So this is what I did on New Years Eve... It's an idea that I've had kicking around my Head since 2006 or 2007.... I've had the Parts set aside for it since 2010 or so... This year I started on the sawing and Dremeling...

I love the Mauler, I love the Equalizer, I love the idea of creating further Variants based on the Mauler platform...

Initially I expected That I'd just be cutting away the whole bottom of the APC and using the whole Bottom half of the Mauler...(Equalizer in this case)
I ended up keeping most of the Bottom of the APC because thats where the Screws to hold in the "seating tub" attach... and I don't want to bother with re-engineering all of that.
I cut away most of the detail on the side and in the APC's wheel wells, and then mounted the sides of the Bottom Half of the Mauler... the Treads attach just like they do on the Equalizer...



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/ ... 7400c7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/ ... cb4eda.jpg

This is still a Very Early WIP... there are still a lot of holes in the bottom shell to patch back up...the sections that attach the treads are still only held on by screws...There are gaps along the bottom that need to be filled... and I need to figure out a way to hold the front treads together that won't require drilling a hole through the internal "seating tub"

I still want to play around with attaching the Mauler's side-skirts...

While it's unlikely to happen, I'm trying to build this with Reproduction in mind...Trying to keep all the Modifications to Just the bottom half of the shell...that way Existing production parts could be used without modification if I'm ever able to duplicate this one.

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Love it. Any chance you can repro the Action Force one with the better innards and your current design?

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That's a pretty cool idea.

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I've got one stashed for just that purpose... Just a little matter of needing to buy an $800 pressure pot it can fit in, and then a new Air compressor to fill the larger pot...and then the Materials to make it.

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Wow, another cool project!
Just curious: are you going to add a hinged ramp?

Wasn't planning on it...It would require cutting through the inner "seating tub" to be of any use.

I would like to modify the Tarp/Canopy so it looks like an Armored section instead of Canvas... Maybe create a plate that can fill the gap at the rear...

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do you intend to use the APC's gun or add something else?

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Haven't thought that far ahead...Maybe the Gun/hatch from the ATC (UK APC)... Maybe something Custom... I think it would depend if it's the Canvas top or if I Finish the Armored Top I have in mind.

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Those parts work great together. Didi you have a lot of cutting/dremeling to do to fit them together?

Can't wait to see the final product.

OB

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Should definitely do armored top instead, with the treads it just seems like the tight thing to do.

Is it still going to be amphibious and float??

Quite a bit...There's a lot of detail in the wheel wells...It all had to go.... also cut away quite a bit from the Mauler shell...



Should be...as long as I don't have to make any changes to the Inner "Seating tub"... If you look at an APC there are a lot of holes in the bottom for drainage as well as where the axles go through...It's the inner "seating tub" that makes the APC float.

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I dig it as is. Leave the cloth top. In the real world, hard to reach places aren't always in the heavy fighting area. And the light weight cloth is less weight for the machine to pull so it can travel faster.

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fantastic.

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would a vacuum table be able to remake the innards from the AF one?

also, if you make a copy of those insides, I would like to be on the shortlist for one.

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What about some bigger treads? Maybe ones from the Brawler.

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