M998 I.E.D Gun Truck
1:35th Scale
Kit No.13405
In Box Review by Terry Ashley
The kit represents one of the earlier conversions to combat the growing menace of IEDs, (Improvised Explosive Devises) being used by the “insurgents” with later HMMWVs having a variety of armour fittings with some purpose kits coming through.
The kit is a combination of sprues from previous Academy HMMWV kits with sprue A and B from kit #1350 M1025 Armored Armament Carrier with sprues C, E and D (clear) from kit #1362 M998 Troop Carrier with these sprues also used in other Academy Hummer kits. One new sprue G has the additional parts for this kit for a total of 201 parts in light tan plastic and 8 in clear plastic plus the small decal sheet and instructions.
The moulding quality is quite good even on the older parts with little or no flash and nice surface details but nearly all the parts are plagued with pin marks some being quite deep and will need filling. This is especially noticeable on thinner parts such as the windscreen frame, bush guards and weapons that will take a bit to fill the marks.
Although there are parts from the M1025 armoued and M998 unarmored kits there isn’t all of the parts to allow you to make either of these as alternative but the kit isn’t marketed for this in any case.
For a rundown on the original parts I will refer you to the Comparison HMMWV review but basically the kit is the older configuration without the updated parts such as seats as well as having the older vinyl bias ply tyres.
The new configuration is the unarmored M998 with the new side panels with
additional armour fitted including the armoured cover for the intakes on the
right front panel, plus a new windscreen frame with the lower “truck” type
rear view mirrors, a new bush guard which along with the one from the M998
kit gives you a choice of two.
There is also an alternate front winch which if fitted will make an M1038 soft
top version plus the additional armoured doors and rear flat armour plates
to add over the wooden cargo bay slats as well as a fifth spare wheel with
the same vinyl bias ply tyre to use as required.
Also included is a larger extended flat weapons station shield but all the armour panels have large pin marks on the reverse side as well as being quite thick although the sides are bevelled to give a thinner look to the edges.
The notable new inclusion is the weapons that are nicely detailed and give you an M82A1 .50cal Sniper rifle and M40A1 sniper rifle both of which will come in real handy for OIF dioramas. There is also a multi part Mk.16 grenade laucher and .50 HMG both with nice details.
The M82A1 has excellent details with groves in the barrel, holes in the fore grip and a delicate telescopic sight, separate perforated bipod legs and handgrip for a very nice weapon. There is some thin plastic film to be removed from under the telescopic sight and inside the stock and the muzzle brake will need to be drilled out for a better look but this is easy to deal with as well as the deep pin mark on one side to be filled.
The M40A1 Sniper Rifle also has nice contours with the telescopic sight but also a prominent pin mark to contend with while the M4A1 again has nice details included and a smaller pin mark to fill.
The Mk.19 is in multiple parts to allow for good definition of the main body and top receiver cover with the three part ammo box having a short length of 40mm grenades with good profile included as well as separate rear firing handle and the muzzle will need drilling out for another nice weapon.
The final weapon is the .50cal HMG also has nice details included with separate firing handle and cooling jacket holes nicely represented and again drilling out the barrel will give a better appearance and you use this or the Mk.19 on the pedestal mount provided for the rear cargo bay.
Decals:
The small sheet is well printed with thin carrier film and has a selection
vehicle Tac markings, the white chevron and small stencilling such as the tyre
pressure stencil above each wheel and sling stencilling on the rear. There
are only markings provided for one vehicle as seen in Najaf, Iraq in August
2003.
Conclusion:
The basic HMMWV provided is quite good overall but will need some updating
to bring up to the current configuration if you wish and the additional weapons
are a real bonus and may see some buy the kit just for the M82A1 and M40A1
to use elsewhere.
Recommended.
The
Sprues:
Page created December 3, 2004