M1114 Humvee

Subject:
M1114
Humvee
Dragon - 1/72

Review & model by:
Ian Dow
Pictures: R. Forys

[The Dragon 1/72 Humvee 1+1 kit actually includes 2 humvees.]

This is the Dragon 1/72 "Humvee 1+1" kit that has been out for several years now. It is called the 1+1 kit due to the fact that there are actually 2 humvees in the kit. Included are both an M1114 w/M2 .50 cal machine gun, and an M1114 w/Mk.19 grenade launcher Up-Armored Armament Carrier. This is a nice feature because this is a relatively simple kit that goes together very well, so instead of lowering the price of the kit, they throw in an extra one. A few pieces of photo-etch are included along with a nice little interior. You could have this built up and painted in a long day. The only real issue I had was getting the rubber tires on the rims. They were so small and the tire was so tight that getting it onto the rim was not real easy. I would like to say there was a method, but I think I used a different method for each tire.

[The Eduard photo-etch set for the Revell Humvee worked well dispite some minor issues.]

I used the photo-etch set from Eduard for this kit. It is intended for the Revell Humvee kit so there are some size issues and fit problems with a few of the parts, but overall the kit with the photo etch work together well. There are nice louvers, bumpers, tie downs, gun shields, interior dashboard, radio and CB equipment, seatbelts and ammunition for the guns. With all the nice photo-etch pieces for the interior, I decided I would leave the doors and trunk open. The entire top of the Humvee is one clear piece, so a little care is needed to mask the appropriate areas off before painting.

The Up-Armored program (M1114) was developed as a result of peacekeeping efforts throughout various parts of the world. The M1114 is an Up-Armored HMMWV that provides ballistic, artillery, and mine blast protection to its occupants. The main modifications include an armor package, high capacity brakes, upgraded suspension and lift points, a reinforced frame, and a large capacity air conditioning unit. The weapon mount, located on the roof of the vehicle, can accomidate either the M60, 7.62mm machine gun; M2 .50 caliber machine gun; or the MK 19 Grenade Launcher, and can be traversed 360 degrees.

[The entire top of the Humvee is one clear piece, so it must be masked off before painting.]

The smoke discharges were enhanced with very fine wire that I pirated out of an old mouse cord. I scratchbuilt a CRT screen with a mounting bracket for the passenger side of the vehicle. On this I attached a small map to make it look like a GPS command unit. I also added a small partition to the back of the vehicle so that there was a cargo bay in the back to hold weapons and stowage. In the passenger compartment I also added a scratchbuilt fire extinguisher.

[All the equipment and weapons on the inside of the vehicle needed to be painted, placed, and tied down before the top was attached.]

The interior of the vehicle was painted first and then masked off. Since I wanted to have equipment and weapons on the inside of the vehicle I needed to have them painted placed and tied down before the top was put on and the outside painted. This was a tricky process because you had to be careful of all the photoetch that was added when masking the vehicle for paint. Although they are next to impossible to see, there are decals on many of the crates and stowage items in the vehicle. These came from the scrap box and are very small. I believe most came from an old Gundam model. One can be seen on the rocket launcher sitting in the rear of the vehicle.

The outside was painted in Floquil Railroad Brown and then Model Masters Desert Yellow was used to fog over that until the colors had been brought up. The color was then darkened for the bottom of the vehicle and lightened for the top of the vehicle. A very fine dilute mist coat was sprayed over the whole vehicle to unify the colors together. I then went about adding washes to bring out the details by using Sepia oil paint, along, with Burnt Sienna, and Raw Umber. For my dry brushing I used a naples yellow and bone white to mimic sun fading with a little chipping. I then applied some of the MIG pigments in very sparing amounts because I wanted to give the vehicle a used look without giving it a beat up and over done look. The desert does not rust vehicles so it is important to know weather conditions as to how a vehicle will look in different climates. To complete the vehicle the hatch was placed in the upright position with two small metal wires painted black on one side to look like the pneumatic hinges on a hatchback.

[Very fine wire from an old mouse cord was used to wire up the smoke discharges.]

[Backpacks were placed around the vehicle to give the vehicle a used and occupied look without including figures.]

I constructed a simple sand setting with nothing but a few stones around it. I used adhesive grout for the ground work and then laid my tire tracks into the sand. The adhesive grout has a fine grit to it so it mimics the characteristics of sand very well. I then added straps to the backpacks and rocket launcher and painted them up in a camouflage pattern. These were placed around the vehicle to give the vehicle a used and occupied look without including figures to form a vignette. A final touch was the map on the front fender which was made from reducing a map image off the computer. It was then folded several times and then laid open. This gave it the folded and worn look.

[A simple sand setting was constructed with adhesive grout and a few stones.]

This was a very enjoyable kit to build. It stretched my modeling skills and the results were well worth the efforts. It received a 1st place in the soft skin wheeled category for 1/72 scale at the 2009 IPMS Nationals in Coloumbus.

[The kit received a 1st place in the soft skin wheeled category for 1/72 scale at the 2009 IPMS Nationals in Coloumbus.]