Vietnam airfield blast wall

[Bill Cross]

I'm looking to scratchbuild a US blast wall of the type used in Vietnam, like this one:

A friend found a post on Britmodeler with these dimensions: "During the Vietnam war, airfield space for aircraft was at a premium. This resulted in aircraft being parked so close together they compromised safety as well as being vulnerable to enemy attack. Revetments were constructed using steel bins filled with compacted earth (also sandbags IIRC). Each bin or "kit" would make 240 linear feet of revetment 5 ½ feet thick and 12 feet high. They would be erected in 10-foot sections, each section being composed of 16- gauge steel panels bolted to steel columns to form the bin."

 

There doesn't appear to be anyone making these in 1/32nd scale, so I'm asking if any of y'all have the plans for these or otherwise can help me along? I bought a bunch of Evergreen Plastics items today to use channels to make the ridges, but they are "squared off" whereas the originals have a slight slope.

 

You can find these pre-built in 1/48th and 1/72nd scale, but not in anything larger.

 

The page cited next is apparently is selling a 3D printer file to make your own, but I don't have a 3D printer. And can anyone tell if this can be scaled-up to 1/32nd scale?

https://free3d.com/3d-model/low-poly-vietnam-aircraft-revetment-4942.html UPDATE: the file is intended for wargaming and is NOT workable in our scale.

 

Finally, this period cover shows the main column. You can see the gentle slope:

 

 

I have found no answer to doing this short of paying someone to cast them in resin.

 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Bill Cross
uodating 3D printer info

[LSP_K2]

As far as I am aware, no one does truly accurate revetments in any scale. And yes, the steel cross sections are trapezoidal, not rectangular. If I could see better details of the 3D item, I could probably better assess the accuracy.

[LSP_K2]

Keep in mind that using standard panels, different heights and lengths could be assembled. For instance, revetments for an F-100 wouldn't be anywhere near as large (high or long) as for a B-52.

[Bill Cross]

Those are all good points, Kev. I don't understand why no one is doing these in our scale, as they make perfect sense for dioramas and display bases. But I will keep looking.

[LSP_K2]

23 minutes ago, Bill Cross said:

Those are all good points, Kev. I don't understand why no one is doing these in our scale, as they make perfect sense for dioramas and display bases. But I will keep looking.

 

I intended to do this myself quite some back, but never actually got around to it. I intended to make them as accurate as possible, then sell them. At the time, there certainly seemed to be some interest, but how many would have actually paid up, is another issue altogether.

[Finn]

Look here:

 

https://public.fotki.com/tsumner/scale-modeling/revetments/

 

on page 2 there are a couple of drawings giving dimensions.

 

Jari

[thierry laurent]

Out of my memory, only Lone Star released some as a limited release. They were vacformed and not bad BUT were not the ones commonly seen in SEA! The initial type was tested in the US had a higher number of corrugations (horizontal sections) and it looks they were accordingly thinner. Look at the different pictures in the link posted by Jari to see the differences. Most available engineering pictures were based on the prototypes.

[quang]

Just try the boomer’s way.

It would not be so hard to build one section from scratch using Plastruct or Evergreen profiles, make an open-sided mould in silicon and cast multiple samples in quick-setting plaster.

I know, I know… that was before 3D prints, ready-to-use canopy masks and resin cockpit decals.

 

[blackbetty]

i collected quite a lot of info on these

i even made a crude vac master and some pulls, but thats as far as i got

[thierry laurent]

9 hours ago, quang said:

Just try the boomer’s way.

It would not be so hard to build one section from scratch using Plastruct or Evergreen profiles, make an open-sided mould in silicon and cast multiple samples in quick-setting plaster.

I know, I know… that was before 3D prints, ready-to-use canopy masks and resin cockpit decals.

 

Well, not SO simple as I do not know any plastic profile with a trapezoid cross-section!

[quang]

1 hour ago, thierry laurent said:

Well, not SO simple as I do not know any plastic profile with a trapezoid cross-section!

No profile with a trapezoid section?
It’s simple. Just create one with the correct cross section. Make a mould, replicate a number to complete a full section. That would be your master. Make a mould of the master. Repeat etc…

The construction of those walls was based on modules. Create a master module and you’re on.

If you need it hard, you can do it. It’s just a matter of willing.

Edited May 21, 2023 by quang
Syntax

[thierry laurent]

1 hour ago, quang said:

No profile with a trapezoid section?
It’s simple. Just create one with the correct cross section. Make a mould, replicate a number to complete a full section. That would be your master. Make a mould of the master. Repeat etc…

The construction of those walls was based on modules. Create a master module and you’re on.

If you need it hard, you can do it. It’s just a matter of willing.

Well, will and time! This is why I write this is not SO simple! ;-)

[quang]

Well, do you count the time you’re spending on a specific problem? I don’t. Nor do I expect to get a return for the time I spent. 
It’s what makes the beauty of any… hobby 

[LSP_K2]

12 hours ago, blackbetty said:

i collected quite a lot of info on these

i even made a crude vac master and some pulls, but thats as far as i got

 

So did I. Perhaps we can compare data via PM?

[LSP_K2]

13 hours ago, thierry laurent said:

Out of my memory, only Lone Star released some as a limited release. They were vacformed and not bad BUT were not the ones commonly seen in SEA! The initial type was tested in the US had a higher number of corrugations (horizontal sections) and it looks they were accordingly thinner. Look at the different pictures in the link posted by Jari to see the differences. Most available engineering pictures were based on the prototypes.

 

If I recall, those were released not too long after I proposed the idea right here on LSP, and is one of the reasons I don't do it anymore. I keep my ideas to myself now.