Bobcat ADV, 446 Sqn Canadian Air Force Regt

[gcdavidson]

Hey guys, first post here. This is an older build that was in MIS a few months back. Re-posting it here to get a feel for the html interface of this forum.

Cheers Mike - I think I've sussed it out. It was the "" marks that were throwing it.

The late 1990s saw a major phasing-out of Air Defence equipment in the Canadian Army. In particular, the GDF-005 twin 35mm guns and Sky Guard Fire Control Units operated by 4th Air Defence Regiment were placed into storage, while that unit reorganized around the Air Defence Anti-Tank System (ADATS). However, the Guns and Radars, although on strength and manned by an Army unit, were typically tasked to provide the Air Force with airfield defence. Not only did that equipment protect against close air targets and missiles, the Gunners themselves provided a mobile airfield security force. Consequently, the Air Force, faced with the prospect of expeditionary ops to austere airfields without any integral air defence and base security, sought to provide this capability from within their own ranks.

In 2001, the Air Force reactivated 446 Sqn, an old Bomarc Surface-to-Air missile unit that had been disbanded back in 1972. The squadron implementation team established its headquarters at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, and immediately set about establishing a Ground-based Air Defence role within the Air Force.

Some of the essential design specifications for the new system included a self-propelled wheeled, armoured chassis; a fire-and-forget missile system; capable of night/all-weather operation; a means of fighting the vehicle against a ground threat; and C-130 transportability. The statement of requirement made it clear that the Air Force had shifted away from a static defence system and towards a platform that could provide both Short-Range Air Defence and airfield security through aggressive ground patrolling. The Bobcat design phase started in 2002 with an initial order for 32 vehicles; 16 to equip the 4 flights in the Sqn, and the remainder to be held in op reserve. The Air Force, under a short timeline and budget restraint, was directed to use as much commercial-off-the-shelf equipment as possible.

As the Army was in the process of retiring the AVGP 6x6 fleet, these surplus hulls were donated to the Air Force in exchange for phasing out the twin 35mm guns. The primary armament selected was the M-61 20mm cannon, a weapon already familiar to the CAF as it was virtually identical to that fitted on their CF-18's. While the 20mm gun was effective against short range air targets, it showed devastating effects when used in the ground engagement role. The Bobcat project recognized the limitations of a gun-only system against a modern air threat; as a result the Starstreak missile system was chosen to provide the short-range night/all weather AD capability. A triple launcher was added to the turret opposite the range-only radar for the 20mm. The launcher, which pivots and elevates for firing, can be stowed to allow for C-130 / C-17 transportability. The Bobcat was fitted with a diesel APU and a greatly expanded fuel capacity to maintain sustained operation without the need for constant refuelling. Speculating that future operations would likely to take place in climates warmer than Canada, a robust air conditioning system was added, along with an appliqué armour package for high threat environments.

By spring of 2005, GDLS Canada had the first low rate production version undergoing mobility and live fire evaluations at CFB Gagetown. Two years later, the formally named 446 Air Defence Squadron, had completed its initial operational capability trials, trained its new airmen, and was declared ready to begin its assigned mission: Provide Force Protection for the Canadian Air Force.

Throughout the Canadian involvement in Afghanistan, the Air Forces participation has been limited to a theatre air support element and a UAV detachment. That changed in December 2008 when 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron arrived with eight CH-146 Griffons and six CH-47D Chinooks to create the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing. 446 AD Sqn joined the wing with three flights of four Bobcats each. One flight was detached to Regional Command (South), where they augment the RAF Regiment in their provision of the Kandahar Air Field Quick Reaction Force. The remaining two flights are usually deployed with the 2nd Bn, Royal 22e Regiment Battlegroup and occasionally with the United States 2-2 Infantry. Typical missions include escorting Combat Logistics Patrols, providing Forward Air Controllers, and augmenting FOB LZ security. This model depicts the Bobcat on return from a patrol in Afghanistan in spring 2009.

