M132 turret scratchbuild

I've had a crack at the M132 cupola this morning. I found an old 1.300 scale Sherman turret that was about the right size, if not the right shape, for the M132 turret. I sanded it down and drilled two small holes in the mantle, then used brass rod to make two new gun barrels, one long one for the flamethrower and and one shorter one for the machine gun.

I then sanded down the hatch on an M113 and glued the turret in place. Once it was dry I sanded the turret down further to make it roughly the right size and shape. The end result isn't too bad. I'll post a photo as soon as I can sort out my home laptop and camera software.

I've also used a spare M113 ACAV door to cover over the dodgy back end of the M577, which now looks a lot better. I've also stuck a truncated spare ACAV gunner on top of an M41 to make a commander for my HQ tank.

Later today, I'm planning to get the FAC and FAO done. Ideally, I'd like a Cessna for the FAC but I've had no luck finding one in 1/144th scale, except in obscure and expensive resin. I suppose I could use a light helicopter instead or try to convert or scratchbuild a light aircraft of some sort (maybe I can raid my son's toy box?)