Introduction:

The M1167 is a TOW Missile Carrier currently in use by the US. Based on the Expanded Capacity M1151 HMMWV, the M1167 is an evolution of the M966, the original HMMWV that mounted a TOW missile launcher on its roof using the same hatch and ring setup as the armament carrier HMMWV such as the M1025.

Legend Production’s TOW Missile Rack set (LF3D006) contains almost everything required to convert the interior of Academy’s M1151 (kit 13415), into the interior an M1167. This kit is meant to be combined with LF3D007, which is the TOW Missile turret for the M1167. The kit was mastered by Peter Samofalov who is known for his past work with Live Resin and from his storefront on Shapeways. The kit is the result of a collaboration between Peter and Legend to produce a line of 3D mastered figures and conversions. The battery and charger components are an evolution of those parts that Peter sells on Shapeways.

Review:

This will be a full build review of the multimedia kit. There are parts in resin and photo etched brass. The kit comes packaged in Legend’s typical end opening card stock box with the parts in small zipper bags. The black box has a photo of a rendering of the kit. The kit contents come packaged in zipper bags.

Breakdown:
13 Resin parts
2 Photo Etch parts

Instructions:
The instructions are typical of Legend. There is a single sheet of glossy, 4.125” by 5.75” magazine like paper. The missile rack instructions show a single exploded view and three renderings of the assembled missile rack.

Parts:
The missile rack kit comes with the rack, six missile tubes in two varieties, a Lithium Ion battery box, a vehicle mounted battery charger, and a storage mount for the cabin floor for the main traversing unit. The kit is cast in a light gray colored resin. The resin cuts and sands well. There are part numbers on the instructions but there are no numbers on the parts or on the pour blocks. All parts identification must be done by comparing the parts to the photos. There was no breakage and no parts were detached from their pour blocks. The pour blocks on the parts are attached with numerous, large contact points that require very careful cleanup. The mount for the main traversing unit has a large block of resin that is meant to be left on the part. I assume you are meant to paint it black so it isn’t seen. With some work I was able to carve it out. I think this gives a better appearance if the vehicle doors are left open. The kit represents the complex shape of the rack very well. The other elements match very well with photos of the real items.

Detail:
The detail on the kit is fantastic. It places the kit on par with the best on the market. There are small cooling bumps on the side of the battery charger that I can barely see with my Optivisor. It really must see seen to be believed. The parts are smooth and blemish free. The details all have a scale appearance. The rendering on the box shows a storage configuration that is not used in an M1167. I am not sure what vehicle uses it but I imagine it might be used in an MRAP. There are additional renderings on the Legend website that show the mostly correct setup for the interior of an M1167. Looking at photos of a missile rack installed in an M1167 shows that a frame is part of the bottom of the rack. This frame is then bolted to the floor of the cargo area. Legend doesn’t model this frame on the bottom of the rack so if you’re a stickler for detail it can be easily added. There is a rack mounted to the cargo area floor forward of the missile rack. This rack is not included in the kit. Markings on the floor in this area in photos of a real M1167 say “Battery Box.” I assume that the included lithium ion battery stores here. The battery charger mounts to the top of the fender near here and cabling runs from the charger to this area. On their website Legend incorrectly shows the battery stored on the opposite fender, but photos of the real truck indicate that there are ammo can storage racks located here instead. None of the straps that hold the top missiles in place are modeled, nor does Legend show how they are secured. Legend doesn’t give you strap material either. If you look at photos of an M1167 loaded with the stored missile system, there are straps everywhere! It really wouldn’t be too hard to model these straps. Another omission from the kit is the mount for the sight which sets on top of the A/C unit on the cabin floor between the rear seats. It’s funny that Legend gives you the mount for the traversing unit but not the mount for the sight. Another omission is the lack of decals to represent vehicle interior markings and markings for the missiles.

Assembly:
Assembly is straightforward and poses no challenges. Using styrene I added the frame to the bottom of the rack that allows the real thing to be bolted down. I didn’t glue everything together for the photos. It only required eight drops of cyanoacrylate to assemble it to this point. I didn’t glue the upper and lower halves of the rack together to make painting of the missiles easier. When I get ready to use this in a model I will build the battery rack for the cargo area. I’ve included photos that show the rack temporarily mounted in the bed of an Academy M1151 body. It fits well, but I am unsure if the battery box will fit where it should. It looks like it might interfere with the armored cabin/cargo area partition.

Conclusion:

This kit is solid offering from Legend. It has great detail and was easy to build. I highly recommend it.