Yah. You want to see in a given direction, just stick a camera blister on the shell, and a monitor in the driver pod (ideally, in the same relative location.)
Gotta put in a big cupholder for my coffee cup, tho (holds about a quart.)
We're not planning on using a decomm'd aircraft tug - too much work involved in the thing. Scratchbuild frame and chassis, suspension included, which will probably mass less (as a shell) than a stripped aircraft tug chassis, unbuilt.
That's right - it's been a while, but I'm back. I got "found" because of this project, and ideas are beginning to flow...
WRT the turrets - all of the internal layouts show a jumpseat between the front wheelhouses. I figure him for a gunner, in control of the turrets (or at least the large one) and the rocket pods. (Rocket pods? Yeah, rocket pods. Some images show some four-pack rocket pods mounted in the roof roughly amidships, including those as functioning parts should add to the "WOW!" factor, and will be easier than the aft turret. If pressured, I may even be able to make the rockets themselves functional...)
I'm debating on whether to make it four-wheel steering, this would reduce the individual travel needed for the wheels (cut by roughly half for the same arc, reducing the depth of the wheelhouses and their intrusion into the interior) and, with a little extra work, adding in a "mode valve" that would allow the vehicle to "dog-track" - move laterally left or right while maintaining a forward attitude. (I've always wanted to do that.)
I'm still thinking Dieselectric or hydro, for reasons previously given (and a couple I haven't covered yet.) We're thinking full-size, 1:1 scale.
Oddmar - bear in mind that kerb weight has a
lot to do with fuel economy, and I'm fairly sure that this isn't going to have anything to do with the kerb weight of a VolksWagen. Still hammering out materials and construction, but throwing out a
low figure of 6,000# doesn't feel wrong. Also, bear in mind that tyre beads are reinforced with several rounds of steel wire - passenger car tyres will often have 10-12 wires reinforcing the bead, truck tyres even more. Just cutting a bead ain't gonna happen - not if you want the tyre to hold pressure (even beadlocks, where the tyre is screwed to the rim flange, still depends on those reinforcing wires.)
CAMOGLAZE - what you're referring to is the "TARDIS Effect" - where it's "bigger on the inside than the outside." This is common when sets are built outside of vehicles they're meant to be inside of. This is something we're well aware of, and we're working on.
@Everyone - I seem to have mislaid my copy of the US Colonial Marines Technical Manual (perils of homelessness, was there for a couple of years. 'S why I disappeared in 2014.) Could someone with the USCMTM and a scanner put the two together and scan anything to do with the M577 for me, please? PM for email address. Also, anyone that has pictures of the M577 that are unlikely to be found online (especially anything that would give detail on internal layout or dimensions) - same deal. Please PM for email, I'd love to have copies. I gots work to do...
JDK