Hello!

Hopefully someone can help - I'm looking to build a USMC HMMWV in Fallujah 2004, and I'm not sure which versions were in use at the time...any help?

Thanks in advance!

For a USMC HMMWV in Falluja, November '04, you have a few options. The uparmored HMMWVs were just coming on board and into widespread use at that time. Some of the older versions were still around as well.

For kits, you can use either a standard M1025 weapons carrier as in the Tamiya kit, Bronco's standrad M1114, or Academy's M998 IED Guntruck kit.





Good luck.

Bronco's M1114 is locally available right now, is any aftermarket necessary to upgrade the M1114 to a Marine specific vehicle?

Nothing else is really needed for a USMC M1114. You could add the extended exhaust pipe, but that is about it.

Thanks Gino!

How accurate are the kit wheels? There always seems to be issues with these.

The Bronco wheels are very nice. Tamiya's are pretty good for the old bias ply type, but those were not used much by '04. Academy's are pretty bad and should be replaced with some newer resin agressive pattern ones.

Just a few USMC Humvees in Fallujah (2004) :















http://lucianread.photoshelter.com/image/I0000LUNj21lw5So

Your choice

Frenchy

A little thread resurrection -

Would M1025s operating with the USMC in Fallujah have been equipped with SINCGARS radios, and would they have been using the FCBC2?

Thanks!

Alex

Yes on the SINCGARS. Maybe on the FBCB2, depedns on if the unit used them or not and if it was a key vehicle that would be equipped with it. Not all vehicles are equipped w/FBCB2 even if the unit uses it.

Ok great, good to know! Does anything really need to be done to the interior of the Tamiya 1025 to bring it up to 2004? I was going to get an aftermarket radio & rack, but other than that?

Yes, we had SINCGARS in the trucks in '04, and usually only the convoy/patrol leaders vehicle had the BFT (Blue Force Tracker) in it. All USMC HMMWVs have the fording kit installed (intake at the roof line, and the extended exhaust pipe).

In 2004, full doors on a USMC HMMWV were few and VERY far between, at least around the time frame you are looking at. Almost all of them had the "half-moon" steel plate doors.

Also, believe it or not, damn near all of our HMMWVs were still woodland in color, and abuot 3/4's of the Marines still had woodland patterned Interceptor Vests (flak jackets).

This is all just me remembering things off the top of my head that stand out from 2004. I'd have to think a little bit to get you anything else, if you need it.

Source - I was there (just south of Fallujah) in 2004, with 1BN 2MAR 2MARDIV.

The M1025 interior builds ok out of the box. I would base an interior detailing decision on how much of the interior is going to be visible. If your going to have doors or the rear hatch open, I would encourage you to add photo-each. Regardless, its a fun build.

Awesome, thanks for the help!
I was going to use the blast models OIF set, it has the long vertical exhaust, with the box around it 2/3 the way up the rear as seen in the photo above. Is that what you're talking about re: fording kit, or is that the tall stack on the hood, left of passenger?

The fording kit is the raised air intake on the front and the extended exhaust on the rear side. It's pretty common to see the extended exhaust without the extended air intake.

The box around the extended exhaust is a wire-bound box that contained metal ammo cans. We often hung on to a box or two as they made great improvised toilet seats. The box isn't a standard thing...just something done to make things a little more tolerable in combat.

Alex, in 03-04 we didn't have uparmored Humvees. We had open top, open sides with blue armor blankets in the floor boards of our gun trucks. Gil I'm one of the guys who handed over AO to you guys. Was in C/HHC 3/505 82ABN. Was in MEK and we built FOB Mercury. Good to talk to someone who was in exact places at one time downrange.

Thanks for the input! I'm looking at the improvised armoured "halfdoors" (for lack of a better term) and the engine vent covers, that kinda stuff.

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=35780

I saw it somewhere was cheaper than that, May be ebay.....

jay

Thanks for the heads up! Do parts for a M998 fit a M1025?

Yes, the basic HMMWV body is the same.

Great, thanks all! Everyone's been very helpful! Will get photos of the build up when I get moving!

Does the US army also uses M1114 in 2004 in Fallujah ?