8404 Diorama Studios

Seventeen years ago my home was on 8 wheels, I shared it with three crewmen and three 0311 scouts; we were pretty well protected, our home packed a 25mm M242 chain gun with a 7.62mm coax and an M240G mounted by the commander’s hatch. All in addition to our individual weapons. My personal space amounted to the size of the area my butt occupied in the scout compartment and a repurposed 7.62 ammo can for small personal stuff. Most gear rode outside, inside was reserved for ammunition and we had a lot of it. I’ve built all the US variants kitted by Trumpeter – the -25 (in all 3 flavors, A0, SLEP, and A2); -C2; -AD; -AT; -R; and Mortar. Of these, the -AD variant has gone the way of the dodo, and the -AT has had its’ original launcher turret upgraded to a new improved version. Yet to see the light of day in kit form are the -LOG and -EW variants, both of which can be created by converting the C2 with varying levels of surgery. Since the -25 variant was essentially my home from throughout what became known in my unit as Spring Break 2003 it along with the rest of the family occupy a special place in my memory.

A few months ago, one of the members of a modeling site I belong to to proposed a group build called the Golden Memories campaign where participants build a replica of a vehicle in which they or a family member served while in the military. Since my career spanned a number of years and I rode around in a large number of vehicles (most of them run of the mill jeeps, trucks, APCs) I wanted to participate with something other than just a jeep or even a Gama Goat Ambulance (biggest POC ever by the way, the Gama Goat I mean). So, LAV-25 it was. I signed up for the build, that way I can contribute something a little different to the group and honor the guys I served with at the same time

Now my challenge is to take my home and reduce it to 1/35 scale, and a challenge it will be. Our company had a unique set of markings for a Marine Corps unit, the Marines tend to believe that less is better and stick with that premise when it comes to admin markings. Alpha Company (aka Apache) adorned their vehicles with large sand colored A/4 markings which will have to be done by masking and painting vs. decal. Challenge accepted. Modelers’ ADHD be damned, my intent is to do this one up right and get it done in time to say I finished it before the anniversary of Major Minor becoming the mayor of Yousifiyah; and not just for me, but for SSGT Guevarra, Sgt. Tull, Cpl. Uribe, LCpl. Khent, LCpl. Samuels, and LCpl. Bergey who will always be my brothers. So, let the gluing commence!