Hey all-
I am planning my next project for when I'm done with the aav I'm working on. I was planning on building an OIF LAV-25. A few questions to start off with: 1. What is the best kit of the LAV-25 out there (I've heard the RG is the best)? 2. What would I need to do to make that kit accurate, if anything? 3. Would SpecOps troops use the LAV as a transport vehicle for missions? Any help is appreciated.
Kyle

Currently there is one plastic molded 1/35 kit of LAV-25: Italeri. The Revell kit is just a re-box of Italeri kit, with better decals and made of different plastic (tan vs. green in original Italeri kit). Several years ago there was another kit available from ESCI, but it is out of production and it was worse than Italeri one.

Italeri kit is simplified and not perfectly accurate, but quite buildable and looks like LAV-25 when finished. Wheels are very poor and some resin replacement can improve the look of the model significantly. Supposedly the best wheels are available from Maple Leaf Models (http://www.mapleleafmodels.com/Modern.html). Eduard photo-etched set for Revell LAV-25 is very good and definitely worth buying (of course will also work with original Italeri kit).

Best Regards,
Pawel

These guys like to go in quiet or quick, so they would not use heavy equipment to ride in. That being said, if you envision a "Black Hawk Down" type scenario where the snake eaters were over matched, and if the Marines were available, they would have used the LAVs to extricate them. So anything is truly possible.

Hi Kyle,

My search for detailsets for the LAV's got me (form both ML & Armorama) the following list;

AEF Designs several detailsets for different versions (see www.aefdesigns.com)
Accurate Armour atc06 LAV Roadwheel Set 8 Wheels
CAM Resin camr35001 LAV-25 Piranha Tire Set (8)
Eduard Accessories ed35026 LAV-25 Piranha Detail
Eduard Accessories ed35367 LAV-25 Piranha Mortar Carrier Detail
Eduard Accessories ed35415 LAV-25 TUA Detail
Eduard Accessories ed35485 LAV 25 Piranha (IL)
Eduard Accessories edtp017 LAV-25
Hobby Fan hf804 LAV-25 Series 8x8 Tire (Late Type)
Hobby Fan hf805 LAV-25 Series 8x8 Tire (Early Type)
MR Models md35079 Mowag/Lav Wheels (8)
TAC Scale Dynamics (Warrior?) tl35001 LAV-25 Tires
Mapple leaf LAV tires ( both the US narrow ones and the Canadian wide ones)




I am also planning on doing a AAV7 project. Could you share some of your experience because I am looking for any information I can find on this subject.

Marc

If anyone needs pics, take a look in the AFV reference gallery. Here is the link: I managed to upload a fair amount of both 'stock' and OIF images.....JIm

MODERN U.S. AFVs

Thanks for the help everyone.
Rob:
I was thinking of doing a pre-OIF raid on a suspected chem weapons bunker in Southern Iraq. The scene would depict the LAV as just coming to a halt after breaking through a chain link gate next to a guard post. The figures would be wearing NVGs with a dead Iraqi soldier either inside the guard post or just outside it. The gusrd post would have bullet holes in it made from the LAVs main gun. Other than that everything is still speculative.
Marc:
Thanks for the list. As of right now I am planning on buying the Eduard LAV-25 set (the full one not the ZOOM kit). I don't know how much help I can be as the aav I'm building is in 1:72 scale. I can tell you though that the main websites for reference I've been using are afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com and media.militaryphotos.net; I've also been using the 1:35 scale Tammy aav as a measuring guide. If you have any specific questions, I can try to help.
All:
Unfortunately answers lead to more questions. If the troops and crew were using NVGs, would the vehicle be running dark or would it have headlights, etc. on? Also, would there be any lights in the troop compartment used specifically for that situation? Sorry about all of the questions but the help was so good that I just had to ask more. Cheers!
Kyle

P.S.-sorry I forgot about you Jim. In the pics you linked to, is the vehicle in pics #5-8 the Stryker? I had heard rumors about them being sent to Iraq but had never seen them in the clips on CNN or Fox.

Kyle,
If you dont mind, I would like to chime in here about the lights. I know that the Bradley has lights in it. You can switch the lights from white light to a blue light called "black out lights." I cant remeber what the M1A1 has, maybe Rob can answer that, nor do i know what the LAV has, but all the Army tracked vehicles have this type of lighting in side.
As for the head lights and tail lights. They, too, have "black out" lights. A switch is turned and the main tail, parking, side and head lights go out and little lights on the cluster go on. Before, they where lights bulbs, but now the newer use LED's for this. If you notice on the left cluster, there is a little round headlight type thing with a "duck bill" coming out from the front, well thats the "black out" main head light. Its very hard to see these at night from distance, but with NVG, they are clear as regular lights.

Epi that helps a ton. I was planning on adding the lights along with an interior and this confirmed it. Now I just have to dust off the soldering iron that has been sitting in the back of my cabinet.
Kyle

Kyle,
No problem.
Here is a little sugestion. I built an Alien APC a while back and i scratched built the interior. I used the smallest "grain of wheat" light that Miniatronics. They worked great. I had the blue ones in there. The only problem with "grain of wheat" bulbs is that they can burn out. I did find some blue and white light LED's, but they are expensive, $3 - $5 for a standared size LED. You might want to get these and with a little thinking, you can put both regular and blck out lights inside and out of your vehicle. On the base somewhere, you would have a switch that changes them.
Oh, here is another idea, get a good picture of the actual light switch on the real vehicles and glue it down on the base around the switch. I am pretty sure Rob(SABOT) can help out here and take a couple of shots of the black out lights.
By the way, my civilian education background is around electronics and engineering, so I have a little experience in drawing up wireing schamatics.

Epi you once again have not ceased to amaze me. As of yet, this project is still limited to napkin sketches and quick notes in a project log. As soon as I do get to the building stage, I will either repost or pm you and maybe get some help on the wiring schematics. Thanks a lot!
Kyle