Introduction:

The M-ATV SOCOM is a member of the Oshkosh family of M-ATV mine protected vehicle designed especially for Special Forces units. The M-ATV SOCOM variant features a modified cargo deck, intended to accept specialized equipment based on the requirements of each mission, as well as larger front windscreens for increased visibility. The rear storage is accessible through an armored cargo access hatch in the passenger capsule, which can seat five while operating a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) or four with a gunner.

Live Resin produces a comprehensive four-part set to deliver the complete M-ATV SOCOM CROWS II system in 1/35 scale. The first set features M153 CROWS II with M240 (LRE-35223), the second set includes CROWS base and armored hatch (LRE-35224), the third set provides the back armor cradle with ammo (LRE-35225), and the fourth delivers spent shells in CROWS II basket (LRE-35226).

Review:

This review covers the M-ATV SOCOM Version upgrade. Part 3 - Part 3 Armor cradle with ammo (LRE-35225), while the reviews of other M-ATV SOCOM sets from Live Resin can be accessed here: link.

The set is packed in a hard cardboard box. The box features CAD images showing the contents of this particular M-ATV SOCOM upgrade set, depicting the ammo cradle mounted on armored roof hatch, as well as the complete CROWS II system for M-ATV SOCOM consisting of Live Resin sets LRE-35223, LRE-35224, LRE-35225 and LRE-35226.

The box contains a single zip-lock bag with 22 pieces of the set cast in grey resin. The resin looks good, with nicely delivered details and no air-bubbles or seam lines. The large side armor plate was slightly warped and I had to straighten it out using hot water. Not my favorite procedure, but something that had to be done in order to recover the optimal geometry of the entire system. Some of the pieces are very thin and a lot of care should be taken not to damage the parts when cleaning them from the large carrier blocks.

The set represents large back ammo cradle used on M-ATV SOCOM vehicles with the CROWS II system. The cradle connects to the armored turret base and although I’ve seen detailed photo references of M-ATV SOCOM variant, there are very few images actually showing the vehicle roof setup. To be completely honest, I managed to find just one clear photo of M-ATV SOCOM CROWS II system displaying the ammo cradle (image attached to this review). Although it seems Live Resin did their job well, I would definitely want to see more reference images before making a firm conclusion on the accuracy of the set.

As this set is designed to be a part of the M240 CROWS II system (LRE-35223), it also includes 14 7.62mm ammo cans which can be used with the ammo cradle. AT-4 launcher is included too, it can be strapped to the cradle, as shown on the reference photo.

Assembly:

Before actually starting with the assembly, take some time to identify the pieces in the set. There are no instructions provided in the box, however CAD images featured on the box display the ammo cradle in sufficient detail so the modeler can easily deduce where each piece goes.

Although the assembly is pretty much straightforward, I had some problems adjusting the position of the side armor plate and the base plate. The side armor should be leveled with the edge of the base plate, however due to less than perfect fit there is a small step between two parts. I sanded the excess resin to keep the optimal geometry of the ammo cradle.

I annotated the pieces on their carrier blocks and am showing photos of the assembled hatch with the position of each part. I also included images of the fully assembled CROWS II system to this review, showcasing all the Live Resin M-ATV SOCOM upgrade sets together.

Conclusion:

M-ATV SOCOM CROWS II is the biggest project from Live Resin so far. It includes four resin sets which can be used together to build a highly-detailed CROWS II system for 1/35 scale M-ATV models.

Armor cradle with ammo (LRE-35225) is the third part of the set and, as the title suggests, it includes the back armor cradle for CROWS II turret base. The resin pieces are nicely delivered, some are very thin but with astonishing amount of details. There were some issues with the fit, so some extra work was required to assemble the model. The ammo boxes and AT-4 launcher are a nice addition to the set.

Thanks to Yaroslav from Live Resin for this review sample.

References:

M-ATV MRAP in Detail (G044), Wings & Wheels Publications

Special Operations Patrol Vehicles, Afghanistan and Iraq, Osprey Publications

Oshkosh M-ATV Photo Walk Around, AK Interactive