Academy

1/72 US M977 8x8 Cargo Truck

Kit Number: 13412

Reviewed by  Phil Peterson, IPMS# 8739

MSRP: $19.00 Website: www.modelrec.com The M977, known as the HEMTT or Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, has been in service with the US Armed Forces since 1982. This is the first time it has been released in injection molded plastic in 1/72nd scale. The kit has 130 parts; 7 clear and the rest in tan. There are many ejection marks throughout the kit. Most of these will not be seen when the model is finished but there are several, especially on the inside walls of the cargo area, that will need some attention. I used Mr Surfacer 1000. There are also a couple of sink marks in the spring areas of the chassis but these cannot be seen once the wheels are attached.

The instructions start with the cab so, of course, I started with the chassis. This section encompasses 4 steps and includes the main number of parts. The sides attach to a main frame giving a solid base. Make sure that you get the frame completely into the sides, as the fit is very tight. The transmissions (all four of them) are then attached, but there is no possibility of posing the wheels in a turned position without modifications.

After finishing the chassis, I built the other sections as sub assemblies. The cab has few parts but little can be seen through the windows, and the doors cannot be posed open as they are molded with the cab sides. The engine compartment is next with just some detail of the rear of the engine showing. I did not drill out the exhaust as it looks like it has a flapper over it. The bed was next. I had some trouble lining up the sidewalls correctly. Another pair of hands would have come in handy (pun intended). Last is the cargo crane that sits on the rear of the vehicle. This is nicely detailed but cannot be shown in the extended version, which cuts down on possible diorama uses. Overall, the build went fairly smoothly with issues mainly from my fat fingers rather than the kit itself. There are two color schemes included, one in the US tri-color camo and the other in overall tan. No information is given regarding the schemes but according to information I found on the web, they represent a vehicle of the HHC 501st Aviation Battalion, 1st AD, Kosovo and one from the 615th ASB, 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq, respectively. I opted for the overall tan scheme, which was supplied by a Model Master rattle can of FS33722 Modern Desert Sand, and the wheels were done in Model Master Panzer Grey. What few decals there are were applied over a coat of Future and Testor's Dullcote was then sprayed on to give it that nice, flat finish. Finally I attached the mirrors to the cab. A few things for the nitpickers. The tread on the wheels is simplified and doesn't represent the real pattern very well. You can get resin replacement wheels from Dtoys, www.diener.co.kr/ , but it only includes 8 wheels so you either have to use the kit spare or buy two sets and have a few left over. Also, the front grill has the wrong number of rows to it. Alex Clark has created a photoetched grill to replace it www.small-scale-armour.co.uk/ . Finally the muffler guard is molded on the side and bottom instead of the top and side. Hopefully one of the photoetch companies will come out with a replacement. Thanks to MRC for supplying the kit.