Tamiya's all-new 1/35 M1025 Humvee

Kit: No. 35263
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Tamiya, distributed by Tamiya America, 2 Orion, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4200, 800-826-4922, www.tamiyausa.com
Price: $36
Comments: Injection-molded, 160 parts (8 vinyl), decals
Pros: Great detail, good fit, fine vinyl tires, optional guns for weapons mount, two crew figures
Cons: No engine, no detail inside rear hatch

In the 1980s, the U.S. military needed to replace its aging light utility trucks (generally called "Jeeps") with a new vehicle. AM General proposed a larger all-wheel-drive vehicle that would not only replace the "Jeep," but several other vehicles as well. Designated the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or HMMWV, the new vehicle was dubbed "Hummer" by AM General, but the troops often call it the Humvee.

The basic troop carrier/cargo version features a soft-top and canvas doors. Several other variations are made, including an ambulance, prime mover for light artillery, and a shelter carrier. The M1025 armament carrier differs as it has solid doors and a hard top that covers the vehicle from windshield to tailgate. The roof is equipped with a rotating weapons-mount ring that can be fitted with an M60 or M2 machine gun, a 40mm Mark 19 grenade launcher, or even a TOW missile launcher.

The Humvees have seen action in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and now Iraq, so the timing of Tamiya's all-new kit is perfect. Molded in tan plastic, the kit features excellent detail, an optional front brush guard, and a choice of a grenade launcher or a .50-caliber M2 machine gun.

Although the doors are molded separately, it would be difficult to show them open without major work to the hinges. The hood is also separate, but no engine is provided in the kit. To be fair, little of the engine would be seen anyway, because the radiator sits on top of it. The rear hatch is molded separately too, but to show it open, you would want to scratchbuild interior detail and the complex hinges.

Tamiya's soft vinyl tires feature an accurate tread pattern, but the tread depth is a little shallow - perhaps they represent well-worn tires! A driver figure and a standing figure to man the weapons ring are provided. The well-printed decal sheet includes markings for four vehicles: three in NATO schemes (in Kosovo and Bosnia service) and one U.S. Desert Storm colors.

The one-piece chassis frame ensures all wheels will be on the ground when you're done. I painted the chassis after everything except the fuel tank and tool kit was assembled. You could paint details before assembly, or as I did, weather with a substantial coat of road grime. I didn't add the tires as step 10 suggests, leaving them for later.

The body was next. The seats and most of the interior details were left out until after painting. I installed the driver side support (part No. D22) and the dash/ windshield assembly (minus the clear parts), then jumped ahead and added the turn signals (minus their clear parts) and radiator deflector to the hood. Finally, I assembled the weapons ring and the rear hatch in the roof. With all of the major assemblies complete, it was time to paint.

I finished my model as a KFOR (Kosovo Forces) vehicle stationed in Germany. I glued the doors to the body, and masked all window openings with drafting tape. I found I could hold the hood in place with a piece of masking tape applied to the underside. The roof unit snapped into place and was easy to hold while I sprayed the exterior colors.

With the main camouflage painting done, the major assemblies were taken apart and the interior details added. The decals snuggled down over spots of Future floor polish with just a touch of Solvaset. Polly Scale clear flat provided the final sheen. While the decals are good, the black lettering all but vanished into my NATO paint scheme.

After mounting the chassis to the body, I glued the hood in place. Finally, the wheels and small details were added to the exterior.

It did not surprise me that my model scaled exactly to the dimensions of the real vehicle in Squadron/Signal's Hummer in Action. It took only 21 hours to build my Humvee, a little longer than average due to the multicolored camouflage scheme.

The finished model looks great and was easy to build. Anyone with a little kit-building experience should have no trouble with this one. Don't be surprised if Tamiya makes more Humvee variants from this fine start.

- John Plzak