The MICV-65 (Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle) was a project conducted by the United States Army seeking an armored personnel carrier vehicle to replace the M113, built by the FMC Corporation (Ford Machinery & Chemical Corporation). FMC was awarded to design and build the MICV and designated XM734. The XM734 utilized the M113 as basic platform, armed with a turret manned by a single crew firing a 20mm cannon. The newly designed vehicle was re-designated the AIFV (Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle), but the United States showed no interest in the vehicle; however, the Dutch government showed interest and placed orders in 1975. Further modifications were made and the vehicle was redesignated YPR-765 (Pantser Rups Infanterie 765). The YPR-765 PRI.50 is a lightened version, debuting in 1976, that replaced the 25mm cannon with the commander’s position and .50 caliber M2 heavy machine gun. It also allowed for a crew of three and seven fully equipped soldiers.

War Dog Modeling is a new company that produces work stand for all types of models, including aircraft, ships, cars, and armor (the subject of this review).

What’s in the Box

The stand arrives in a corrugated cardboard box containing the major parts and a small bag with the metal hex-bolts and plastic wing nuts, all protected by brown paper packaging. The wing nuts and main components are 3-D printed in a sturdy resin, the stand base is 6.25 inches long and the grippers will open to 4.625 inches wide.

The Instructions

Don’t look for any instructions, but do not panic as it only takes a quick visit to the War Dog Models website to see how the stand is supposed to look. Construction is beyond intuitive and takes no time at all.

Helion is a prolific publisher of military history based in the United Kingdom. This two-volume set provides an overview of the formations, equipment, and actions of German light divisions from 1938 through the end of the Polish campaign. As with all Helion offerings, they are paperback but professionally produced. Each volume is full of beautifully reproduced black and white photographs, campaign maps, drawings of tables of equipment and organization, as well as several color profiles of German vehicles in this time. The first volume covers the formation, armament, and pre-war deployment. The second volume is devoted to the Polish campaign with additional information on camouflage, markings, and the continued evolution and ultimate dissolution of the light divisions.

AOA Decals has a good reputation for quality decals, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review one of their newest releases, the US Modern Letters & Numbers Decals (35-014).

The decals come in two sheets of the same page, so there are plenty of numbers, codes and colors available for 1/35 modern subjects. As it is a generic set, there are no instructions provided.

From the AOA website

This sheet offers number and letter variations as seen on US "modern" vehicles - both in black and green for most styles.

A full alphabet is provided for one of the most common US stenciled styles, including multiple "M" variations.

Other styles are primarily numbers for USMC/USN vehicles (M-ATV, JLTV, MTVR, M1 Abrams, LAV-25, etc.). Also includes USMC vehicle plate decals.

From AOA Decal Manufacturer’s Notes

14 options for JLTVs in US service:

• 2x Army Reserve (Fort McCoy)
• 12x USMC - Additional decals are also included without the tape/exercise markings that cover some various unit markings. Decals for an M1102 trailer are also included for one JLTV option.
• Includes full JLTV stencil data set (enough for two vehicles) with variations.
• For Rye Field Model (RFM) 1/35 JLTV.

Background and Historical Notes

As one of the military’s most important decisions, it put out a bid announcement for a replacement for its basic utility vehicle, what was to be called the ‘Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.’