To begin the conversion, I sliced an Italeri 8x8 LAV to a 6x6 configuration. The process of this is explained in the May 09 issue of MIS, but the condensed version is to remove 12 mm from the lower hull over the second axle, and 12 mm from each end of the upper hull. Some aggressive sanding had thinned the kit styrene to the point where the hull was becoming too flexible and cracking along the glue joins. To fix this, I skinned sheets of .020 over the hull, and replaced the roof with a rectangle of .040. The drivers hatch was reoriented 180 degrees and the crew commanders hatch was added behind the drivers station.

Sheet styrene and gobs of putty are the first step in the conversion. The holes for the marine drives are blanked off with .040 and sanded flush:

The new hull is marginally thicker, but much stronger. Most of the putty was sanded away - I sometimes wonder why I bother using it!:

Building the external fuel tanks was the most challenging aspect of the conversion. The trick to these complex boxes was to cut the back panel to exact size, and then cut the top, sides, and bottom long enough to overlap. I let them dry overnight and sanded them flush the next day. The fuel tanks are actually two parts each; one is the under-the-sponson bit which was mated to the rear hull tank.

The appliqué armour panels are cut from a full sheet of .030 card. A soldered wire cage for cam nets was fashioned from brass wire and strip, and a close enough air conditioner hull vent was stolen from a Challenger tank.

.030 panels were cut for the appliqué armour and a cam-net stowage bin was soldered from brass rod and strip:

The large external fuel tanks are for extended air defence surveillance and supply diesel to both the engine and the APU. The full load of 550 litres at the rear of the vehicle also contributes to its boat like stance:

Edited November 21, 2009 by gcdavidson

[Mike]

Edit 1: 20 images IIRC

Edit 2: You're trying to post a dynamic image or something with an unusual character in (?,& etc), so it won't work. Try looking for your host's correct way of posting images to forums that don't allow dynamic images (we don't because of the security issues).

Edit 3: see 2 above... also, it's not linked from your PC, but your image host, Photoshare.

Edit 4: You need to enclose the address of your pics in square IMG tags like this: [img ]http://photoshare.shaw.ca/image/7/3/a/165453/32-1.jpg[/img] (without the space)

Good to see another AFV modeller joining us

[gcdavidson]

As the Air Force was directed to purchase from existing equipment wherever possible, the Otobreda T90 CKL turret was chosen for its ability to accomodate the M-61 and the fact that it had already been proven on the Piranha 6x6 chassis by the Chilean Army. Fortunately, this turret was once produced by Verlinden for the IDF 60mm HVMS armed M-113, and would only require a few modifications to bring to Bobcat specs. The 20mm ammunition is stored behind the Commander, where two link-less feed chutes lead from the floor to the left hand side of the turret, and then externally to the gun breech. The Gatling gun was taken from a spare Academy M-163 Vulcan turret and a small turret basket was soldered together with some scale scenics mesh for the floor.

The M-61 came from the Academy M-163 Vulcan kit while the Starstreak platform was combined using a FIST-V elevation arm. The external fuel tanks increase the overall length of the 6x6 hull back to that of an 8x8:

A rear basket was added to the modified Otobreda turret:

Also borrowed from the M-163 kit were the range-only radar dish and the sighting system for the cannon. The former was detailed with power cords made from fine solder while the sight had a dust boot sculpted from kneadatite. The external feed chute was made from a ribbon of apoxie-sculpt, and given some sag to account for the high elevation angles of the canon. The Starstreak missile platform was prepared using a combination of a FIST-V elevation arm and a Bradley TOW Missile lifting platform. These items were attached to each other and the turret using press-fit poly caps, which allow the arm and platform to pivot. The missile tray is also hinged and can be displayed in the horizontal firing position or the vertically stacked transport mode. The Starstreak missiles are styrene tubing cut to length with slightly larger end caps.

