Hobby: US Bazooka Jeep conversion

Warlord’s own Gabrio Tolentino has been a busy chap. Aside from taking loads of photos for the Bolt Action Tank Battles book (due out later this year), he’s been working on conversions based on the US Armoured Jeep. We’ll let Gabrio explain…

Throughout WW2, most armies found themselves in situations where they had to adapt and modify their available equipment and machinery, and whilst researching reference material for my US Normandy to Berlin force, I came across a peculiar picture featuring one such modification.

The picture shows an armoured Willys Jeep, with a twinned bazookas on the pintle-mount that would normally house a 50.cal heavy machine gun.

Inspired by this ingenuity I decided to make my own version of it for my Bolt Action Army.

The conversion is a relatively easy one:

1. Buy an armoured jeep, some ammo crates and 2 US weapon sprues (if you do not have extra bazookas from previously purchased US plastics).
2. Take the metal 50.cal, chop off the mounting rod and onto this, glue a small piece of rectangular plasticard.
3. Then fit the 2 bazookas fto the plasticard, one on each side. If you want to copy the jeep in the picture exactly, cut off the handle and trigger from the left bazooka (as seen from the front) and glue it back on further forward.
4. Fit every other piece from the kit onto the jeep (the armour, wheels, driver, etc.) and the job is done!
5. Even the 50.cal gunner fits with a little filing off from the waist area and by putting some ammo boxes on both the front and rear seats so that his feet are not left dangling.
6. Completely optional: because I wanted to recreate the jeep in the photo exactly, I also added a separate windscreen from another jeep and sculpted on the canvas using green stuff.

As I want to use this jeep as part of my army in Bolt Action games, I also came up with some unofficial rules. These are fun to use but if you wish to try them out, make sure your opponent agrees to them before a game.

Armoured Jeep with two bazookas

Cost: 96pts (inexperienced), 120pts (Regular), 144 (Veteran)

Weapons: 2 M9A1 Bazooka rocket launchers, pintle-mounted with 360° arc of fire

Damage Value: 7+ (armoured car) when shot only at the front, 6+ (soft skinned) when shot at the sides or rear

Special Rules:

• Recce
• Open-topped
• Shaped charge

In this picture the Bazooka jeep is supported by my other 2 ‘normal’ jeeps.