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M1114 conversion kit for M1046

Legend Productions M1114 conversion kit (LF1203) for Tamiya w/ LF12A6 Rhino anti-IED device.

First Impressions

Kit arrived in the standard Legend cardboard box with illustration, was very well packaged. No broken resin, no bent PE, everything was present and intact, a very good start to a popular and much needed conversion. Only thing that caught my eye off the bat was the front windshield frame was slightly warped outward, nothing hot water and eventually some CA glue couldn't fix.

Resin casting blocks weren't much of a hassle, smaller parts, as usual are casted with strips on the underside that will need to be cut and sanded away. There are some delicate parts like the turret ring and hatches that will gouge and removal of the excess casting should be done carefully.

And the build begins...

The model assembles very easily, instructions are for the most part very clear, and it was a breeze even for a aftermarket beginner like myself. The most tedious of it was assembling the turret and all the resin bolt heads on the PE. I included the Rhino anti-IED LF12A6 device on this one, another kit from Legend. No more than fifteen pieces, mostly PE, and on it went.

After putting the majority of it together, it was all prepped and painted. I painted the roof, body, and doors all separately, starting with white primer, moving to dark preshading, and finally a light coat of buff before Tamiya sand.

From there I assembled the entire body, roof and doors with windows, and applied the decals (mix and match from the original Tamiya base model) and finished up the detail painting around the model, and finished up the wheels and spare. Chipping using flat black and mud spray and dust were all added then as well.

Equipment included in the Legend set consisted of 6 ammo cans, and three water cans. Other than the two ammo cans on the turret, everything is inside. I added a few water bottles and personal equipment inside, as well as a M16A4 to the turret and 50cal from AFV. ( I chose the M1046 because I wanted the up armored doors and other goodies it comes with...)

After a few pointers and tips I added stretched sprue radio antennae and am still waiting on mirrors.

Final thoughts

As I said, this kit was a joy to build. It looks fantastic, the molding is crisp and clean, and fills in for a lot that has happened after the 1046 and other missing OIF/OEF media we haven't seen from the big plastic manufactures yet. The price (90-100 USD) is reasonable and I couldn't be happier, and can't wait to work on the 1151 and SF variants Legend has released.