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M-1083 FMTV with Armoured Cab 1:35


Shar2

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M-1083 FMTV with Armoured Cab

Trumpeter 1:35

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History
The FMTV, (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles), series of vehicles are derived from the Austrian Steyr 12M18 and built by Oshkosh Corporation having taken over production from BAE Systems in 2011. The Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) has a 5-ton capacity (cargo and long-wheelbase cargo with and without material handling equipment, tractor, van, wrecker, and dump truck models). Three truck variants and two companion trailers, with the same cube and payload capacity as their prime movers, provide air drop capability. M1083s have been deployed to Iraq with armoured cabs with roof gun mounts with shields, similar to those fitted on High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) and M113s. he cab-over FMTV replaces the 2.5 ton and 5 ton M35 and M939 series of trucks and performs local and line haul, unit mobility, unit resupply, and other missions in combat, combat support and combat service support units. It is rapidly deployable worldwide and operates on primary and secondary roads, trails, and cross-country terrain, in all climatic conditions. Commonality of parts across truck chassis variants significantly reduces the logistics burden and operating and support costs. New vehicle applications are being developed to meet new requirements.

The Model

The kit is contained in the standard sturdy top opening box, with an artists impression of the vehicle in an encampment somewhere in the sandbox on the front. Inside are twelve sprues of light grey styrene a separate cab, one of clear styrene, a small fret of etched brass, and seven vinyl tyres.

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Construction begins with the chassis with the main longitudinal rails joined together with the various cross members, intermediate gearbox and the underside of the engine/gearbox. To the rear the hose accessory fittings for a trailer are fitted to the last crossbeam. There are a number of attachment points fixed to the outside of the rails for use later on in the build. The rear carriage spring suspension and associated shock absorbers are fitted, followed strangely by the rear mudguard assemblies, consisting of the guards, attachment beam and the light clusters. Also fitted at this point is the exhaust system which comes in two lengths of pipe and two halves of the silencer. The three axles are now assembled, each with their fittings, differentials and the ball joints for the steering mechanism at the front, connected by the track rod. The front carriage springs are assembled and fitted to the chassis, followed by the axles into their respective positions with the rears connected by separate driveshafts.

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Next up is a series of sub-assemblies that make up the external details of the truck. These include the fuel tank, hydraulic reservoir, the triple air bottle container, plus the bottles themselves, fuel filter and storage box. These are then fitted in position on either side of the chassis. Each wheel is made up of a four piece outer hub, which also includes a poly cap, the vinyl tyre, and the inner hub. With the six main wheels assembled they can be attached to their respective axles. Before the next stage can be started there is a three piece hand winch to be assembled and fitted to the right hand side, just aft of the fuel tank.

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Work now begins on building the body work, beginning with the fitting of the various support beams to the chassis. The front beam is larger than the others and incorporates the mudguards for the front wheels. The truck bed itself is assembled from the bed, side, front and rear panels. The underside of the bed is fitted out with strengthening beams on the underside, tilt hooks on the sides and to the rear a folding access ladder. On the inside of the bed sides the troop seats are assembled and affixed into place. These seats each consist of two styrene parts and an etched part. They can be posed folded up out of the way or down for use.

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Work on the cab begins with the attachment of the support structures, foot plates and wheel arches to the underside of the cab floor. Turning the floor over, the front console and instrument binnacle are glued together then attached to the front for the cab floor, along with the instrument cluster and switch box, (decals are provided for the instruments), followed by the steering column and foot pedals. The cab has three seats fitted, each made up of a base, squab, back rest and side supports. With the seats in place, the fire extinguisher is fitted, along with two storage boxes. Finally the steering wheel and column shift gear lever are attached to the steering column.

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The single piece armoured cab is fitted out with clear parts for the windows, identification panels on the sides and rear along with their associated PE handles. The doors are next, each fitted with internal and external handles and three piece wing mirror assemblies. The completed doors can be posed either open or closed. The kit comes with three PE windscreen wipers which are very fine and liable to bend to care will need to be taken removing from the fret and attaching to the windscreen. The large air filter is now assembled from two halves, onto which the intake ends are attached, followed by the two support brackets. The cab interior is now fitted into the cab shell, after which the 50 cal mount is assembled from the scarf ring, mount, armour plate, machine gun and ammunition basket. This is then fitted into position on top of the cab.

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Nearing completion the modeller needs to add the truck bed, and air intake sub assemblies. Before the cab can be attached there is the spare wheel support bracketry to be assembled and attached, plus the assembly of the air conditioning units, which fits onto the back of a separate plate fitted behind the cab. The completed cab can now also be attached to the chassis ending the build.

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Decals

The small decal sheet has decals for the instrument cluster and switch panel along with various placards for around the truck. There are no unit markings, but from the photographs I’ve seen they very rarely have them.

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Conclusion

Trucks like this don’t get the recognition that the heavy armour gets but without them the modern army would be unable to operate, so it’s good to see kits being produced. The detail is excellent and the build doesn’t look too awkward, so would be good for all but the newest beginner. The fact that the tilt is missing, even though it’s shown on the boxart is the biggest downer which hopefully Trumpeter will rectify in an update set or an aftermarket company will come to the rescue. All in all though a nice kit. Highly recommended




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Review sample courtesy of

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