Hello all, this will be my first build log here on Armorama. I actually started this build back in the days immediately after Tamiya's M1025 and M1046 came out. It has set in a cabinet in may garage through at least four household moves! The build will be an M1043 of the 101 Airborne Division from Mosul, Iraq, circa 2003. I am using the M1046 due to the kit having the correct doors for the build. I am going to model a generic version based on one of the many Humvees visible in photos and videos of the attempt to capture Uday and Qusay Hussein. We all know the final outcome of that event...

This will not be an orderly build. I never follow instructions... just ask my wife! I jump around because I do not have the ability to build anything OOB. I am using a lot of Evergreen plastic. Be patient with me but point out any serious errors you see. I have the Eduard set for the M1025 and M1046 but will be using little of it. Eduard tends to make everything over scale and too thin for may taste. I am also using the DEF Model sagged wheels appropriate for this truck, DW35003. I am using stowage and equipment from many sources including Live Resin, ProArt, SKP Model, Samofalov/Shapeways, and Voyager. The state of the art today is truly amazing!

Most of these trucks have some interesting features. The first is the inclusion of a secondary weapon on the main weapons ring on many of the M1043 and M1046 trucks present. This is an M249 SAW mounted on a secondary, and impossible to see, mount with a commercially made swing arm (Samofalov/Shapeways). In most cases the SAW is mounted to an M240/M249 mount using a plastic ammo box of the type usually mounted below the weapon when it is carried by dismounted infantry.

The second of these features is a rear bumper that appears to be locally fabricated out of square tubing and mounted to the frame. I can't find any photos that show how this bumper is mounted so any attempt I make to model it is pure speculation. Any help with this bumper design would be greatly appreciated.

My inspiration photo is posted below:

Here are the first two photos. Sorry for their quality. My lighting consists of the undercabinet lights in my kitchen. Both are of the Weapons Station. For the most part the Weapons Station is complete. I still need to add the M249 which is from Live-Resin with a mount from Samofalov. The mount and swing are are well detailed, but some areas are fuzzy and had to be smoothed. I do think there is a problem with their printers. The fuzzyness appears in odd places in bands, and over most of the underside. The M2 and mount will be from Live-Resin as well. I used Meng nuts and bolts, a lot of Evergreen, and one photo etched piece from Eduard which is way too big. The stifener detail on the underside didn't turn out as I planned. I wish someone with access to a 3D printer would do one with the grooves in the ribs. Let me know what you think.

That looks great. If the whole vehicle gets that sort of detailed treatment this is going to be a beauty to watch.

Thanks Sean. If the wholle vehicle gets this treatment it will take forever. I am plugging steadily away. I have a ton of inspiration here to keep me going!

Nice work bud, showing some skill with the plastic stock and card.

Keep it up


Dan

Hi Eric
Nice start.
Can you please change the background to darker, it will help us to see better the white plastic that you are using.
Thanks
Robert

Robert, the light background is less than ideal. I took those rather quickly. I guess I felt the need to show some progress. I will have to pick something up later. I didn't realize how washed out everything looked. Thanks for the tip.

Following closely here Eric. Looks great! Please keep up the good work. All the best

Hi Eric
Take your time, again looks good
Robert

I really want to thank everyone for their kind words. I will have a couple of new pictures soon! Can anyone tell me where I can come up with an unused Tamiya tailgate? As I started this years ago, I cut the tabs off of the tailgate thinking I would use the Eduard parts. They look dreadful. They are just too square. I could do them qith styrene, but I would rather drill and carve them hollow. I think I saw it done on one of Kuba's posts and it just looks better and more realistic. If I can get two tailgates I would trade for a Calibre 35 M998 conversion I have sitting around that is gathering dust. PM me if you're interested.

Eric

Hello everyone! I haven't forgotten about this build. I am still working on it and making slow progress. I bought a piece of darker paper for the backdrop for photos as well as a new cutting mat. I still need to secure some better lighting. I have a problem though. I bought the SKP lenses for the Humvee and just got them in the mail. I am upset because the headlight lenses are yellowed. I read a post a while back that addressed this but can't find it. Will SKP send me a new set that doesn't have yellowed lenses? If so, how should I contact them?

I have a couple of questions for all of you who are familiar with things from the early OIF period. I am in the Air Force and I am therefore completely ignorant of Army practices!

1. Which radios would have been carried and how many? The trucks only have one radio which I assume means they only carried a single radio. I have the ProArt SINCGARS set from way back. Is the rack design from the Tamiya kit or the one from the Eduard set for the M1025 accurate?

