With today's "In-Boxed:" we look into a new company - "T-Model" that has made a small scale 72nd U.S.Modern M114 – Up Armoured HMMWV of the "HUUUUMVVEEE" as some people call it. See what Clayton though before he puts together this, the 21st century's answer to the Jeep.
In-Boxed: US.Modern M114 – Up Armoured HMMWV
by T-Model
TM7201
1/72nd scale
Price:$22.71 USD/ $28.43 AUD/ €19.05 EUR/ £17.41 GBP
History
You would have to have been living under a rock to be familiar with the term Hummer, or Humvee. The multipurpose military vehicle is as well know as the everyday sedan. The Humvee, or High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), is a four wheel drive light truck produced by AM General and was designed to take on roles such as personnel and cargo transport as well as recon roles behind the front lines. The Humvee is constructed from a lightweight Aluminium rather than steel. It seats 4 people within an enclosed metal cabin.
As the need grew for the Humvee to take on a little more ‘heavy lifting’, modifications to the initial design saw the vehicle up armoured and up gunned. The Humvee has proved itself on the battlefield many times over, and have become an integral part of the modern U.S. Military.
THE KIT
The name T-Model was new to me, so I was interested to take the opportunity to have a look at what this new player to the market had to offer. Knowing nothing of this kit, I assumed it would be a ‘shake and bake’ scenario, and a quick and easy build.
There is no question that the 1/72 as a scale has been growing in popularity. Gone are the days of odd scales and softly detailed moulds. Some of the recent releases have been nothing short of epic, and the scale has become the domain of the skilled modeller looking for a braille scale challenge.
That said, there are still some very simple options out there that will produce reasonable results, but the top level of 1/72nd scale is now being catered to in a pleasing way.
So, what is T-Model going to offer us? Shake and bake, or something a little more complex?
Initial impressions of the box. Clean and simple with a basic line drawing of the subject. It would definitely be recognisable on the shelf, but would it inspire you to pick it up…I’m not sure. It did remind me of the Flyhawk Models style of packaging.
The box opens in a hinged style to reveal the pieces.
The kit comes with a small, stapled instruction booklet. There are 21 steps in total, so it became clear that there would be some building in this model.
You also receive a small print of the box art to decorate your walls.
There are NO decals in the kit, and the instructions only call out for the one colour scheme.
The rest of the instructions are here also
The kit comes with two tiny PE frets.
Sprue A is the largest fret in the kit and houses the chassis, tub, doors and front windscreen among other things. The moulding is very tidy and the detail looks reasonable to my eye.
Here is a closer look at some of the parts from Sprue A. You will notice the various gadgetry that will be visible if you choose to pose the model with the bonnet open. The detail on the chassis and the exhaust system is very well moulded.
Sprue B hold the roof section, the side sections and door skins as well as the weaponry.
Here you see the underside of the roof section. Whilst a small amount of clean up and filling will be required, the underside is nicely detailed for the inside surfaces of the roof. To be honest, any imperfections will be extremely hard to see once this model is built, so I will probably just live with the ejector and sink marks.
The bonnet section is supplied in a single piece and also has a detailed underside.
Cleaning these surfaces up will be critical if you are intending to pose the model with the bonnet open.
Now, to the elephant in the room… the two sets of Sprue C that hold the wheels. The wheels are constructed in 8 pieces per wheel. The tread is 6 small pieces of treat that fit around a central wheel section. I really have no idea how the decision was made to produce the wheels in this fashion. I have seen this technique work on larger scales, but looking at the size of these pieces, I was immediately concerned about how they would come out.
I will reserve judgement for the build.
I must note here however, that I have heard rumours that the kit will possibly be re-released with resin wheels in the future. So, watch this space, because that would be a welcomed addition.
Sprue G is the clear fret and contains the glazing for the vehicle. The grill section is in this fret, so some masking and painting will be required.
Conclusion
From the outset, it was pretty clear that this little 1/72 release was going to be one for the builders. Multiple parts with interior detail, poseable doors, bonnet, rear hatch and a choice of weapons promises to build up into an interesting little model. The question would be, how does it all fit together, and what will those wheels look like.
The fact that the kit doesn’t have a decal sheet is a little disappointing, but certainly not a deal breaker. Markings would have only been small on such a tiny model anyway, but something would have been better than nothing.
I’m not sure if the Humvee was a good choice for a new manufacturer to offer up as their initial release, but I guess time will tell. It looks to be a tidy little model with enough in the build to keep the seasoned modeller interested.
I am looking forward to getting some glue onto this one. Stay tuned for the build and paint review.
Clayton Ockerby
T-Model does not have a website yet - however, you can catch up with their developments here on TMN and you can get this kit from Product Link @ Hobbylink Japan
