I recall seeing something on Merit's facebook page about an upcoming M-ATV MRAP, but was surprised to see it this soon. The retail price was $150, but the vehicle just looked too cool to pass up. Reviewing the pictures on the box showed that it was fully detailed with a full interior, which made me want to get it all the more. Ultimately, I'm very pleased with the purchase. Here are some additional pictures and product review.
Out of the Box & Parts
The model comes packaged in a plastic tray, secured with wire tie-downs. It is largely pre-assembled with only a few small parts to attach, including antennas, spare tire, the side mirrors, the flag thing on the front fender and hitches. These were included separately in a small box. I would recommend using glue to attach the side mirrors and other smaller parts. Assembly is very easy and takes about 5 minutes.
All four doors open (they can be a little stiff to pull out) and the doors are detailed on each side, including latches on the interior panel. The turret hatch also opens. The turret rotates and the MG can traverse and elevate. The MRAP has a detailed cab interior with steering wheel, shift, and gauges detailed in the driver's seat. It has the correct style seats with the belt loops detailed for all passengers. There are also the radio and storage platforms. The Merit M-ATV MRAP is a functional model, not a toy. As such, it is a bit delicate and should be handled with care. There are lots of little parts and appendages sticking out everywhere that could break easily.
Vehicle Interior:
Interior Detail: Driver's Seat
Interior Detail: Passenger Seat
The unfortunate thing is that the Merit M-ATV is 1:16 scale... Would have been a lot neater in 1:18 scale where we have a plethora of modern soldier figures that would go perfectly. Lacking any articulated 1:16 action figures, I elected to use some Unimax Bravo Team US Army figures. These are slightly on the large size for 1:18 scale and don't look too terribly off scale... The MRAP is a large vehicle anyways and referencing pictures online showed that the figures aren't far off for size. The figures were able to squeeze into the M-ATV's interior, with the most difficult figure to place being the driver, due to the steering wheel.
All Crewed Up:
Figures Seated Inside
Figures Seated & Standing
Turret & Gunner Detail:
Figures on the Rear Deck:
Overall, I'm pretty happy with what turned out to be my splurge purchase for today
Despite being 1:16 scale, the Merit M-ATV MRAP is a highly detailed and well-thought-out model that captures the look of the actual vehicle. It perhaps could have used a little more weathering, but overall seems to have an accurate US Army paint scheme. Merit included slightly crooked markings (like on the Harrier) which is a bit sloppy, but something I can overlook. If you are looking for some modern armor and want to add an MRAP to your collection, this model is the way to go 
