The system as cast by Live Resin (LRE 35157) is common for installations on legacy HMMWV’s like the M1025/1026 and M966/M1036 and the newer, up-armored M1114 HMMWV as used in Iraq and Afghanistan. The set contains four complete launchers. Many M1114’s were outfitted with four launchers mounted on the four corners of the vehicle’s roof. Each launcher would face in different directions on the M1114. Legacy HMMWV’s would often have a single launcher facing to the rear as can be seen on many vehicles early in the war in Iraq. This set is amazing and is a great replacement for the parts included in any plastic kit of any HMMWV variant you choose to build.
The parts are cast in Live Resin’s light gray resin. The color of their resin helps to make details easy to see unlike companies who use cream colored resins. All of the parts are held on to their pour stubs by very small contact areas with the exception of the launcher frames. The pour stubs can be snapped off along a logical contact area making cleanup minimal. The launcher frames have a much more robust contact area that will need to be removed with a razor saw. Cleanup of the parts will take a few passes with your favorite sanding product. Each launcher is made up of only six parts, seven if you count the large rectangular base. Compare this to the version included in a set by a popular photo etch company which has twenty six parts to assemble for each launcher.
The packaging is Live Resin’s usual piece of white card folded in half with a photo showing assembly on one side and kit contents on the other. The parts are up to Live Resin’s usual standard. The castings are near scale thickness and have very sharp detail. The resin Live Resin uses works in a manner very similar to styrene. I have included photos of all of the parts as they arrived. As you can see, two of the parts were broken off of one of the pour plugs. They broke off with no damage to the part.
1. Each launch tube is a single casting with beautifully done fins and the mounting flange on their base. Here is the first issue with this set, the grenades are integrally cast with the launch tube and they appear to be too big around. The second issue is with the launch tube itself. There is a flange around the open end on the real tube. Live Resin have cast this flange too big around and too thick. If you desire a launcher without the grenades, a drill bit, a pin vise and a sanding stick are the only tools you need.
2. The base for the tubes is another beautifully cast piece of resin. The launch tubes have two pins on their rear side that set very securely into corresponding holes in the launch tube base. A tiny drop of medium viscosity cyanoacrylate will create a strong bond for each tube. The launch tubes are easy to align ensuring they point in the right direction. There is a nub on the back of the resin base that corresponds to the electrical connector seen in photos of the real thing. A small drill bit and a pin vise is all that’s needed to attach your wiring to the launcher.
3. The next casting is the frame that holds the entire assembly. This frame is a very thin single casting that near perfectly represents the real thing. There is one problem here, the base of the frame should have a rectangular hole in it. This hole can easily be duplicated, or left alone.
4. The final casting is the large rectangular base which gives the launchers a stand off from the sides of the vehicle. This is a very generic piece and doesn’t look like any of the mounts seen on real vehicles. In reality, each one of the roof mounts is highly specialized for each of the four corners of a HMMWV roof. This is where the photo etched set I mentioned earlier shines.
The final set of photos shows a single launcher built with no modifications, and a single launcher that has been modified as per my notes. As you can see, the assembled launchers are beautifully detailed and require very little work to look fantastic.
In conclusion I have to say that even with the minor issues, I will use the launchers in this set every time I need to have an LVOSS on a vehicle such as a M1114 or M1025. The launcher detail, even with the extra work is still easier than the photo etched equivalent. There are many photos of an LVOSS mounted on a M1151 at the website run by our own Brent Sauer (sgtsauer) called hmmwvinscale.com. The launchers look the part and have all of the detail included for very little work. This set is highly recommended!
