AOA Decals has a good reputation for quality decals, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review another one of their newest releases, the M-ATV (1) M1240/M1277 US Air Force, Marines, Army, and National Guard (35-010). The decals come in two sheets, one consisting of stencils, and the other with markings for nine vehicles. The second decal sheet in the M-ATV series, M-ATV (2) M1240/M1277 US Army (MFO), Poland, Croatia, and Ukraine (35-011), was previously reviewed.

The M-ATV is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle developed by the Oshkosh Corporation for the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program, to replace M1114 HMMWVs (Humvee). It is designed to provide the same levels of protection as the larger and heavier previous MRAPs, but with improved mobility. With nearly 10,000 M-ATVs in service since their introduction in 2009, there are a lot of options for modelers to build. Fortunately for modelers, AOA Decals has now provided two decal sheets for the M-ATV.

From the AOA website, the 35-010 - M-ATV (1) M1240/M1277 US Air Force, Marines, Army, and National Guard includes the following:

• 16 options for M-ATVs in US service:
  • 3x USAF
  • 6x USMC
  • 7x Army/National Guard
• Includes full M-ATV stencil data sheet covering four variations

While AOA Decals are available through online hobby stores, ordering directly from AOA Decals is not only cheaper, but shipping is also included in the price. While the instruction sheet states that these decals are made specifically for the Rye Field Models kit; however, this decal set will most likely work on the M-ATV kits on the market from Border Model, Hobby Boss, I Love Kit, Kinetic, and Panda Hobby. These decals are versatile.

If you haven’t tried AOA Decals, do yourself a favor and give them a look. They have decals in 1/18, 1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72, and 1/144 scales, mostly centered on aircraft. Looking at other published reviews on the IPMS/USA website, I happily found I am not alone in my assessment that AOA Decals are affordable, easy to apply, and look great on the model. I still don’t have a M1240/M1277 M-ATV in my stash, but this decal sheet demands I rectify that, preferably at the Nationals in Fort Wayne. The hardest choice will be which M-ATV marking scheme will it be, although the NATO tri-tone camouflage with the high visibility yellow and red read mud flaps are really calling to me.

I highly recommend this decal set to anyone building an M-ATV M1240/M1277 looking for unique marking options. Profuse thanks to AOA Decals and the IPMS/USA for providing this review sample.