KG Wings - Trumpeter 1:72 scale M1126 Stryker ICV

M1126 Stryker
Infantry Combat Vehicle

U.S. Army

U.S. Army
1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
"Operation Iraqi Freedom", 2004

Trumpeter

This model added to kgwings.com on October 30, 2010

The M1126 ICV Stryker is an eight-wheeled, armored combat vehicle derived from the Canadian LAV III and Swiss MOWAG Piranha III. The Stryker is produced by General Dynamics Land Systems and is currently in service with the United States Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Stryker's high-hardness steel and bolt-on ceramic armor offers all-around protection against 14.5mm rounds, armor-piercing ammunition, and artillery fragments from 152mm rounds. Additional "slat armor" can be added to defeat rocket propelled grenades.

Reports from military personnel and analysts state that the Stryker is superior to other light military vehicles regarding survivability against IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

The Stryker is operated by a 2-man crew and normally transports a 9-man infantry squad. The Stryker has effective speed, computer controlled battle awareness, and various firepower options to support the squad after they dismount via the rear door.

A key design requirement of the Stryker was it's ability to be transportable by C-130 aircraft and deployed anywhere in the world within 96 hours.

The primary armament of the M1126 is a Protector M151 Remote Weapon Station with .50-cal M2 machine gun, 7.62 mm M240 machine gun, or Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher.

The ice cooler allowed for a good reason to add some contrast to the paint scheme.

Although the ICV is fairly large for a light armored vehicle, it's still makes a pretty small kit in 1/72 scale.

The vinyl tires included in the kit are seamless and have very nice tread detail. They are a bit too skinny when viewed from front/back but appear accurate from the sides.

I'm really pleased with how my Stryker turned out, I think the Legend resin set was well worth the investment.

This is the basic kit assembled without the armament, mirrors or storage racks.

I used Legend's resin stowage set which comes with everything you see here and more, there were several pieces left in the box that I didn't even use. Each piece is well detailed and molded cleanly.

The Legend resin set fit into place very well with little sanding.

I painted the entire kit a custom mix of overall green, then shaded, faded and weathered using pastel chalks.

The Trumpeter M1126 builds up nicely and is an excellent addition to any modern small scale collection.

Kit: Trumpeter #07255

Productions Legend

Aftemarket: Legend #07208

Scale: 1/72

Included in the Box :

Approximately 53 parts molded in light gray styrene and 8 black vinyl tires. One 8-page foldout instruction printed in black and white with well illustrated drawings and text in Chinese and English. One very small decal sheet.

Decals:

Decals are provided for one vehicle, no reference is provided to a specific vehicle or time period.

After Market Parts Used: Stryker Stowage Set #LF7208 produced by "Productions Legend". This aftermarket set is excellent in fit and accuracy and added tremendously to the visual appeal of my completed kit.

Assembly :

Assembly is very uncomplicated since the suspension and drive train are molded directly into the lower hull, still with nice detail. The majority of the hull is comprised of only three parts (upper, lower and back pieces). The molding is done very well, my kit had no visible sink marks or flash anywhere.

The hollow black vinyl tires have very nice tread detail and take paint well. They are reasonably accurate in diameter and height however they appear to be too thin in profile. Luckily this isn't very apparent from perspectives other than front and rear.

The driver's hatch can be placed in the open position (although there is no interior) and all other hatches are molded shut.

The commander's .50 caliber machine gun and weapon station is very nicely detailed.

Customizations:

I used metallic sequins and 5 minute epoxy to create headlights, vision blocks and weapon optics. Small strips of masking tape were used as additional "straps" to hold the external stores in place. Stretched sprue was used for aerial antennae.

Value:

My kit was purchased for $14.00(US) at Hobbytown USA in Plano, Texas, which is not exactly a bargain, but reasonable in today's market.

Recommendation:

Due to the simplicity of this kit, good fit, and accuracy I recommend this kit for all modelers, beginner to expert.

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