Supacat HMT400 Jackal

[Blackmike]

The Jackal is a wheeled armoured vehicle used by the British Army in the deep reconnaissance, rapid assault and convoy protection roles.  Powered by a 6.7 litre Cummins Diesel engine driving through an automatic transmission, the Jackal has immense power and torque which - when combined with its large off-road tyres and adjustable ride height - enable it to traverse very difficult terrain and obstacles.  It can be fitted with either a 0.50 Calibre HMG (heavy machine gun) or a 40mm GMG (grenade machine gun); in addition it has a front-mounted 7.62mm GPMG (general purpose machine gun).  The vehicle saw extensive use in Afghanistan where it proved to be most useful and much loved by its crews.  I built the kit for my son who is currently serving in a Jackal unit. 

 

 

The Airfix kit is part of the Operation Herrick series of 1/48 vehicles and crew/support personnel. It is a mixture of the Jackal Marks 1 and 2. For more detailed information it is worth looking at Craig's build on YouTube (Sabre Models): he's a Jackal instructor and has a wealth of information about the vehicle.

 

 

I used the Airfix Op Herrick figures set and the Tamiya jerry can set.

 

 

 

 

As a point of interest (and as my diorama shows) Jackal crews will orientate the vehicle away from the enemy threat (ie fire the main weapons rearwards) as a way of protecting the driver and the sensitive equipment in the front. 

 

This was a good, fun build with plenty of scope for scratch-building and imagination in the painting, weathering and diorama building.  In fact the challenge was not to over-weather the model (difficult for me) and to balance the camouflage and foliage between tactical realism and obscuring the subject!

 

Thanks for stopping by and looking. 

 

Mike   

[swralph]

Very nice work all round.😀