"Miniatures/models of M577 A.P.C. from Aliens..." Topic

There have been many, many, posts/threads on this particular design…"where can I buy" "is anyone making…" etc.

For you the gamer type person that you are, do you desire this design/model because it is a great design or more so for the Aliens tie in factor?

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link

A proper model in 15mm and/or 28mm would require a serious IP license, so the thought is of close enough…which elements would need to be included to make it viable for the majority of gamers?

For me I would appreciate an actual model, just because. I do not need it and a near or close enough would be just as interesting. I guess for me it is the qualities of the model itself rather than the subject.

And for you?

Without a current easy and reasonable priced choice, does the desire for a M577 APC fade if there are differences to avoid IP issues…or do you want what you want and are willing to deal with too small or larger scale issues as well as variable prices?

Both.

The Konami APC works reasonably well with 15mm figs.

I like the look of the vehicle as it just looks neat .I'd have loved to have bought one but figured I will only ever need the one so I built one in roughly 1/48th scale from some plans I found on the Net . Its not exactly correct but gives the right feel . I also just downloaded the "Is this just another Bug Hunt " rules .
I drew up plans for an underground installation which I hope to start work on soon .
The Aliens are going to be Genestealers converted as you suggested in the earlier thread .

Oh come now…you build one and tease without pics? For shame sir! :)

Post your pics and the next time I am in your neck of the woods I will buy you a pint! I have not had an Emu Bitter in forever :)

Aliens is one of my favourite sci fi movies, but do they actually call the vehicle an M577? This is an M577 of the type I used to use: link

As far as models go, nearly ten years ago at the local model show, the second place in the sci fi category went to a fellow who constructed the vehicle from scratch. Here are some pictures from my site that don't really do it justice:

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(from link )

The sci fi crowd were raving over it.
--
Tim

"For you the gamer type person that you are, do you desire this design/model because it is a great design or more so for the Aliens tie in factor?"

When I was a kid, I loved that rig because it was cool… Now, after my Mech Infantry days, I don't like it so much simply because a side loading APC is dangerous for us ground pounders. I much prefer the aft loading APC as we want that vehicle between us and the enemy as we unload.

Furthermore, four-wheelers will experience mobility kills more that six- or eight-wheelers will. Not to mention how low the M577 is to the ground- not much all terrain capabilities there.

It's an iconic military vehicle, no doubt. But, like Mecha- it's hard to justify save for it's cool factor.

Old Crow, GZG and Rebel Minis have more appealing APCs to me.

Actually from my research … it is an M114A1 … not the M577 US Army Command Track … I had an M577 when I was in the Army the Korea. Where the M114A1 is the nomenclature of the APC in " Aliens" …

The M-114 is a light, scout APC from the 1970's.

Its cool, but not realistic as a military APC. So what is already availiable, off ebay and the like will do for me.

I would like an similarly-style APC in 15mm. I thought the low profile (compared to length and width) and really tall wheels (compared to height) were the "cool" factors for me.

Yes, I had a ROCO Mini-Tank model of the M114 the US Army used mostly in Cav units back then … But by the time I went on active duty in '79 they all were range targets or in the "CAN" points. I don't think they even sold them off to any foreign army save for a few left in RVN. My XO in the ROK told us about the one he had in German way back when. I don't think they were very mechanically reliable … and not well liked by the troops ? BTW .. here's a pic of a Micro-Machine M114A1 from Aliens that I use with my Epic Traitor IG/PDF/Cultist Forces … picture I dry-brushed it a bit and added decals …

Legion and others, I may be missing something…and to be sure I am not looking for a fight…but the M114A1 comes up with this picture and all my searches for the M577 APC come up with this picture and 1 hit out of 20 bringing up this M577A2 picture

It is a fictional vehicle and with so many factual vehicles having common nomenclatures it makes sense that there would be cross over names.

Back to the aliens APC, there are some issues that I would seek to resolve:

low clearance…gas/hydraulic lift for off road

low center point (high center issue)…off road lift and possibly a under carriage geared center track

side door…issues of vulnerable access, perhaps if this was not the only hatch…a top, aft, fore, and bottom hatch would be reasonable

2 axle…not so much of an issue as there are many 2 axle vehicles, but for issues of IP and respect for the same I think this is the easiest to include…add the extra drive axle/wheel set

For an actual Aliens scenario, I'd want a proper looking Aliens APC. I've got a Konami mentioned earlier which is good enough for 15mm
picture

And Galoob made one compatible for 28mm

link

For non-Aliens scenarios, I'm more into 6 wheels, 8 wheels, or tracks with a rear compartment door, and possibly side or deck loopholes. A small turret is a bonus, but I don't like main gun looking turrets on APCs, just because.

The Galoob open model is great…but if you can find one and are wiling to pay the $150-170 …yikes.

I would like to see 28mm miniatures in and around the Galoob model.

