Introduction

The MOWAG Eagle is a wheeled armoured vehicle designed by the Swiss MOWAG Corporation. It has gone through several generations of development. The current vehicle, introduced in November 2003, is the Eagle IV, which is based on the Duro IIIP chassis. That's according to Wikipedia.

Contents

This model from Balaton Modell of the MOWAG Eagle IV is packaged in a small card box. Just like the most of 1/72nd scale resin kits. The contents of this model break down as follows;

A4 sized instruction booklet
Photo etched fret
Two bags of resin parts
A sheet of clear foil for windows

Review

The suspension of the model is divided into frame with gearbox. Hubs arms and springs are separate parts. The axles consist of five elements each and we have two drive shafts. All components are cast very accurately and require very little cleaning. The springs are so accurate that they look better than their plastic counterparts.

The wheels are a masterpiece. The tread is cast very carefully; the bolt detail looks great, and the inscription on the tires is present, although this is poorly visible it still look better than some in 1/35th scale.

The interior includes key elements such as the dashboard and floor of the cabin with the central tunnel being cast together as a single piece. Moreover, we have the steering wheel and four seats. In this scale it's more than is needed.

The external elements consist of the engine cover, this is again cast in one piece with visible rivets and presents itself very well. The Front lights, air filter and bumper which the winch has to be glued to it. All components like every other part requires very little cleaning.

The cabin is very well detailed . You can see the screws from the armour plates and panel lines. The doors also-look great and are supplied as separate mouldings. The details such as windscreen wipers, side mirrors, roof rails and sills are made of photo-etched parts, and at first glance, they look great.

The windows are made of transparent film and require delicate cut-outs.

The rear cargo space of the vehicle is split into two main pieces, the cargo cage and the tilt which will allow you to display it open or closed. The mud flaps and a fragment of the bumper mount for the towing hitch have to be glued to it.

The set also contains a remote weapon system CROW with M2 Browning. The crow is a masterpiece itself and consists of 21 parts including 13 photo-etched.

The instructions are a simple A4 sheet of paper. It's very clear and contains all the information you need. No mistakes have been spotted yet.

Conclusion

I'm well impressed with this kit. All the parts are well detailed, and very well cast. They require only a little bit of cleaning which is standard with resin parts. No bubbles or sink marks were spotted. The lack of decals (a common issue with resin manufacturers), and the fact that the model represents a basic version of the Eagle IV. The majority of Eagles used in the German and Danish armies are up-armoured Versions, so if you want to build a vehicle from Afghanistan you will have to spend a lot of time scratch building parts. Still a lovely kit.