{"id":11117,"date":"2018-09-28T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/?p=11117"},"modified":"2021-10-29T02:59:19","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T01:59:19","slug":"project-humvee-weapon-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/09\/28\/project-humvee-weapon-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Humvee – Weapon Options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last time we looked at Project Humvee, we’d just finished adding another chassis to our convoy.<\/a> In this post, we’re going to add some more weapon options. When running scenarios, it’s nice to be able to pick from a selection of gear, so the hot-swappable turret system is perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

But first, I needed to add an upgrade to Humvee Alpha. Up until this point, the only variant that had space for a spare wheel was the SF upgrade. For anyone using the regular variants, there was no mounting point available. From reading the Haynes guide to the Humvee<\/a>, this is actually a pretty common occurrence. However, seeing as I haven’t covered my vehicles in bags handing off the side, I was looking for a way to make these vehicles look a bit less factory fresh and more utilitarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
I’ll admit, there isn’t much too it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of the last wave of releases, Spectre has released HMV Upgrade Delta, inspired by the tire carrier seen on military Humvees. This is a simple two-part kit, comprising of a one-piece frame and a spare tyre. This is actually a different style to the tyres included in the basic vehicle, with a much deeper central recess. The frame glues into a locator lug on the back of the vehicle and then rests on the rear of the bumper. Its position means you can easily mount the spare tire frame even if you have installed oversized aerials on either side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I really like this upgrade, so much that I think I’ll be picking up another one to add to my other normal Humvee. The frame sits away from the back of the vehicle which had me a little worried about how much support it would have once assembled, especially once exposed to the rigours of the gaming table. However, the resin actually has some flex to it – not enough that it’s weighed down by the tyre but enough that catching it on a building edge or dropping it shouldn’t be a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I should also point out that mounting the fuel cans onto the frame is not technically accurate. Although a perfect space, this would cause issues using the mechanical lifting system (needed due to the sheer weight of a Humvee tyre). On the other hand, it does look cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Right, that’s the utility out of the way, lets move on to the cool stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Three generations of M2 mounts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the War on Terror has rumbled on, a key element of modern vehicles that have come on leaps and bounds is the weapon mounting system. In 2001 Humvees were rolling around with ring mounts and no protection but after combat usage in Iraq, they were soon mounting armoured shield and turrets to protect the gunner from being shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the safest place for the gunner to be is inside the vehicle. Remote weapon stations (or RWS) remove any need for the gunner to stick their head out of the vehicle while also adding some additional features such as improved optics or smoke grenade launchers to assist in the role and improve survivability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spectre’s range of RWS comprises of a mix of weapon systems and mounting platform. The heavy variant comes with thermal optics and smoke dischargers and can mount the M2 HMG, M240 MMG and the MK47 AGL. If you’re wanting to mount them on a smaller platform (such as a technical or a modified SUV) there is also the light version<\/a> – it’s currently only available with the M240 and lacks the smoke dischargers of it’s bigger brother. However, it is more suitable for less military roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Having two of the heavy mounts you can see the similarities. The turret ring is a modified version of the one that comes with every HMV, and so assembles the same way. The actual gun mount (complete with ammo box and mounting system) is actually similar but slightly different for each gun so I wouldn’t recommend\u00a0trying to hot-swap them. The smoke dischargers are small, but not small enough to cause an issue with attaching them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I currently leave all my turrets loose, letting me easily swap between them. By default, the RWS attaches with a pin and socket system. Although stable, I could see an issue with so many loose parts – to this end, I decided to magnetise it. Of course, being a man of limited patience and skill, I ended royally bungling the job leading to several slightly drunken looking guns when rotated too far. Luckily this was easily fixed with a bit of filing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The M2 is sort of the classic weapon for an RWS system, easily able to engage a mix of targets from infantry to lightly armoured vehicles. The thermal cam and zoomable optics make it even more of a threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for the MMG. The AGL is a useful weapon system but I’m much more of a fan of the MK19 – the MK47 is slightly too snazzy for most forces using the Humvee. The M240, on the other hand, is a much more refined tool, easier to balance as a scenario writer and slightly less terrifying to go up against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of things terrifying to go up against, let’s talk about the GAU-19. If you’ve followed this blog, you know I’m a fan of all things rotary, even modding the Empress Humvees to mount a M134. Combining rotary\u00a0with .50cal, and you’re about to see something pretty nasty to go up against. I know for a fact that Spectre is currently still working out the stat line for the GAU-19 and looking at for Skirmish Sangin, I think it’s first burst is going to be an incredibly emotional event for anyone downrange of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Assembly is actually something worth covering. The pack comes with the weapon, a box of ammo and the basic mount. Unlike previous miniguns, the scope is actually part of the main body of the gun. Additionally, the pack doesn’t include the turret ring, which means it can be used on all the various turret styles if you’re willing to slightly widen some of the slots in the armoured plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More interesting is the change in material. Unlike previous weapons, this gun is actually resin. But more importantly, the belt is resin. This makes it much easier to shape and mould after a bath in hot water, especially compared to the metal one that came with the M134 Minigun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it was also time to assemble something a little more basic, perfect for the MENA forces or those less well equipped. For this, I grabbed a simple M2, an unused turret ring and a small piece of the pylon that comes with the M2 gun. Trimming down the turret mount slightly to make the pole fit flat, this turret is a bit of a classic. Change the door design, and this