They do look good…I should have bought many when I could…stupid stupid stupid :(

(for a new/modified design)

Looking back at the current LAV/APC's I think a Stryker might be a good start…25% larger in all areas picture

What is the general view on the swivel turret of the aliens APC?

Heres my Aliens APC about halfway down the page . If I was going to do it again I would make the front wheel arches higher so I can get the hull lower to the ground . I would also correct the angle of the plates above.
I was working from some templates rather than proper plans so it was hard to visulise how it would look when assembled.

link

Well on you mate!

That model looks great. If the design accounted for an off road lift as I mentioned earlier then that is what it would ride like.

I think you did a great job.

The Galoob open model is great…but if you can find one and are wiling to pay the $150-170 …yikes.

I got mine at a Cold Wars or Historicon flea market. You'd hate me if I told you what I paid for it. If I get time tomorrow I'll try to take some pictures with figures. Sadly I have neither Leading Edge or Horrorclix Aliens, yet. I'll dig up some Kryomek drones and some Grenadier Future Wars figures.

@Dan- Great job on the one you built.

Dan, that Aliens APC looks superb!

Perhaps they are equipped with a hydraulic suspension for raising/lowering the main body, as needed, for various terrain types.

Where did you get the tires for the model?

This model has a nice aliens APC feel to it picture

No problem 28mm … that is the real M114A1 Recon Vehicle & real M577 Armored Command Vehicle … Sorry for going Off Topic … The Micro-Machine APC from Aliens, I have that I posted a pic of, on the box it called it an M114A1. So … as you said, both the movie APC & real APC share the same designation … 'nuff said …

I've found these close enough for what I wanted. link

Thanks for the kind comments .
The tires were a real problem as they needed to be tall as well as the right width . I went through three different sizes before settling on this set . They came off a childs plastic jeep . I removed the tires and stretched them over Sprite bottle caps and added hubcaps from plastic card.
The height of the vehicle is really only noticable when you put a figure next to the door and compare it to the movie .
I read somewhere that they used a taller vehicle for the inside shots of the movie .

Yep, I am working on the scaled design using the movie stills. I am working from the inside out. The end result is a much larger vehicle.

Add an axle/wheel set.

Mod out the front turret, always found that one odd…poor angle and loads of potential for issues.

I would like to see 28mm miniatures in and around the Galoob model.

As promised I took some quick pictures of the Galoob APC with some poorly painted figures of the 90's- A Future Wars trooper with heavy weapon alongside 2 Kryomek Warriors and 2 Helions.

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Goldie! You are the man.

By those scale comparisons the APC seems to be 20mm at best. Which is fine.

And for a game I am sure it is just fine…I have used the worst proxies and had some of the most fun…though I prefer the WYS in my IWYG to be close :)

Great pics, thanks again.

Interesting stats:

The M577 A.P.C. (Armored Personnel Carrier)
It comes in three variants; M577A, M577A2, and the M577A3. It's a light-weight, inexpensive vehicle used by the U.S.C.M. which can fit into a UD4L Dropship (turret stowed). There's a Tactical Operations Center in the rear of the cockpit, in which a commander may get audio and video data from his troops. It also holds a transmitter to send information back to its mothership.

Specifications

* Crew: 2 plus 12
* Engine: Arco Continental R-370 Gas Turbine with an output of 286 Kw.
* Dimensions
* *Height (turret stowed): 2.17 m
* *Height (turret raised): 2.81 m
* *Length (turret stowed): 9.22 m
* *Length (turret raised): 8.58 m
* *Width: 3.38 m
* *Wheel Diameter: 158.75 cm
* *Clearance (at rest): 21.59 cm
* Armor:
* *2 mm alloy outer skin
* *4 mm Boron Carbide plates coated with 2 mm ablative resin
* *plates backed by a 3 mm woven Venlar liner
* *Foam packed floor cavity for protection against forged fragment mines.
* Combat Weight: 14,500 kg
* Road Speed: 150 km/h
* Acceleration: 42 km/h in 6 seconds
* Vertical Obstacle: 0.5 m
* Gradient: 60%

That Galoob model looks perfect to me.

I agree it is a good fit for gaming, I was just noting the figure to door size and it seems a bit off picture …tighter fit than would make sense…but hey it is a fictional vehicle to chase down acid blood aliens :)

At min:sec 1:27 you will see the heavy gunners and others exiting the vehicle without touching the sides, just ducking heads a bit YouTube link

That is all I was saying, it just seemed a bit more true 25mm or slightly smaller…but I still like the model quite a bit, especially considering it was a toy.

It is all good my friend Schönheit und Wahrheit ist häufig nicht die gleiche Sache!

Of course is does not help matters that there were two quite different props for the APC…the moving unit and the acting unit. The acting unit had space for the marines where as the moving unit did not.

Reviving an old thread: Prodos have announced the APC for their AvP game.

Now, you're interest level will be determined by your trust in Prodos…

28mmMan' I got a malware warning on the link in the first post.

28mmMan' I got a malware warning on the link in the first post.