Military Model Scene
Robin Buckland's
US Modern M1114 in 1/72...
...Up-armoured HMMWV FRAG-5 w/GPK turret
A while ago I reviewed and built the first of their HMMWV kits from T-Model and this time I can talk about their 3rd version, the up-armoured M1114 FRAG 5 with GPK (Gunner Protection Kit) turret. The bulk of the kit is the same basic kit but with plenty of additional parts to add the appropriate upgrades. Heavily armoured doors and the new gun turret are the most obvious changes. It does also feature the multi-part injection moulded wheels/tyres as in the first release, and a quite unusual style for a small scale model. These use a front and rear face while the main tread is then made up of short sections. You need to clean up the parts carefully and you find that they then fit very neatly. It looks like an odd way to go about the wheels but it actually works rather well.
Another feature of the kit this time are the accessories which are included. On the new sprue with the new armoured doors are a couple of RPG-7s. In addition to this, there is a sprue of stowage items, equipment boxes, ammo boxes, jerrycans etc (as featured in their separately available US Accessory set). If you choose to assemble the model with the rear door open to the stowage area, you can fill it out with these.
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Robin
Box art
Instructions
Accessories
Chassis parts
Upper body and details
New doors, side panels
Wheels
Bonnet (hood) and clear parts
Etch parts fret