Forces of Valor AAVP7A1

[chesy]

I recieved my overpriced, hard to find AAV purchased from ebay about an hour ago and thought I would share my impressions here now that I have one in my collection... as I said in a seperate thread I served in Amtracs for some 15 years and just seperated from active duty in sept due to back injuries sustained in Baghdad (if your wondering why I did'nt go for retirement), so my perspective is clear in regards to accuracy, etc... The kit's markings are described by me in an earlier post so I will just say they are accurate as I remember them and show an AAV from Operation Iraqi Freedom belonging to Alpha Company, 3d AABN in support of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment as seen during the invasion in March 2003. 3/4's Bull's Head logo is on the very front of the vehicle and superimposed atop a traditional Japanese arch or gateway (3 deployments to Okinawa and I can't remember the name...) in reference to the permanent home of the 4th Marine Regiment in Okinawa... 3/4 has a unique history and was one of the few Marine unit's ever forced to surrender to an enemy, that happening on the Bataan Peninsula and the remnants on Corregidor in 1942 in the Philippines to the invading Japanese Army. As such the Regiment's Colors are prohibited from being flown on US soil and so their permanent posting to Japan... that may be an "urban legend" in the Marine's but is the widely held view. 60 some odd years later 3/4 was exchanged for 2d Bn, 7th Marines for unit deployment and was filling the slot left by 2/7 at 29 Palms, CA when again deployed to Kuwait in Jan 03. 3/4's stigma was quickly shed after the beginning of hostilities and their Bn CO, Colonel McCoy is something of a rising star as a result. He was more of a legend to us guys by the time we got to Baghdad.
Anyway, the kit comes painted in overall desert sand and is an older "straightleg" model, others being the newer RAM/RS or "Rammer" which has the Bradley suspension, sits 4-6 inches higher, and a stronger engine. The increase in height is disturbing as the AAV is already the tallest vehicle on the battlefield... the EEAK Plates are molded plastic attached to the diecast hull and look accurate, missing only the small handrails bolted on for the driver and on the otherside just aft of the turret to aid in climbing up the sides. The plates are missing from the top of the vehicle but FOV thoughtfully incuded the "bosses" on the hull where the missing plates would be bolted on. This look is not inaccurate as some tracks had none at all and some unusual combinations were observed. The vehicle's gun barrels are painted (or molded) in tan but a more realistic look would be to paint them gunmetal as they are in life. The armorer's would have a stroke if they found us painting the guns... The waterdrive system, "buckets" are shown in the open position on the rear as seen when operating in the water, not very common during the war but it did happen crossing the Diyala River into Baghdad's suburbs around April 8th (?)... by guess who? 3Bn, 4th Marines.... I imagine FOV just got lucky on that one. I was a few hundred meters away and could not actually see it but we all knew and it's something of a historical footnote. Sadly, one of the tractors would soon be hit by an Iraqi 155mm artillery shell killing the crew instantly, the vehicle being penetrated from the top just to the right of the driver's hatch. The press reported it as friendly fire but it was later proven otherwise... they did'nt bother to report that, however. Anyway, it was said to be a one in a million shot and stranger still, the vehicle absorbed the explosion and directed it mostly upwards which saved the lives of 20 some men who had just disembarked moments before, the Bn staff among them. Most of these survivers are still on active duty. Back to the model, the tracks molded in rubber don't reflect the sag of Christie Suspensin vehicles but don't look bat at all and the vehicle rolls suprisingly smoothly, "like a hot wheels" to quote my fellow collector in his earlier post. The fording kit in front, or Bow Plane as we called it works and can be elevated but this reveals to prominent screws which hold the hull together. Incidently, this feature was added about 1989 to improve sea keeping during choppier sea states and is not necessary to operate in the water... it does help, though. The antennae's accurately depict the CINCGARS radio suite installed in 1995 to FMF Units over the previous Vietnam-era radios and dinosaurs like me had to constantly practice to stay proficient... some of the details are molded into the diecast hull such as the front shackles, the tow cable adjacent to the personnel hatch on back and the vent air aspirator on top next to the driver... Interior detail somewhat lacking it is still my new-found favorite (go figure) and, if indeed it will retail for 22 bucks or so will be a steal. The crewchief is accurately depicted as well wearing the MOPP suit with brown body armor and desert boots... some black boots were to be seen as well, however. A good look will be to drape the vehicle with infantry packs along the gypsie racks and fabricate an air panel in day-glo orange, a simple rectangle we displayed atop one of the cargo hatches (usually the left) while keeping the right side open so the embarked infantry could engage targets aft and to the sides while embarked... critical when transiting urban areas. The left side closed also keeps access to the fuel cell filler neck easy but all combinations could be seen in reality. Lastly, a healthy assortment of water jugs in tan (jugs included with other kits are perfect) or black along the inside of the side racks round out the picture quite well. I am glad I was able to share these details while I still can, 2 years later and a new life is making some details hard to recall already... oh, yeah, the american flag depicted on all FOV US vehicles is historically inaccurate for this one but looks OK. Most tractors and tanks were painted on the turret sides or main gun barrels (Abrams) with a nickname shortly before crossing into Iraq.

