by Carlos Santos

Nuclear War came in November of 1962 brought human progress to a grinding halt. All major cities across the planet were laid to waste. With a shadow government in place in the USA, and a few surviving underground defense factories still intact, a new way of life was born. The Urban Catastrophe and Exploitation Vehicle (U-CEV) was created out of a need to assess damage, casualties and clear paths through the desolation. Also necessary was the ability for the vehicle's crew to defend itself against rioting, looting, and the occasional nuke-mutants that arose from the ashes. The vehicle is equipped with an automatic grenade launcher, housed in a small self-contained turret which is capable of firing a range of different types of grenades. The U-CEV can take very precise readings on air quality. It is also equipped with an NBC overpressure system, thermal vision, a winch, and a large dozer blade. Crews enter through the top hatch by a special airlock/decon station at the vehicle's HQ. The U-CEV is manned by a crew of 3 personnel in heavy-duty hazmat suits. This particular U-Cev, B-22 has been nicknamed "Skull Crusher" by it's crew. One of the radiator/fuel panels was loose and was ripped off by a maniacal horde of rioters.

The Model

I borrowed the basic look of the vehicle from a 6-wheeled dozer from the game, Carmageddon 2. The U-CEV was built from styrene, some spare parts, etched brass, resin, and a few other items. It has 2 red LED's for tail lights, and 6 12v bulbs for the headlights and the whoopie light. It is powered by a 9volt which can be accessed through the hatch at the top/rear of the vehicle. The tracks and wheels are from a Tamiya accessory set for making your own motorized tank. The curved section of the dozer blade came from the styrene tube of a broken kid's telescope. The front periscopes were filled with acrylic gel medium mixed with a light blue metallic paint. Sandpaper was used for an anti-skid surface. I gave the model a basic urban-style camo with humbrol paints and an airbrush. Weathering was accomplished with washes and drybrushing in oils, and touched here and there with chalk pastels. Warning flags were made from medical tape painted flourescent orange on steel wires from a broken contour gage. I don't throw anything away! Weld seams were made with stretched sprue.

I built this model over the last two months in my spare time. I wanted to keep detailing it, but time was running out. The 9v battery is looks weak in the photos, but it's the only one I had on hand when I took them.

Image: Front view

Image: Rear view

Image: Overhead

Image: Access panel details