Boom Tank

While a vehicle that can tow disabled tanks out if the mud, and snow, is great, having a vehicle that can help replace an engine or transmission too is even better.

This Roco T34 has been modified to just such a vehicle.

A few pieces of scrap sheet plastic, a couple pieces of plastic rod, and Roco wire spool, and a little hook and you have everything you need to make this vehicle.

Many tanks burn engines and transmissions out quickly.  

Having a crane tank like this can make the difference in keeping a tank in service and having to leave it behind.
 

T-34 ARV

This Roco Minitank might be 50 years old.

In the 1970s I was reading about Soviet Union making armored recovery vehicles out of the T34.

The simple version is remove the turret, weld over the hold in the hull top, and add a hatch.

I added a couple tow cables.

And some tools.  This model sat unpainted for over 40 years until this week.  Not detail painted, but good enough for wargaming.
 

Cold War Soviet Engineer Gear

This is the rocket launcher that was hiding under yesterdays tent.  I am not sure what it is actually supposed to be.

The tent from yesterday for comparison.

 A group of large cargo trucks.

Support vehicles from my heavy engineer unit.  Note road rollers on the left side.

AVLB on T54 chassis.

Note the upper left a farm tractor, used for towing large aircraft, and the small van that had it's roof repaired a while ago when it was blue.

 Another view of the skip loaders.

Cold War Soviet Union

HO scale BMP, Cold War Soviet Union.  At least four different companies made these.  Hard to find models of it in HO.

Roskopf motorcycles, I got a ton of these in a used collection years ago.

ARV and TOG by SDV.

Plastic dump trucks.  Heavy engineer unit to install the big bridge.

This big green tent was part of the original packaging to this model.  I painted it green and use it as a cover for the rocket launcher that belongs underneath.

A couple die cast generic scoop loaders, the back of the rocket launcher and BRDM-2.