I built the Italerie "Commando" version of the HUMV which is a soft top, however I went open air with it. I know these particular versions are extremely rare, but I need some info. Are the doors 2 piece? A lower with a zip on window like the old M151 "jeeps" During the summer in Germany, we would take the side curtains and top part of the doors off our jeeps and leave the lower part of the door on to prevent water and mud spashes from nailing us.

The Humvee you have is a "command" version, not "commando". Italeri made a typo on the box - check the title on instructions sheet. And it is not that rare - it is quite common version. The doors are one piece. The window has a zip around it, but the upper frame is not removable.

Pawel

Actually, the "Commando" version was supposed to be "Command" version (mistranslation). This was actually the most common type of HMMWV in most units. Commanders of all unit sizes and the majority of staff officers rode around in the 4-door HMMWV just like the kit depicts.

The doors are a one piece affair. There is a zipper that starts out at the front of the window and unzips upward and rearward. The window simply drops inside (bottom edge stays connected to the door).

The kit is missing an important item to do a doors off mode though. The "B pillar" is missing. The B pillar would be a bar that looks like a roll bar directly behind the driver and front seat passenger. The Italeri Special Forces Stinger HMMWV comes with the B pillar (not the Avenger). It would not be too difficult to scratchbuild one though.

During my second trip to the Gulf, I had one as the Battalion Maintenance Officer. Mine was in NATO 3-color with green canvas. We took the doors off and rolled up the back canvas flap. Mine did not have the rear cargo cover that gives the truck the "stationwagon" look.

That part is fully removeable to give the truck a sedan look. The back canvas flap is between the back seats and the rear cargo compartment would have to be added if you took off the cargo cover.

The kit as depicted, builds into a good replica of what my HMMWV look like as a commander of a tank company and HQ company. My tank company HMMWV had all tan canvas and my HQ company HMMWV had green canvas.

The doors are one piece. The window itself unzips around the sides and top and folds down. Just like soft doors on a civilian jeep. As a note, the "Commando" version is a misnomer, I think it was lost in translation. It is actually the version most used by commanders and staff officers, hence a "Command" version. You could build it as an Observer/Controller (O/C) HMMWV from Ft Irwin, NTC. Ours are open air, no windows, no doors, half doors on rear doors area, bikini style top over driver/passenger area.

I had that version assigned to me as Battalion XO of 4/20th FA in the Reserve. It's not the best build, but the attached photo is from my gallery. Because I had an additional radio on the right rear side, we almost never took the canvas off.

I had a similar problem with the B-pillar on my build of the M-1025. When I replaced the kit doors with the Verlinden resin doors, there was a big gap in the middle and I scratch built one with no problems.



Tom

OK so what I want to depict is the doors in half mode, and all canvas removed. Does anyone have a picture of the shape of the "b" pillar? IS the tan color correct or do I need to go back and tri-color paint it. Oh and Tom where did you get that spectacular grill set for the front?

Steve,
Do you need a brush guard? I may have one in the closet at home, if not, I am pretty sure I have one in the Hummer parts box in storage. The piller would be painted the same as the interior.

Thanks Pete, I'll gladly accept that brush guard...sent you a PM with my address in it. I need to see a photo of the b pillar to scratch build one unless someone has a spare they can send.

Here are some excellent pictures showing B-pillar from http://www.primeportal.net:

http://www.primeportal.net/images/iraq/humvee/P4173913.jpg
http://www.primeportal.net/images/iraq/rpg_hit/Camp%20Warhorse%20-RPG%20Humvee%20Various%20085%20(5).jpg
http://66.231.25.91/cpg132/albums/200th_oif/6%20%20%2015-23%20Apr/Dsc01298.jpg

HTH,
Pawel

It's a scratch build. I couldn't find one like that when I built the kit, so I started with a single sheet of plastic and "cut away all the pieces that didn't belong" :-) (with apologies to Michaelangelo!!). Then I added some screen mesh on the back side. I seem to be stuck doing that, because I couldn't find one like I had on my M1025, so I scratch built that one too.

Tom

That particular style brush guard comes in the Academy M998 Troop Carrier kit, I believe it comes in the Academy M997 Ambulance kit as well.

Academy M998;

Sure, NOW they come out with a kit that has one!! :-) :-)

Story of my life, I buy early and update often!

Tom

Actually Tom, that's the kit I bought the summer of 1996 at the Ft. Rucker Army Aviation Museum. That was almost 9 years ago, assuming it was a newly released kit when I bought it.

Yes, M997 kit also includes this brush guard part. Both kits were released in 1995.

Pawel

I was XO of 4/20 from 92 to 93, and I think I got the "commando" kit a couple of years after I left. I probably wasn't paying attention to the other versions of the Humvee that came out afterwards, since that was the model I had. Even if I had noticed a different model with that brush guard, I probably wouldn't have gotten a whole kit, just for one part. But I did buy an entire M113 kit once, just to get some interior parts for my M577. :-)

It's funny. I'll spend MORE money than the basic kit for aftermarket sets and not mind that a bit, because I'll use almost all the parts, but I hate to buy an entire kit (for less money!) and have almost all of it left over. Go figure!!

Tom