The missile platform can be posed in the travelling, or in this case, the firing position. The Academy M-163 also provided the radar assembly and the cannon sight unit:

The appliqué armour is held on by a series of Tichy bolts and washers. Brass mesh from an old fuel filter was used to cover the engine deck vents, while brass sheet was cut and then bent using a PE folding tool to form the heat shield over the muffler. The reconditioned 6x6s were equipped with the later Bison style exhausts. The tubular body of the muffler was made from wrapping two layers of .010 around an oval form, while the exhaust tube is just a thick bit of sprue, heat formed into a bend with the end hollowed out using a dremel tool bit. The APU exhaust is a pair of styrene tubes boxed in and covered with a mesh screen. I spent little time detailing this area as once it is painted, not much will be visible behind the screen. Lastly, a couple of stowage bins were added to the hull and detailed with P&D rivets and latches from the PE spares bin. The resin Michelin XML tires from Maple Leaf Models were perfectly cast.

Brass screen from an old fuel filter was used on the engine deck, while brass sheet was bent to form the muffler heat shield:

The resin Michelin tires were sourced from Maple Leaf Models and are beautifully cast. Jerry can brackets were added to the rear fuel tanks along with fuel filler caps and an armoured conduit for the brake/signal lights:

The hull mounted stowage bins were detailed with rivets from a P&D set and some spare latches leftover on a PE fret:

The Bobcat uses the newer style exhaust which was made by laminating .010 sheet over oval end forms. A small hole was drilled into the side hull for the exhaust port, while the muffler tube is just some bent sprue hollowed out with a dremel cutting bit:

Kneadatite green putty was used to sculpt a protective boot for the cannon optics. I probably should have dusted the model before taking this photo!:

The missile platform in the stowed and unloaded position:

[gcdavidson]

The Bobcat was delivered to the Air Force in the current paint scheme of overall green, and Tamiyas NATO green is an accurate match out of the bottle. I like this stage in a scratch building project as its the first time all the disparate elements get tied together under some paint. Tamiya OD and flat yellow were used to paint the missile tubes, and NATO black used for the cannon and tires. This is how I left the model before weathering, which is a bit of a departure for me as I usually airbrush various fading and tonal effects at this stage. Before I could start the weathering, I sprayed on the call sign 31 (#3 flight leaders vehicle), and applied some archer transfers for the TAC signs, the Canadian Flag, and the Jolly Roger. Being a true Air Force unit, 446 AD Sqn also applied a surreptitious full colour CAF roundel under the missile platform, which is only visible when the missiles are in the ready-to-fire position.

Tamiya NATO green was used for the overall colour. The missile tubes were first painted flat yellow and strips of Tamiya tape were used to mask the HE identifier bands before being sprayed with Tamiya OD. Archer transfers and a Leading Edge roundel form the markings, while the call sign is sprayed on using Eduard masks. Tamiya NATO black was used on the tires and cannon and various mixes of Vallejo were used on the SGL caps, ammo feed chute, and the sight boot:

[gcdavidson]

I wanted to depict a vehicle that was deployed on operations, but at the same time, was still relatively new to service. Ive kept paint chips to the barest minimum and forgone rust entirely. That being said, there is still scope for some fun weathering! I had thought Afghanistan was a dry desert, but it does have its share of mud. To that end, I mixed up a small batch of Liquitex texture acrylic gel with some Tamiya buff and some MiG pigment. This gritty slurry gets applied to the lower hull and caked on inside the wheel wells. Due to the v-shaped lower hull, the mud rarely gets splattered above the belt line of the vehicle. The mud was left to dry overnight, and then a mix of brown oil paints was used to create a darker spots of mud for a wet look. However, once this had dried, the dark mud just didnt look right; I think I may have used the wrong shade of brown. To fix it, I mixed up some pastels and Tamiya paint thinner, and repainted the muddy spots which dried a monotone flat brown. Honestly, Im not too pleased about the mud, I think it looks a little too contrived; the downside of the Liquitex method is that there is no going back.

