Project Totally Want A Technical



Project: Totally Want A Technical (T.W.A.T.)





Introduction:

Project Totally Want A Technical (TWAT) is the brainchild of my experiences operating in an unconventional warfare environment. Technicals fill the niche between foot-mobile infantry and full on armored personnel carriers such as Bradley Fighting vehicles. They are commonly used by both unconventional/irregular forces and nations that cannot afford true armored personnel carriers. They are used around the world, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the Jungles of the Congo.



Who:

Myself, assisted (hopefully) by the airsoft community, and my close friends and associates. Fabrication of certain parts will be handled by a local fabrication shop (to be determined.)



What:

This project will involve the purchasing and modification of an 80’s to early 90’s Toyota Pickup into a technical or, in U.S. Military jargon, a Non-Standard Tactical Vehicle. This will include:

- Mounting several support weapon systems

- Creation of accommodations for approximately four dismounts

- Fabricating a means for storing equipment

- Addition of safety equipment for crew and dismounts

- Possibly the ability to put a soft skin cover over rear area.



Why:

In short, because I feel like it. This vehicle will help fill a niche missing from many milsim airsoft events. It will enable the rapid insertion of reinforcement and provide a means to rapidly evacuate casualties, both simulated and real, from the field. It will also be able to provide heavy fire support during critical points in the game. Overall, there are a multitude of different roles that this vehicle could fulfill.





When/Where:

Planning and design phase: This will be between now (23 AUG 2013) and April/May 2014. This phase will include research into the various aspects of the vehicle, prototyping and designing mounting systems, purchasing of various components of the vehicle, and possibly the purchasing of the base vehicle. This will take place on the internet from my current location overseas.



Construction Phase: This will be the Month of May 2014. It will involve the manufacturing and fitting of the various components to the vehicle. It will also involve shake down and additional modifications to allow for manufacturing or design mishaps. This will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio.



Execution Phase: This will begin at the end of the construction phase and continue for the foreseeable future. Initially this will involve the development of standard operating procedures and emergency drills. Integration into games will begin shortly after that. This will take place in Cincinnati, OH and Fayetteville, NC.





How:

During the design phase I will design mounting systems for a 240B and PKM and develop a concept for the overall layout and required modifications. I have already developed a series of basic concepts for the mounting systems & layout. I am an amateur at 3D modeling and CAD design and might need assistance in fine tuning the designs. I will be requesting input from the online community on solutions for design challenges. Progress on the design will be posted to this build thread. I will also be purchasing the various components that do not require fabrication. As the execution phase approaches I will begin the search for a base vehicle and arrange for its purchase.



Construction phase will begin as soon as I return to Ohio on leave. I am planning on taking a month of leave to give plenty of time to construct and fine tune the vehicle. The designs will be taken to a fabricator’s shop for manufacturing and then test mounted on the vehicle. After the actual construction of the vehicle is completed the team will immediately move into developing procedures for mounting, dismounting, communications, emergency roll over drills and casualty evacuation. The vehicle will have its first public event towards the end of the month of may at an open play. This will allow field operators to become familiar with the vehicle and help develop game types and uses for the vehicle. This will be an evaluation of the efficacy of the design. Feedback will be evaluated and modifications to the design will be considered.



Execution phase will continue after that. The vehicle will be used to transport personnel and equipment to and from games and, when allowed, used in the games themselves. I will be spending most of my time in North Carolina, with infrequent leave taken to Ohio. If a game organizer wants to request the presence of the vehicle at a match arrangement can be made.



Tl;dr: I’m going to build a technical when I get back to the states, I need help in design and I will be updating this thread with designs and schematics. It’ll be awesome!



Pictures of current progress will be posted as soon as I get home and take some screen caps. I will also be addressing current design challenges and issues. Some of you might have heard about this project if you've been in the chat in the last week or so. Here is my Project Proposal for building a technical:Project Totally Want A Technical (TWAT) is the brainchild of my experiences operating in an unconventional warfare environment. Technicals fill the niche between foot-mobile infantry and full on armored personnel carriers such as Bradley Fighting vehicles. They are commonly used by both unconventional/irregular forces and nations that cannot afford true armored personnel carriers. They are used around the world, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the Jungles of the Congo.Myself, assisted (hopefully) by the airsoft community, and my close friends and associates. Fabrication of certain parts will be handled by a local fabrication shop (to be determined.)This project will involve the purchasing and modification of an 80’s to early 90’s Toyota Pickup into a technical or, in U.S. Military jargon, a Non-Standard Tactical Vehicle. This will include:- Mounting several support weapon systems- Creation of accommodations for approximately four dismounts- Fabricating a means for storing equipment- Addition of safety equipment for crew and dismounts- Possibly the ability to put a soft skin cover over rear area.In short, because I feel like it. This vehicle will help fill a niche missing from many milsim airsoft events. It will enable the rapid insertion of reinforcement and provide a means to rapidly evacuate casualties, both simulated and real, from the field. It will also be able to provide heavy fire support during critical points in the game. Overall, there are a multitude of different roles that this vehicle could fulfill.This will be between now (23 AUG 2013) and April/May 2014. This phase will include research into the various aspects of the vehicle, prototyping and designing mounting systems, purchasing of various components of the vehicle, and possibly the purchasing of the base vehicle. This will take place on the internet from my current location overseas.This will be the Month of May 2014. It will involve the manufacturing and fitting of the various components to the vehicle. It will also involve shake down and additional modifications to allow for manufacturing or design mishaps. This will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio.This will begin at the end of the construction phase and continue for the foreseeable future. Initially this will involve the development of standard operating procedures and emergency drills. Integration into games will begin shortly after that. This will take place in Cincinnati, OH and Fayetteville, NC.During the design phase I will design mounting systems for a 240B and PKM and develop a concept for the overall layout and required modifications. I have already developed a series of basic concepts for the mounting systems & layout. I am an amateur at 3D modeling and CAD design and might need assistance in fine tuning the designs. I will be requesting input from the online community on solutions for design challenges. Progress on the design will be posted to this build thread. I will also be purchasing the various components that do not require fabrication. As the execution phase approaches I will begin the search for a base vehicle and arrange for its purchase.Construction phase will begin as soon as I return to Ohio on leave. I am planning on taking a month of leave to give plenty of time to construct and fine tune the vehicle. The designs will be taken to a fabricator’s shop for manufacturing and then test mounted on the vehicle. After the actual construction of the vehicle is completed the team will immediately move into developing procedures for mounting, dismounting, communications, emergency roll over drills and casualty evacuation. The vehicle will have its first public event towards the end of the month of may at an open play. This will allow field operators to become familiar with the vehicle and help develop game types and uses for the vehicle. This will be an evaluation of the efficacy of the design. Feedback will be evaluated and modifications to the design will be considered.Execution phase will continue after that. The vehicle will be used to transport personnel and equipment to and from games and, when allowed, used in the games themselves. I will be spending most of my time in North Carolina, with infrequent leave taken to Ohio. If a game organizer wants to request the presence of the vehicle at a match arrangement can be made.Tl;dr: I’m going to build a technical when I get back to the states, I need help in design and I will be updating this thread with designs and schematics. It’ll be awesome!Pictures of current progress will be posted as soon as I get home and take some screen caps. I will also be addressing current design challenges and issues.







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__________________ Last edited by V_Dub; 08-23-2013 at 04:48 AM .