vehicle would be ready to roll around Mogadishu. On the other hand, this version is better suited for internal security, either rolling around military bases or city streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These new additions help to open up the options I have for using these Humvees. With a good selection of weapons, a limited number of vehicle bodies can fulfil\u00a0many roles. As you can see above, the same weapons also work pretty well on the Empress vehicles, although the new RWS will need some tweaks to fit the roof flush due to the\u00a0box at the front. Perfect for upgrading an M-ATV to sling .50cal rounds down range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next time on Project Humvee I’ll be adding some personality to my Humvees with the addition of some turret gunners. In addition, the local forces will be getting their first turret, perfect to upgrade the MENA regulars with something more than just a pickup truck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last time we looked at Project Humvee, we’d just finished adding another chassis to our convoy. In this post, we’re going to add some more weapon options. When running scenarios, it’s nice to be able to pick from a selection of gear, so the hot-swappable turret system is perfect. But first, I needed to add […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":11167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1093,1048,951,1004,957,903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-humvee","category-impressions","category-projects","category-vehicles","category-wargaming"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Michael Charge","author_link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/author\/chargedog\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180927_214416-e1538090792422-scaled.jpg","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180927_214416-e1538090792422-scaled.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Features<\/a>","Humvee<\/a>","Impressions<\/a>","Projects<\/a>","Vehicles<\/a>","Wargaming<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Features<\/span>","Humvee<\/span>","Impressions<\/span>","Projects<\/span>","Vehicles<\/span>","Wargaming<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 8 years ago","modified":"Updated 4 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on 28\/09\/2018","modified":"Updated on 29\/10\/2021"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on 28\/09\/2018 12:00 pm","modified":"Updated on 29\/10\/2021 2:59 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pvEn5-2Tj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10360,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/06\/15\/project-humvee-initial-impressions-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":0},"title":"Project Humvee – Initial Impressions","author":"Michael Charge","date":"15\/06\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"You know, after the 9 posts that was Project Technical, I think it's safe to say that pickup trucks with guns mounted on them are pretty great. On the other hand, there is something to be said for a vehicle that is actually designed to carry a group of infantry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_20180612_231614-e1528844272882-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10974,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/09\/07\/project-humvee-vehicle-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":1},"title":"Project Humvee – Vehicle 3","author":"Michael Charge","date":"07\/09\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In the last Project Humvee post, I has a chunk planning out Vehicle 3 in the project. Well, this week I managed to get around to assembling and painting it in preparation for next week's game. First stage was assembly. This was exactly the same as mentioned in back in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/IMG_20180907_002107-e1536277546436-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10480,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/06\/29\/impressions-am-general-humvee-enthusiasts-manual\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":2},"title":"Impressions: AM General HUMVEE Enthusiasts’ Manual","author":"Michael Charge","date":"29\/06\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In a complete reversal to my previous vehicle-based project, I decided to pick up my reference material at the start of the project rather than just as it was coming to an end. Osprey does produce a New Vanguard on the Humvee series written by Steven J Zaloga. However, it's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20180628_213831-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10882,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/08\/31\/project-humvee-stowage-and-painting\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":3},"title":"Project Humvee – Stowage and Painting","author":"Michael Charge","date":"31\/08\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last time in Project Humvee, we took a look into the basics of the Spectre range and assembled the chassis for the first two vehicles. This time around, prompted by the need to get some vehicles ready for an upcoming game, we're going to cover the next step for this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/COmms.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/COmms.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/COmms.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/COmms.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9840,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2018\/05\/07\/wargaming-week-07-05-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":4},"title":"Wargaming Week 07\/05\/2018","author":"Michael Charge","date":"07\/05\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Let\u2019s start this Wargaming Week, covering the 30th of April through to the 6th of May. BLOG\u00a0STUFF Last week was a two post week - Wednesday was taking pictures of Hammerhead 2018 while Friday was the last post for Operation Dragon's Hoard. As I say in the post, it's been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wargaming"","block_context":{"text":"Wargaming","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/wargaming\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/31773157_1658201964228718_5266295010646556672_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/31773157_1658201964228718_5266295010646556672_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/31773157_1658201964228718_5266295010646556672_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/31773157_1658201964228718_5266295010646556672_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11578,"url":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/2019\/03\/13\/impressions-spectre-ltv\/","url_meta":{"origin":11117,"position":5},"title":"Impressions: Spectre LTV","author":"Michael Charge","date":"13\/03\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Humvee, despite being seen on the battlefield all over the world, was not designed for a combat role. It was a utility transport, unarmoured, suited for rushing around behind friendly lines. However, nothing goes to plan, and every since 1993, they have found themselves in the line of fire.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/IMG_20190312_204652-e1552424925199-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hntdaab.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}