First released by Panda-Hobby in 2015, this is a good kit of an interesting and very unusual vehicle. The parts have some fit issues, but are generally okay. There are not a huge number of parts (220) and there is not a lot of detail to the vehicle, which simplifies assembly.

Background

The Husky VMMD was first developed for the South African Defence Force in the 1970s to clear military convoy routes of mines. Formerly called the Chubby System, the Husky uses ground penetrating radar to locate mines and IEDs. Driven by a single occupant, the vehicle can withstand explosions and is easily repairable due to its modular construction. The Husky VMMD has been used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kit Contents

• 5 tan sprues.
• One clear sprue
• Photoetch fret , vinyl hose, and decal sheet
• Five rubber tires
• 7 ¾” x 11" stapled instruction book with eight pages and seven assembly steps.

Detail on parts is good, but a little soft, and there is no flash. The kit includes a simply detailed drivers compartment, and does not include an engine. Vinyl tubing for hydraulic piping is provided, but not included in the instructions as to location. Online photos give ample evidence of the piping, but the equipment and connections are not included with the kit.

Instructions include images of the sprues to help identify part locations. The assembly drawings are somewhat small with very fine detail and line work. I had to use a magnifying glass in some instances to understand the diagrams. The instructions have some notation issues as noted below. Decals for the interior instruments and the exterior hydraulic piping are not called out in the instructions,

A colored poster of the box cover art is included with the kit. The back of the poster has colored elevations of all four sides of the vehicle for color and marking locations. Only one paint color is called out, Mr. Color C19 Sandy Brown. There is some other detail painting for lifting hooks, reflectors, etc.

Assembly

Assembly starts with the bottom hull piece, including the radar sensors. The sensors can be posed in either the retracted or operating locations. There are some small parts here but they fit well.

Next up are the front and rear frames for the suspension, including the axles and fenders for the wheels. The rear half of the front axle is labeled B31 but it is part B8 on the sprue. The front half of the rear axle is also miss-labeled as part A0, and should also be part B8. The small lenses on the rear bumper are identified as part D3 but should be D11. I did not install the wheels and tires at this time, but waited until the vehicle was almost complete so they could be installed at the same time. Both the front and rear suspension frames attach solidly to the lower hull of the vehicle.

The interior of the vehicle does not have a lot of detail. The seats do not assemble as shown on the instructions but are separate parts that attach to the interior tub. There are decals provided for the instruments but they are not shown in the instructions. I did not find them until after the cab was assembled and had to slip them in through the windows.

The upper hall assembly starts with the armored glass windows and top hatch to the driver’s compartment. The hatch can be posed either open or closed. There is nice walk surface texture on the upper hood.

The final assembly steps are to install the upper hull to the lower hull, and install the other exterior accessories. The seams on the muffler are a little crude and difficult to clean up. Otherwise the other accessories go together and attach nicely.

There are a few decals printed by Panda, mostly for warning labels. The decals are sharp and settled down nicely.

I painted the kit with Mission Models and Vallejo acrylic paints. I used a Sin Industries gray filter and MIG Gulf War Sand pigment.

Summary

This was an enjoyable build and a nice kit. It doesn't have a lot of detail, which simplifies the assembly. The detail on the parts is good and the fit is generally good so test fit every part.

Thanks to Panda for producing this nice kit and providing review samples to IPMS.