[hworth18]

Holy Crap!!!
Don't suppose you can cut that down to a sentance or two, could ya??

[krieglok]

Very interesting post. Did these vehicles have a smoke generating system on board? I notice there is a stack like object located on the top center deck just behind the rear louvered cover. I was wondering what this object was. Thanks for the painting tips on the guns as well as the real life impressions of the vehicle.

TJ

[aferguson]

i really like chesy's posts. So many interesting little tidbits...makes me feel as though i was there in a sort of way..

For the AAV's which used the Bradley chassis was the chassis stretched or altered in any way or was it a stock Bradley chassis? Might make a good 1/18 custom project using the XD Bradley as a basis..

[Teamski]

Thanks for the review Chesy. Great job!

I'm sorry about your back. I have a bunch of guys in my unit that have the same problem with their backs. It seems the military takes it's toll on the spinal column. Working C-5s does the back no favors climbing stands, lifting 300lb tires, etc....... Hang in there!

-Ski

[DocTodd]

Interesting post. Great information. That vehicle is one of my favorite modern armor pieces and to have all the information makes it all the better. Thanks,
Todd

[tmanthegreat]

Thanks for the first-hand info! I saw one of these at a TRU in my area, but have thus far declined to get it. I think you might make me change my mind...

[yat yas]

did you do any time at schools Bn?

[chesy]

Hey again, guys, just saw some of the questions posted after my rather longwinded dissertation on AAV's, etc and will try to respond:

