Academy GLDS M1126 Stryker

The Yak-130 wasn’t the only completed model languishing while the temps swirled around in the upper 90s. I had also finished up a vehicle, this one being the GLDS M1126 Stryker.

The Stryker is an armored infantry transport vehicle with seating for 9 soldiers. It also comes with a top mounted 50 cal to provide support once the squad is disembarked. They have been used pretty extensively in Iraq. There is even a local connection; one of the main Stryker units is based nearby me at Lewis-McChord joint base south of Tacoma.

The Academy kit is not bad at all. Surface detail is very nice, and only the suspension for the eight wheels makes for some tiny and complex parts. Your carpet monster will be eagerly eying the individual suspension bits, so take some extra care in this area. Fit is good, there are no clear parts to mask, and the assembly is a relatively stress free affair.

The Stryker is a single color paint job (except for the tires). I’ve begun using an actual Black for the tires on these wheeled vehicles I’ve been producing instead of the dark grey I use for tires on most aircraft. There was just so little contrast between the Olive Drab of the vehicle and the dark grey of the tires. The Black improves the look, though it might be marginally less realistic.

All in all, another reasonable entry into the vehicle collection.

This is completed vehicle #12 (12 aircraft, 2 ordnance, 12 vehicles for the year 2017), finished in August of 2017.