Armorama :: Book Review: MRAP's #2 by William Ritchie

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Book Review

MRAP's #2
MRAP's #2

by: William Ritchie [ BOGGIE ]

introduction

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles have taken over the IED and mine infested world of war. Few models of these vehicles exist: the currently released Buffalo by Vajra Miniatures and the comprehensive kits from South African Bax Models http://www.baxmod.co.za who do an extensive range including the Casspir, Gecko and Buffel vehicles in 1/35th and other strange scales.

This CD (#2 of 2) provides low resolution (72 dpi), large sized (31.556 inches x 23.667 inches) images which are excellent for viewing on monitors. The pictures were taken with a Fujifilm Fine Pix S3108 camera.

review

This collection of MRAP vehicles includes 356 images. The breakdown of subject matter is as follows:

•Buffalo with slat armour 106 images
•Buffalo interior 21 images
•Buffalo with Mine Roller attached 16 images
•Buffalo without slat armour 81 images
•Caiman (LSAC) 29 images
•RG 31 66 images
•Husky, Route clearance Vehicle 37 images

This timely collection shows vehicles parked in motor pools in Iraq. The lions share of this collection is of the Buffalo which should help modelers if they choose to tackle the Vajra Miniature model Reviewed Here on Armorama. The photographs are comprehensive and are arranged in a logical way.

Buffalo with and without Slat Armour:
Two Buffalo vehicles are explored, one with, and one without the slat armour package. The slat over the windscreen is shown open and closed in case you want to tackle either scratch building project. Pictures are of over, under and all around the vehicles - everything you’d expect from a fellow modeler who has an eye for detail. Both folders show comprehensive pictures of the IED probe, affectionately known as the “pickle fork” for those who use these vehicles in the real world. Both folders also explore the spaghetti like hydraulic cluster that feeds the various operational features of this complicated MRAP. Lots of undercarriage images of the suspension are included to satisfy the most exacting needs of the super detailer.

Buffalo Interior:
An entire folder with 21 images is provided to explore the interior of the Buffalo, but they tend to be on the dark side. There are enough shots both front to back and back to front to show the various cramped elements inside this vehicle. The drivers area to the back door are covered with good details of seats, steering wheel and computer paraphernalia.

Buffalo with Mine Roller:
The next folder has 16 images of the mine roller attached to the Buffalo. Shown from a stand up angle the photographs explore the entire front and left sides, and care is taken to examine the connection to the Buffalo itself. It is left for us to assume the right side is a mirror of the left

Caiman (LSAC):
This folder has 29 images of the vehicle labeled “Mystery MRAP” which is actually a Caiman (LSAC) “low signature armoured cab”. Lots of clear interior shots of this spacious troop carrier. Pictures of the roof and turret are provided, but the down side is that the turret was tarped over. This is the same style turret that current HMMWV’s have with the multiple ballistic glass ports and front shielded 50 cal. (in this case). There are side views that show the turret clearly but nothing of the insides. This version sports a Rhino and no slat.

RG 31:
Folder called RG-31 has 66 images, a complete 360 walk around of two separate vehicles, one with partial bar armour around the exterior crew compartment and another fully bar armoured. One vehicle sports a blower device for clearing debris away from IED’s. Detailed photos of the blowers' motor, fuel tanks and connectors are also included. The other vehicle has no IED detection devices attached. This set includes good wheel portraits, undercarriage and top down views, unfortunately there are only two views of the cab and they have been shot through dark green ballistic glass.

Husky:
Route clearance vehicle folder has 37 pictures of what is actually called the Husky. This is much like a road grader on steroids - a single cab atop a complex arrangement of steel. This folder includes some great overall pictures to acquaint anyone interested in exploring mine resistant vehicles up close and personal.

A review of Robert Skipper's MRAP CD1 can be found Here.

SUMMARY
Highs: Incredible value for the money. Pictures taken by a modeler for other modelers. Diverse and unusual vehicles which are hard to find resource material for on the internet. Good over all understanding of the subject matter. Lows: Images would be better at higher resolutions, say 300 dpi and smaller image size for clear print outs. Some interior shots are dark. Neither the CD nor the box it came in was labelled which meant it was easy to misplace. Verdict: This is a must have if you want to explore these MRAP vehicles in the way a modeler needs to understand these subjects. This CD will save hours of frustrating searching on the internet and you wonʼt find the close up details that are here in one CD.
	OVERALL RATING 90%

SCALE:

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ITEM ID:

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PRICE:

$14.99 US