hworth18: Sorry for legnthy posts, this forum really ain't the place so I will be more succinct...
krieglok: On the earier "straightleg" depicted in the FOV model, your referring to the exhaust for the Cummins engine... the louvers are the intake plenum (front) and exhaust plenum (rear) which only serve to draw air to the radiator inside and then vent it . These can be sealed hydraulicaly for water ops. where the coolant fan stops and coolant is then redirected to a "contact cooler" on the bottom inside of the hull. Cool water temp on the hull bottom dissapates the heat. No kidding. Kind of a novel idea when you think about it. Smoke generation is done with a flip of a switch wherupon fuel is sprayed directly into the manifold and big billowing clouds of white smoke are the shot from the exhaust. We usually use it during beach landings... there are 2 banks of smoke grenade tubes on the rear corners ot the turret as well which are painted black on model but which are the same color as the hull in reality. The exhaust stack should be a sooty black and metal color as well...
aferguson: I'm glad you enjoyed the posts and I have to admit I went off on tangent of sorts... guess I just wanted to share some of the details before I start to forget now that I'm out... as for the "Rammer" suspension taken from the Bradley, I'm not too familiar with the Army vehicles dimensions, etc but I do know that to retrofit all those new parts into a tractor plates thicker than the existing hull had to be welded into the hull where the new hardware meets the hull. We also have an annoying trend where we snap off the larger, center return roller completely. It's a real pain in the ass to fix, too... oddly, the # of track blocks from the older suspended track to the newer Bradley suspension has remained the same (84-85 depending on servicability). I was kinda suprised as I thought it would have increased by a few but thats not the case. The new suspension is by far more rugged than the older one and makes a big difference, though... plus the more powerful engine. I been thinking about the same model conversion you mentioned as well... one of these days.
Teamski: Thanks for the kind words... it's all good and a lot of new doors are opening for me so I'm cool with it. A lot of guys came home from Iraq in a lot worse shape than me so I count my stars... You're right too, the service has a way of burning you up over time but I still would'nt trade the memories for anything.
DocTodd: I'm glad I could give you a more complete picture of the AAV and pique your interest... I gotta admit a tractor is a huge asset in the field, like having a big RV as opposed to sleeping on the ground. I also think it's simplicity is it's biggest stregnth, too as opposed to the hydraulic nightmare the new AAAV is proving to be with all it's computers, etc... The turret layout still sucks, though and wearing body armor while in the gunner's seat is next to impossible. I gave my ballistic plates to some of the guys in Hummers and wore only my second chance vest while in the turret for most of the war...
tmanthegreat: I would urge you to buy it but I'm obviously biased, so... I still have yet to see them on the shelves in western PA. I payed out the yin-yang for mine on ebay but I could'nt help myself...
yat yas: Good screen name, I suspect you and I are the only ones who know it's meaning in this forum... send me an email and we can compare notes on who we know, etc... I will say here that I was with Delta Company, 3rd AAV's for the war and never an instructor at Del Mar...

[Jorg]

Does yat yas apply to other tracked vehicles or only USMC ones?

[chesy]

....It's no big secret, just a motto within the Amtrack field in the marines which stands for "you ain't tracks, you ain't shit", a unit pride slogan instilled in new crewman on their way to the Fleet for active duty convinced they're bullet-proof and the toughest guy in the bar, etc, etc,...
goes back to at least Vietnam era as far as I know. I saw a young guy jump out of the back of an AAV in Iraq and run up to a wall size portrait of Saddam and spraypaint "YAT YAS" and draw devil horns and 2 big boobs on it while we were still drawing fire since we had not secured the town yet. It was pretty hilarious...

[Big Duke 6]

Thanks, for the info, very informative !! Didn't the fouth get sent to the Tsunami area's? Would have liked to see the Marine painting the potrait, classic !!

BD6

[chesy]

BigDuke, my driver and I both snapped quick pictures while the event unfolded.... my "Milton Bradley" quality digital camera blurred the shot while my buddy's came out fine. He promises to forward some pics and I will see if he will send that one and try to post it.... an RPG (as far as we could figure) had just smacked the opposite side of a wall near where we were stopped a minute or two prior and the small comedy that played out beside us kinda helped us regain our nerve. The little town was called Afak I think, and we drove right up to the Baath Party HQ building while 3/4 Marines kicked in the door and shot a few die hards then took 2 prisoners... this would have been April 1st, 03 if there are those checking my notes to see if i'm making stuff up. I'm not.

[Big Duke 6]

Chesy,

Pics of that would be priceless, let me know when you get them. Never doubted your info for a minute. Man, I can only imagine the anxiety experienced in your deployment. I have some pics on my machine somewhere of my little bro's deployment under 2nd BN Recon, a couple are really good. Your story hit home about the spray painter. My bro said there was always some nut with no fear of injury, that would pull a stunt similar to that in a hot LZ or something.

BD6

[chesy]

BigDuke,

If you send me your home email address and I will send you some of the ones I have on my hard drive... I would'nt mind having them posted in this forum but I'm not sure all our members would think it appropriate...

[Big Duke 6]

Chesy,

Sent you a PM

BD6