Introduction:

The HMMWV roof-mounted weapons arrangements have evolved from a simple ringmount, to a mount with gunner's shield, to a full armored turret incorporating the shield and other protections for the gunner. All these roof mounts and turrets require a solid base support in form of ring bearing assembly. The ring bearing structure is subject to a relatively large load in a vertical direction due to the weight of the turret, but also to the sudden application of loads in horizontal and vertical directions resulting from vibrations when the vehicle is traveling over rough terrain or upon firing of a turret mounted weapon.

Armored turret base is the latest turret support base fitted to military HMMWVs. Its ring bearing is constructed specifically for heavy-duty applications requiring significant load-carrying capacity.

Review:

Live Resin recently released number of sets for upgrading Humvee models in 1/35 scale. After publishing a review of their Save-A-Gunner Turret (link), here’s a review of the set which complements this particular turret and probably many other turret setups Live Resin has in the pipeline… Armor Turret Base (LRE35152).

Armor Turret Base set is packed in a zip-lock bag secured between firm cardboard. The CAD box art on the front shows the kit parts, while the one on the back provides simple assembly instructions claiming the set is designed to mount Live Resin turrets and is compatible with all 1/35 scale vehicle models. The kit consists of 2 parts molded in grey resin. The cast is of highest standard with no warping, air-bubbles or seam lines, with all the details superbly rendered in scale.

The set represents armored turret undersupport base with ring bearing assembly, which is welded to the Humvee roof on the inside. The turret base is a meter wide ring featuring two forward rectangular bars which are fixed to the mounting brackets on the windshield, as well as two rear rectangular bars which are fixed to the rollbar. Side protrusions fix the base to support B-pillars. I compared diagrams of the armored turret base from Humvee technical manuals and found a really good match to Live Resin’s 1/35 scale offering. The details on the large screws and nuts are nicely reproduced, as well as those delicate gear teeth on the ring bearing assembly.

The base and ring bearing assembly allow the gunner to rotate the Humvee turret a full 360 degrees. Turret rotation is achieved using a hand crank coupled to the Manual Traversing Unit (MTU), or using a joystick coupled to the Battery Powered Motorized Traversing Unit (BPMTU). Traversing units are not a part of this kit, but are provided in Live Resin’s turret sets instead.

Assembly:

The assembly of the set is very easy as the ring bearing fits perfectly into the turret base opening. Live Resin states this set is designed to accept any turret from their catalogue, and this claim is true for the SAG turret (LRE35151) which is the only Live Resin turret available thus far… I fitted this particular turret to the armored turret base without any problems and it is obvious these two sets complement each other well.


I can’t comment on the fit of the base to different 1/35 scale Humvee models, since all the Humvees in my stash are already in progress. However, I don’t think there should be any major issues adjusting the base to Humvee roof openings: if the roof opening is too tight, it could be widened to accept the base, or if the opening is too wide, the base and the turret itself would probably cover any visible gaps between the two. The more serious problem could be fitting the rectangular support bars to Humvee windshield or rear rollbar, as this could require optimizing the dimensions of support bars. But then again, these are only my projections of possible issues fitting the base to all the different Humvee models in 1/35 scale.

Conclusion:

This is a no-brainer for me... For anyone building a 1/35 scale Humvee with a plan to use a turret from Live Resin’s portfolio, their Armor Turret Base (LRE35152) is a must. The set consists of 2 parts perfectly cast in resin with numerous wonderfully defined details. The set is easy to assemble and all the Live Resin turrets should fit the base really well.