‘Sup Killers! Well, here we go on pt 2 of the Blog, and yup this week we are concentrating on the backbone of the list, the venerable HUMVEE, High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle in case you didn’t know… 😉

In a world of high-end tanks and tank-killing HELO, what better panacea than 31 Hummers..? Yup, you read that right THIRTY ONE Hummers, SIXTEEN of which have TOW 2… Oh yeah…!

So, 31 Hummers, easy right? Just order from BF at about $50 plus post for FIVE… 🤯 So that’s about $300 JUST in Hummers, umm, YEAH-NAH…!

So I reached out to my friendly neighbourhood 3D Printer-Man, T-Boss. 3 days later and I have ALL the Hummers PLUS some awesome ‘chunky’ infantry to represent 2nd PL, Bravo COY, 1st RECON BN USMC, AKA ‘Generation Kill’…

Check his Insta as below for all your 3D printed needs!

I am using some BF Hummers, but they are Army ones, and lack the deep-wading exhaust and high air-intake of the USMC ones. They also have armoured doors, and solid windows, and they are of only one shape, the Bustleback. 

So, with the BF ones, I need to smooth the doors, add a high exhaust and intake, drill the windows and add a tonne of stowage etc to make them rep the Recon Marines ones.

Remember when I said this was also about my time in the sandpit in ‘03? Well here’s a pic of me with a Marine Hummer to just illustrate how crap these things were. This was armoured warfare and these dudes are rolling in soft-skin vehicles with ZERO protection… Note also they are all in European theatre Camo… Much like the trucks I was using… More to follow on that later..

Note the M16A4 with underslung M203 and Iron Sights, no ‘Scopes here..! Note how flimsy the doors look, they are literally a metal frame with a canvas skin. Barely keeps the rain out let alone 5.45 Russian…

Note I am wearing Desert DPM Pants and private purchase desert boots, but I am wearing a DPM windproof smock. At this time, about 3 weeks before the start of the ground war, I was the only soldier in my REGT that had a set of Desert DPM Shirt and Pants. And that was only because I had been in AFG 18 months earlier… Prepared we sure were not…

You may ask why I was hanging out with the USMC so often? Good patai… I was my REGT’s CBRN adviser and as such, had to build relationships with flanking FF, in this case the USMC. I was in charge of all CBRN Training and the issue and maintenance of CBRN detection equipment such as the CAM, Chemical Agent Monitor, a smaller hand-held device that needed very specific batteries.

I remember having to go the REGT stores QM one morning as my new CAM’s had arrived in country, which was handy as at this stage I had none… SO I uplifted 4 new machines and left to set them up. I got halfway back to my lines when I realised I had no batteries… SO I turned around and went back to see the Q-Bloke. “Hey mate, I forgot the batteries for those CAM’s, can I have say, 10?” His response, “Nah mate, we don’t have any…” 

“You don’t have any I replied? WT ACTUAL F? Bro, you realise were about to kick off, that we’re here to find WDM’s (Spoiler Alert, there were none, Thanks Tony…) and that I NEED those CAM’s to protect the REGT as it advances?” 

His reply almost made me laugh.. “Yeah sorry mate, the RAF have declared them as DAC (Dangerous Air Cargo) so they are coming on a ship, ETA SIX WEEKS.”

SIX WEEKS?! Mint! Go Air Farce… I turned around and left, no point getting out of shape with this bloke, he was only telling me what he knew. So, what to do I thought to myself..? I know, my buddies down at the USMC…

Let me introduce you to the two main USMC dudes I was hanging with, Warrant Officer CASS, and the other guy… I feel bad that I don’t remember these guys names, had a lot going on. All I do remember is that these guys were legends and couldn’t do enough for me and my REGT. Anything I needed, if they had it, I got it. So, 10 CAM batteries? Sure Bob, no worries, here ya go! Sign for them? Nah, we’ll just say they fell overboard… Now THATS how to conduct business! 😜

And yes, we are all smoking cigars INSIDE a tent… Ahh, 2003…!

Right, back to the minis! Here’s a pic of what I am dealing with in Hummers alone…

As you can see, there are a few there… I have 8 with built in stowage 7 BF ones and the rest are plain bustle backs. I will need to do some conversions as I will need 2-door ‘Wendy House’, no-door, open tops, and a few other variants. I have started converting a BF Hummer into the Iceman’s vehicle. I drilled out the windows, added a spare tire from greenstuff and a high-level air intake and an air-recognition flag on the hood, top mount is the MK19 AGM. Still to go are the high-level exhaust, plenty of stowage and the minis to rep The Iceman, Trombley, Person and ‘Rolling Stone’.

I plan to have the signature vehicles from GK in the list, prepped as they are in the TV show. They are not exact replicas, but then the ones in the show aren’t either!

Next up is SGT Tony ‘Poke’ Espera’s truck. This one needed some thought as it’s a no-door, open top vehicle. Now the BF ones have an interesting inner-bracing that runs inline with the side windows, they also have zero interior detail.. So, how to make this one? I turn to one of T-Boss’s 3D-ers! And even better, I use one of the ‘failed’ prints that he sent me for FREE… So, I chopped the roof, added the side and top rails, gun mount and spare tire. The air intake is plastic rod and a sliver of the Hummer spruce. To add are stowage and the crew. I am pretty happy with this first attempt at a conversion, let me know what you think!

So, that’s the START of TWO out of THIRTY ONE trucks…! Man I must be insane! But hey, I am loving this! Hope you are too 🙏 Not sure if this post was too long, but it’s probably indicative of how things will roll from now on… I guess I shouldn’t look to have this army finished too soon…!

Right that’s it for this one, take it easy and feel free to let me know what you think. I am not in this for the ‘likes and subscribes’, but I am happy to hear from you! 😊