KG Wings - Revell 1:72 scale model of the M997 HMMWV Maxi Ambulance

AM General
M997 Maxi-Ambulance
HMMWV (Humvee)

407th Ambulance Company,
369th Combat Support Hospital
US ARMY
2002

Revell Germany

This model added to kgwings.com on February 20, 2014

Revell M-997 Maxi Ambulance HMMWV 1:72 scale model

In 1979, the US Army finalized specifications for a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle to replace the M151 MUTT. In less than one year AM General (a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation) went from the drawing board to testing the first operational prototype.

AM General was awarded the initial production contract for 55,000 HMMWVs to be delivered in 1985. The HMMWV has become the vehicular backbone of U.S. forces around the world with over 10,000 employed by coalition forces during the Iraq War.

The M997 Maxi-Ambulance is a 4-litter configuration designed to transport casualties from the battlefield to medical aid stations. The M997 has basic armor protection and air conditioning for it's crew and patients.

A fully-loaded M997 can still climb road grades as steep as 31 degrees and traverse a side slope of up to 22 degrees. It can ford water up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) without preparation and 60 inches (152 centimeters) with a deep water fording kit.

About the kit: At the time of writing, this Revell kit is the only M997 Maxi-Ambulance available in 1/72nd scale. It's packaged as a double kit with their M966 TOW missile carrier.

Both kits share many common parts, the doors and ambulance shelter being the - text editing in progress.

The only disappointment in the kit is the tires. Revell provides hard plastic tires with no tread pattern at all which makes the entire kit look like a toy. I threw them away and borrowed a set of excellent tires and wheels from a Dragon HMMWV kit. Several manufacturers make resin replacement tires but they seem to be more difficult to find than one of the Dragon kits.

I thought this kit was doomed when I discovered that I had lost the decal sheet somehow. I sent off a quick e-mail to Revell with a copy of my sales receipt and about 6 weeks later they sent me a brand new sheet. Revell obviously cares about their customers and their products, very well done Revell!

I made tape masks for the windshield and sprayed a light coat of matte lacquer to simulate dust buildup. I trimmed away the kit provided wipers which were too thick and made my own out of stretched sprue.

The undercarriage is well done with all the major components represented.

I used Tamiya Acrylic XF-67 NATO Green, XF-68 Nato Brown and XF-69 NATO Black pretty much straight out of their bottles for my base colors.

Most of my weathering was done using AK Interactive AK-076 Filter for NATO Tanks, AK-075 Enamel Wash for NATO camo vehicles, and AK-074 Rainmarks for NATO Tanks.

Here is my M997 with the base coats applied. I used tape to cut hard masks since soft masks seemed unrealistic for this small scale. I left the shelter unglued until the last phases so I could insert the windows after the kit was nearly finished.

I'm very happy with the kit and how it ended up. I look forward to building the TOW weapons carrier soon.

Revell of Germany kit number 03147 HMMWV M966 TOW Carrier and M997 Maxi Ambulance 1:72 scale model

Kit: Revell #03147

Scale: 1/72

Value:

Retail price is around $20.00 (US) at time of writing (2013) which is not bad considering there are two vehicles in the box.

The Kit:

The Ambulance part of this kit consists of approximately 57 plastic parts molded in tan and very thin sheet of transparent plastic which can be cut down to use for window glass.

Molding is done very well with crisp details and virtually no cleanup required. Fit is good to excellent throughout.

Driver and passenger doors are molded separately and could easily be posed in open position, although details would need to be added to the inside of the doors. Rear doors are molded shut. No engine is provided. Very thin transparent "acetate" material is provided to make the window parts, there is no template so careful measuring and test fitting is required.

Assembly is simple and the large letter-sized 12 page instruction sheet clearly indicates where everything goes.

I used Tamiya Acrylic XF-67 NATO Green, XF-68 Nato Brown and XF-69 NATO as my base colors, then weathered with AK Interactive AK-076 Filter for NATO Tanks, AK-075 Enamel Wash for NATO camo vehicles, and AK-074 Rainmarks for NATO Tanks.

Modifications:

I trimmed away the thick molded windshield wipers and made new ones from stretched sprue. The tire & wheel parts provided with the kit are toy-like so I replaced with parts from a Dragon HMMWV kit.

Decals:

Decals and instructions are provided to make one of two vehicles, U.S. Army 1st Armored Division from 1991 Operation Desert Storm, or Taiwanese Army 1998. The decals are printed in perfect registration on a nice thin carrier, completely opaque.

Conclusion:

This is a great kit, easy to assemble and other than the poor quality tires it's very accurate. Considering you get two kits in one box, it's a pretty good value. I think any fan of small scale modern vehicles will love it.

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