High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle HMMWV (Hum-Vee)

Matchbox 1:70 Scale Vehicle Review

Missile Carriers with StarWars Pilots in attendance. The local toy store is an excellent source of ready-made vehicles and painted miniatures for an ultra-modern or science fiction army. A variety of Jeeps, trucks, civilian vehicles, armoured cars, troop carriers, tanks, hovercraft, space transports, battle droids, alien creatures, movie heroes and infantry figures can be found, even if they are not always perfectly scaled to match. Some brightly coloured toys may have to be painted and weathered to achieve the proper military look, others may be used straight from the box.

Contents

• M996 TOW Missile Carrier, Basic Armor

The Matchbox die-cast Hum-Vee is ready to play, although it could use some detailing and repainting to make the model appear more realistic. The sturdy metal body can be drilled and sanded to convert the vehicle. Wheels should be superglued to the axles to prevent the Hum-Vee from rolling around on the wargame table.

Evaluation

• The die-cast vehicle is a cheap and easy alternative to a plastic model kit or resin casting of the Hum-Vee. The model may satisfy the wargamer, but it will require a lot of additional detailing to meet the standards of a discerning modeller and diorama builder.
• The black semi-gloss windows look realistic, and they eliminate the need for crew figures inside the vehicle. Covered Hum-Vees are relatively dark inside, when viewed from the front, making it difficult to see the crew.
• Working toy with sprung wheels and accessible cargo bay.

• The TOW missile launcher is not very detailed, it should be replaced by a similar part taken from another 1:72 scale model kit.
• The wheels are modelled incorrectly, although the problem may be corrected slightly by filling the wheel hubs with putty and carving them into the proper shape.
• The unique inverted V-shape wheel suspension of the Hum-Vee has not been recreated correctly, because the model is designed as a toy. The appearance of the front suspension may be improved by carving the excess plastic away. The rear suspension will be more difficult to fix, because the part is not detailed at all.
• The vehicle is sold in a dark olive green base colour with white recognition stars on hood and doors, as well as a large white serial number over each rear fender. The standard 3-colour NATO pattern or a desert sand colour will be more appropriate.

Possible Conversion

• M998 Command Vehicle with Canvas Top
• Civilian or paramilitary Road Warrior Vehicle. The metal cover of the cargo bay may be removed to convert the vehicle to a pick-up with additional passenger seating space.

This Matchbox toy lends itself to a number of interesting Road Warrior vehicle conversions which may be used in conjunction with popular table-top simulation rules. The model is cheap enough to form the basis of an entire fleet of light transport and combat vehicles for wargame purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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– Published: 25.01.1998 – Updated: 23.05.2007
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