVRs (the models are all in 1/35 scale) and an FSV model. These are M113s modified as infantry support vehicles that mount turrets taken from a Scorpion (MVR version) or a Saladin (FSV). The MVR was created after the FSV and both carry a 76mm gun. A classic 1967 US Army M113 completes the series of 4 assembled models.
The following section analyzes the many models on the market, focusing primarily on the 1/35 scale ones, modification kits and various decals that help create unique models of little-considered armies and wars.
What more can I say? The book, while dealing with a vast theme and which obviously deserves an encyclopedic tome, manages to give an excellent narrative of the development of an iconic medium which is still used in many countries 8 and which will most likely continue to be so until 2050). The photos, many, of the various versions, the color profiles and the assembled models represent an inspiration for those who want to try their hand at this hobby, as well as the information present is useful to the historian who wants to know more about one of the iconic vehicles of the War of the Vietnam is one of the main means of the Western arsenal in the Cold War. All that remains is to find an M113 on the kit market (following the useful guide at the end of the book) and try your hand at assembly!
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