Introduction:

The AT4 is a 84mm unguided, portable, single-shot recoilless weapon developed by Saab Bofors Dynamics from Sweden, in early 1980s. The AT4 has been adopted by US armed forces as M136 LAW (Light Antitank Weapon), replacing the older M72 LAW.

The AT4 is an antiarmor weapon consisting of a free-flight, fin-stabilized, rocket-type cartridge packed in a reinforced smoothbore fiberglass tube. The weapon is man-portable and is fired from the right shoulder only. Unlike the M72 LAW, the M136 AT4 launcher need not be extended before firing. The AT4 is available in several versions, which differ mostly in the type of warhead. The original 84mm HEAT warhead for AT4 has been "borrowed' from Carl Gustaf M2 recoilless rifle, but, unlike the Carl Gustaf, there's no separate round of ammunition to load into barrel. Instead, the launcher and projectile are manufactured prepacked and issued as a single unit, with the launcher discarded after a single use.

The AT4 is currently the US Army's primary light antitank weapon. It is intended to give infantry units a means to destroy or disable armored vehicles and fortifications. The weapon's HEAT warhead is extremely destructive, providing excellent penetration capability and lethal after-armor effects.

Review:

This review covers the first antitank weapon set in 1/35 scale from Live Resin: US Army AT-4/M136 Grenade Launcher (LRE-35090). The set is packed well, with the resin pieces contained in a zip-lock bag and additionally secured between a firm cardboard backing. The CAD boxart image on the front shows the contents of the kit, while the one on the back displays the AT4 assembly process and one of the ways of using this set (stowed on a vehicle turret).

The set consists of 9 resin pieces for building 3 complete AT4 launchers. Upon closer inspection the pieces look great; the cast is perfect and there are no defects on the resin whatsoever. Each launcher consists of 3 resin pieces; the tube, front and back cover. The assembly is pretty much straightforward and the fit of the parts is excellent. Moreover, the parts feature protrusions and indentations which help in correctly aligning the pieces.

The set depicts AT4 LAW in its transport configuration. Both front and rear ends of the barrel are closed with covers, transport safety pin is in place, shoulder stop and cocking lever are folded, front and rear sights are folded and protected by sliding covers. Additional fine-points of the firing unit mounted at the top of the barrel, such as the forward safety switch and a button-type trigger, are present as well. All these details are extremely well executed in scale and I found an amazing match to the real AT4. The only thing these launchers need is the carrying sling, but that should be a fairly easy fix for most modelers.

As for the painting, the thing to note is the fact AT4 launchers are marked with color-coded bands. A black with yellow band indicates an HE antiarmor round. A gold or yellow band indicates a field handling trainer; no band indicates an M287 9-mm tracer bullet trainer. Check your references for correct placement of these bands. Also, real AT4 have several decals which are actually instructions on how to use the launcher. Unfortunately, the decals are not included in this kit, and die-hard modelers might want to try representing these inscriptions in 1/35 scale. The easiest way is probably purchasing Legend Productions AT4 & LAW set (LF1197); although the resin itself is far inferior to Live Resin offering, the Legend set does include decals.

Conclusion:

This set features the primary light antitank weapon in US Army arsenal today: the AT4/M136 LAW. The kit includes three AT4/M136 launchers which were produced using CAD and 3D prototyped into 1/35 scale replica of the real launcher. The actual resin product is amazing; cast to perfection and with all the details superbly executed. The launcher is easy to build and provides the best and most accurate AT4 in 1/35 scale on the market today. I wish guys at Live Resin decided to add decals to the set as well, it would really make a difference.

References:

Global Security
World Guns website
FAS website
Wikipedia