Forces of Valor AAVP7A1
Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 5:09 pm
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.
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.