MiG pigments were mixed with paint thinner and applied liberally to each wheel. After drying for 30 minutes, the pigment was wiped off using my finger, exposing the rubber highpoints that would be subject to wear:

Liquitex textured acrylic gel was mixed with MiG pigments and Tamiya Buff to produce a caked on mud effect on the lower hull:

The cannon was dusted with graphite powder and lightly polished. MiG black pigment was used to tone down the polished effect and simulate powder residue; the same pigment was used for the sooty exhaust stain:

I gave the Bobcat a coat of Polly-S flat clear acrylic to help seal the paint prior to applying the oil wash. A strange thing happened here about a week after I sprayed the flat coat, the turret ended up drying a much lighter shade of green than the hull. Ive never had this happen before and have no idea what caused it. It did mean that I would have to tweak the turret weathering so that it matched the hull. I began this process with a quick wash of Rembrandt oils burnt umber. While this was drying, I made a pigment wash and brushed it over the wheels, paying attention to get all the tread blocks recesses. When the pigments had dried, I just wiped the tires with my finger, taking the mud away from all the points that would contact the ground.

The rest of the hull was weathered by applying small dots of pure oil paint. I used various amounts of blue, ochre, white, and umber which were scrubbed into the model using a well worn brush. Clean paint thinner was used to remove excess amounts, and a fresh brush moistened with thinner helped create rain streaks. Usually, I hit the model with another flat coat at this stage, but this time my oil paints dried without any sheen. One slight problem arose with the dots of blue oil paint, which proved very had to scrub and blend, and if you know where to look on the model, youll be able to see some blue stains!

Next up I cut some red foil for the optics and used some MV lenses for the driving lights. I had to use Grief lenses for the cannon sights, as they have a level backing (MVs are convex) and fit the sight better. I mixed equal parts of Tamiya clear red and clear blue to give the gun sights a modern look. But the sights ended up looking more like bits of jelly babies than high tech optical glass. I think a better route would have been to paint the purple tint on the backside of the lens. While I had the clear red out, I painted the rear brake lights.

Crew optics were cut from red foil and coated with future floor wax. The cannon sights are Grief lenses that have been painted with a mix of Tamiya clear red and clear blue:

MiG pigments were applied dry around the crew hatches and other horizontal surfaces:

Small dots of pure oil paint scrubbed in with thinner helped to fade the armour panels, while streaks were made with a pointed brush regularly moistened with fresh thinner:

The missile platform is attached with poly caps that allow it to be elevated into a firing position. The Bobcat carries six additional missiles inside the hull. Reloading three missiles can be accomplished by two crewmembers in under five minutes:

To give the gun a metallic look, I ground up a 6B pencil and brushed it along the length of each barrel. This didnt give much of an effect, so I polished the barrels using my fingertip that was a mistake! It made the barrels far too shiny. Rather than re-paint the canon, I used some MiG black powder and dusted it on, which really helped to tone down the shine and gives the impression of propellant residue. The black pigment was also used to give the characteristic engine exhaust streak. The final steps in the weathering process is a quick misting of thinned Tamiya deck tan, over which a dry application of MiG pigments to simulate the mud and dust caused by crew traffic around the hatches.

All in all, this project was a great break from the sometimes rivet-counting serious modelling ruts we can fall in to. I have at least 4 more Canadian What-If projects lined up (Korean war Achilles Air Defence, Centurion twin 40mm, Leopard 2 with GAU-8, and a Heavy Infantry Assault vehicle like the IDF Namer) all of which I like to think will be as plausible as the Bobcat.

Cheers!

Graeme

[AntPhillips]

Hi Graham,

Welcome to Britmodeller .

I've followed your articles on the Modern Canadian Vehicle site and in MIS, in fact, the article on the Grizzly and Cougar inspired me to try a conversion of an Italeri LAV, it's stalled at the moment but I hope to pick it up again soon, also hope to see a few more of your builds here on Britmodeller.

Happy modelling

Ant

[daz greenwood]

Welcome Graham.

Now I like that.

[gcdavidson]

Cheers guys. Next project will be a 72nd CF Chinook from the Kandahar Air Wing.

[Yellow07]

Fantastic Job! I must say, really nicely done enample of a machine that gets a lot of stick.

Lookin forward to your next builds