Introduction:

The Iveco Light Multirole Vehicle (LMV) is an innovative tactical vehicle developed to reduce threat posed by improvised explosive devices and landmines. A flagship product of the IVECO manufacturing facility in Bolzano, Italy, the vehicle is a four-wheel-drive purpose-built military vehicle capable of performing a range of duties from patrolling and escorting to commanding and liaisons, even casualty evacuation. Iveco LMV has been in service by the armies of Italy, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Norway, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Adapted from: http://www.military-today.com/trucks/iveco_lmv.htm

Review:

Wings & Wheels Publications (WWP) is a publishing company from Czech Republic, specialized in producing photographic reference books for modelers. Tracked and wheeled vehicles, artillery, airplanes, helicopters, individual weapons… you name it, WWP’s range is broad and covers all sorts of military equipment.

This review deals with the latest release from WWP: LMV Lince in Detail (G054). As with all WWP titles I reviewed so far, my first impression of the book was absolutely positive. Printed on a high-quality paper and full of large and clear images showing the different vehicle variants in tiniest detail, I immediately knew this book would be an immense help in adding extra details to the Italeri 1/35 scale kit I’m about to build.

Here are the basic facts:
Title: LMV Lince in Detail (LMV in Belgian, British and Czech Armies)
Publisher: Wings & Wheels Publications (WWP)
Code: G054
Authors: Jan Willem de Boer, Tomáš Bouchal and František Kořán
Format: softcover (22x24 cm)
Pages: 120
Color: full color
Language: English
ISBN: 978-80-87509-54-8
Retail Price: $33 (€27)

The book features vehicles photographed on military shows and exhibitions, as well as on various training grounds and army exercises. The book is organized in 7 chapters, color coded on page edges for easy navigation:

• History and Development (002-005)
• British CLV Panther (006-019)
• Belgian Army LMV (020-031)
• Czech Army LMV (032-061)
• Czech Army LMV Ambulance (062-077)
• LMV Walk Around (078-119)
• Spanish Army LMV (120)

As with all WWP titles, this book also opens with a short introductory chapter on vehicle History and Development. These pages provide a glimpse into the origins of the LMV Lince and give some technical info on the vehicle construction. The next chapter deals with British CLV Panther, the British Army variant of the LMV, showing early, mid and late configuration in detail. Self-defense weapons station (SDW) carrying a 7.62 mm GPMG is also covered. Belgian Army LMV chapter follows, showing some custom Belgian modifications to the vehicle. Several pages with the interior photos follow, briefly outlining the cabin setup of an unarmored vehicle. This chapter also includes images of Military Police vehicles, as well as driving school, medic team and propaganda LMV variants. Next up is the chapter on Czech Army LMV. Czech Army vehicles are designated LOV and this chapter starts with displaying the main type delivered to the Czech Army - the combat version LOV 50B armed with remote controlled M151A2 Protector RWS. Reconnaissance LOV Pz variant follows, showing the vehicle and its Czech built remote controlled weapon station ZSRD-07. Military Police SOG vehicle comes next, the photos displaying the armored compartment for the rear gunner, followed by the LMV Convoy IED Jamming vehicle and Multipurpose Recon vehicle. The next chapter covers Czech Army LMV Ambulance, with photos showing patient's armored cabin interior details as well as ambulance driver's compartment. Finally, LMV Walk Around chapter shows the standard LMV armored version in great detail... armored cab, cargo box, roof with M151A2 RWS, front winch, suspension, frame, engine, together with a very thorough coverage of vehicle interior details. Spanish Army LMV chapter is actually a single photo of the vehicle.

Conclusion:

LMV Lince in Detail from WWP is a very impressive book that follows the exceptional photo reference standard set by the company: the book consists of over 240 large full color high-res photos covering several slightly different vehicle variants in great detail inside and out. The information supplied is kept short and concise; the intro gives interesting details on the origins of the vehicle, while the captions provide a very informative read, explaining various details presented in the photos.

Finally, this is a perfect book for all those interested in going an extra mile with Italeri’s LMV offering.