Bronco Models
M1224 MaxxPro MRAP
Bronco Models 1:35 Scale Kit No. CB35142
First Look Peview by Terry Ashley

Bronco Models
Introduction:
Notes from the Instructions;
The M1224 MaxxPro was developed by Navistar International as a 4x4, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicle. It is built on the International 7000 series chassis with armor designed by Plasan Sasa of Israel. It was built for the United States Marine Corps with the first two pilot vehicles ready for testing in 2007. After successful trials production orders were placed the same year by both the USMC and US Army.

Several variants have appeared with different levels of protection, a weapon station is normally mounted on the roof. The M1224 weighs 13.5 tons and is powered by a MaxxForce D9 330 bhp diesel engine and Allison 3000 5-speed automatic transmission. It is capable of speeds up to 100 km/h and has a road range of 400 km. The M1224 features bolted armor panels which can quickly be replaced in the field, rather than conventional welded armor. The vehicle is primarily used for patrol in hostile territory and can withstand a mine or IED with up to 7kg of explosive.

Over 9,000 MaxxPro MRAP's have been built and it is used by all branches of the US military. It has also been purchased by 20 friendly nations for military and police use. Most M1224's have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to combat terrorist forces, replacing the more vulnerable HUMVEE and other soft skin vehicles.

The Kit:
Bronco Models are about to release their long-awaited kit of the M1224 MaxxPro MRAP and this is just a quick Preview to see what you get in the box and a summary of the model; more info may be added at a later date time permitting.

The kit consists of;
878 parts in light grey plastic
60 parts in clear plastic
59 etched brass parts
4 vinyl tyres
1 decal sheet
1 x 39-page colour A4 instruction booklet

Etched parts and tyres
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Additional bolt heads included on runner C
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The standard of moulding is excellent overall with clean crisp details virtually free from flash, there is the odd small bit here and there but easily removed, pin marks are also at a minimum with most going by the instructions should be in places not seen after assembly and there is the usual myriad of plastic nodes to be removed from the parts as with most kits these days.  Also included are numerous small bolt heads on the runners to add as required to the kit, these are indicated in the instructions where needed.

As you might expect with a parts count of 878 there are many small and finely moulded parts and care will be needed removing these from the runners and during assembly, some of the assembly sequences are also quite busy due to the number of parts but the build will identify if there are any issues from this as is always the case.

The kit starts with is a multi-part chassis with full diesel engine, this has the major hose connectors and intakes included but there would be quite a bit of smaller plumbing to be added if you wished to display this after assembly. The chassis includes full suspension springs with movable front steering, this only allows you to position the wheels and minor mods will be needed to make fully workable, the wheels themselves have plastic rims with nice bolt head details that go with the vinyl type tyres with nice chunky tread pattern, there is a fine mould line around the tread that might need a bit of effort to remove as is the nature with vinyl parts.

The full drive train is included with central transfer case and differentials and the full-length exhaust pipe and rear mounted muffler as well as a separate radiator and grill along with the large front bumper and numerous other under-body panels plus the upper-body mounting brackets for quite a comprehensive sub-assembly.
All the body panels are separate parts and the two lower rear panels have etched mesh that covers the full air-con boxes with nicely textured round fans that can be seen through the PE mesh.

The interior is nicely decked out with rear seats with moulded on seat belts, equipment racks with various radios and other equipment to add to these, the front office has the driver's seat again with moulded on seat belts and the central large electronics panel and detailed dash with decals for the main driver's instruments plus the steering column and wheel.

The main side panels with the door frames has the bolted armour panels added to the outside along with the armoured window frames and etched grills, the armoured glass is clear plastic and will need to be tinted. The two front doors also have the outer panel with inner door panel details plus the armoured glass frames and etched grills, the doors can be shown open or closed?
The separate roof has additional top panels and other details added along with the separate front windscreen assembly, all these panels are then brought together to form the main cabin and I would assume care will be needed to get all these aligned without issues?  The assembled cabin is then attached to the lower chassis and rear panels and again alignment will be paramount.

The engine hood and front grill frame with the two separate side fender sections are joined to form a separate hood sub-assembly which can be shown closed or swung forward in the open position to display the engine compartment if you wish? At the back the rear panel has the separate door/entry steps in etched brass and this also can be fitted open or closed, other rear details include the two Jerry Can racks and small armoured windows again with etched grills.

The upper weapons station has the square base with the armoured shields with armoured glass windows, these will need to be tinted as with the body windows, you get a choice of M240 7.62 MG or M2 .50cal MG as main armament along with an optional side mounted swing arm mount with M240.

Instructions/Decals:
The instructions are the usual exploded view drawings that are nicely paid out and mostly clear to follow although there are some rather busy sequences due to the many smaller parts as mentioned and studying the instructions before diving in should prevent any unwanted surprises along the way.

Markings are provided for four vehicles, two US and two Czech Army all in overall Desert Sand with the instructions giving four view colour illustrations of each option and paint numbers listed for; Hobby Color, Mr.Hobby, Humbrol and Tamiya paints.

Option 1: 7th US Army JMTC, Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany 2010
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Option 2: Czech Army, PRT ISAF, Shank-Logar, Afghanistan, Autumn 2012
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Option 3: Czech Army, Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team ISAF, Wardak, Afghanistan, Spring 2012
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Option 4: US Army, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, 2010
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As mentioned this is just a brief overview preview of the kit contents with images below telling most of the story for now, additional build images may be added later with time permitting.

The Part Runners:

Click on thumbnails for larger view
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Detail images
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Instructions
Click NEXT or PREV to go forward or back through the slideshow or click the middle of the image to enlarge.
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References:
MaxxPro MRAP
A Visual History of the Maxxpro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles

Ampersand Publishing
Ampersand
U.S. 4x4 MRAP MaxxPro In Detail
MaxxPro and MaxxPro Dash DXM

Wings & Wheels Publications G 032
WWP
US MRAPs
Squadron Signal In-Action #12054
book
MRAP
Modern U.S. Army Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles

Tankograd Publishing Nr. 3011
Book

Thanks to Gecko Models for the review kit.

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Page created 21 January 2018



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