2. Were the ammo racks in the bed of the truck actually used to hold ammo cans? I have never seen a period photo with the racks full, or even used. The M1026 we have at work has all of the racks removed.

3. If the M2 is mounted, would the Mk 19 have been carried in its rack in the bed of the truck?

4. Where would the switch for the grenade launcher mounted on the truck roof have been mounted? I have a drawing of the switch, but no idea where to mount it.

5. I still need help with the design of the bumper. I have better photos of the rear of a couple of the trucks, but no idea how they were mounted.

This is an amazing community. I am so glad I made the decision to become an active participant!

Sorry, haven't looked in on this thread in a while. Can't answer your detailed questions but did you get your tail gate? That I probably do have spare in the sparts box

As for the radio's, remember, one radio per antenna. A SINCGAR rack will hold 2 radios, but you can install just 1 in the rack.

Sean, I haven't had any luck with the Tamiya M1025 tailgate. It would be great if you had one. Do you want the Calibre 35 M998 conversion as a trade?

Thank you Pete for the great drawing for the smoke grenade system! That will be invaluable for this and future builds.

Hello all! Sorry for the delay in posting to this build. I warned you I was sloooooowwwww! I also told you I do not follow directions well. I have been finishing some small stuff while I work diligently on the large stuff. Thank you for looking. Comment away...

The first photos are of the Live-Resin M249 which will go on the M1043. I have to build a second one for the M1045. I cut too deeply into the picatinny rail on top when mounting the M145 Machine Gun Optic. It sits at a funny angle. The mount had to be built as there aren't any available commercially. Some of it is guesswork. The brass pins are temporary and will be replaced after painting with more accurate ones. Also visible is a chief complaint of mine with Live-Resin's otherwise great weapons, breakage in shipping. The charging handle on two of the three weapons in the package was broken.





The next set of images is for the Mk93 mount for the M2. I started with the Live-Resin piece that came with the M2, but as I think it is extremely simplified, I filed most of it away and rebuilt it. The detail that is present is very well done. It reminds me of a Tamiya product. What detail is present is sharp, but there is a lot that can be added. I used stretched sprue for the pins and will make retaining clips to add after painting. The T&E is still movable, but will be fixed when the weapon is mounted.







The final set are of the tailgate, the underside of the roof, the M3 tripod, and the weapons station. I hollowed out the ends of the tailgate rather than use the photo etched parts. I think the reason is clear. The roof still needs quite a bit done to it, but I wanted to show some progress. The M3 tripod is done. I cut off the feet, corrected their angle, and replaced the spades on each one. I also hollowed out the body of it. The weapons station has been shown before, but I photographed it against a darker background so the detail is easier to see.









The weapons station features a swing arm from Shapeways/Samofalov. I think the detail is outstanding. I will have to see how sharp it is after priming. I also just received the TOW FCS and ITAS from Samofalov. I had it printed in the highest available resolution. Upon a quick inspection the surface is smooth and the detail is very sharp. Again, thanks for looking!

Regards, Eric

Hi Eric. Wondered if I had missed a side thread on your work? Hope you are doing well. All the best!

I must have missed most of this thread as well. I have a ton of extra HMMWV parts Eric. If you need something,let me know and I will send it to you for free.

S Gillespie, I am well, just distracted by the holidays and a ton of birthdays. I just got my daughter moved back to school and was able to reclaim the garage. My workshop is set up and ready to go! I hope to post an update soon.

Brent, I still could use a Tamiya tailgate. I have been working on three of these at once. I made the mistake of cutting off the tabs before I bent the Eduard photo etch. The photo etch parts looked really bad. I have made a bit of progress but have mostly been working on masters to cast some parts I'd like to only make once. I tend to go way overboard. So much of what I do will never get seen by anyone once they are done. I'll PM you my address. Thanks for the help.

Regards,

Eric

Good to see you online Eric.

Brent - PM sent

-Stuart

that's some fine, clean detail.

I am finally going to resurrect this topic from the dead with some new photos. I have been working on this very slowly, adding a few bolts and scraps of styrene here and there. I was very ambitious at the start and have had my enthusiasm tempered a bit. All of this work is on the chassis and suspension. I have added a ton of MENG nuts and bolts and opened up parts of the chassis that should be open. All of this work is concentrated on the rear end. I feel much of the detail is over-scale, but I like to actually see what I’ve done without needing my OptiVisor! I hope you like it. That said, here are some new photos.

Regards,

Eric

Eric your detail is phenomenal. What sucks is 90% won't be visible when your done.

Brent, that's why I'm taking the photos.

Regards,

Eric