In 1983, the US Army sent out a request for a new "High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle" or "HMMWV", which was to replace the then current generation of "Jeeps" that the Army was using. The required vehicle would be able to follow in the tracks of the Abrams M1 tank or any other Army vehicle, and to carry out a number of tasks such as troop transport, reconnaissance, field ambulance, and so on.
AM General's design was chosen by the Army, and an order for 55,000 was placed. It is now known variously as the "Humvee", "HMMWV" or as the "Hummer". The vehicle has a powerful diesel engine (turbo-diesel in later variants), high ground clearance and a wide track, which endow it with formidable off-road performance.
It featured prominently in the Gulf War, being seen nightly on news reports, in various different roles. My own particular memory from that period was of a group of Marines firing away with a roof mounted machinegun from the roof of a Hummer. (Unfortunately it turned out they were firing at another group of Marines but thankfully there were no casualties!). The model featured above is in Military Police markings from the Gulf War.
In 1992, AM General released the Hummer for sale to the general public, possibly to make up a shortfall in military orders following the end of the Cold War. The civilian models are considerably more "civilized" than the military model, with options including air-con, leather seats and CD players. Station wagon, pick-up truck, 4-door and 4-door convertible body styles are available. The Hollywood set has taken this unorthodox vehicle to it's heart, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as owners, not to mention a starring role in "The Rock" driven by none other than Sir Sean Connery.
As expected from any Exoto model, this big replica is made to a very high standard. It is finished in the desert tan paint scheme applied to all Allied vehicles in the Gulf War and has military police markings. The engine bay is nicely detailed with real wire mesh behind the grill and bonnet air intake. The transmission is accurately replicated underneath the vehicle and there is a M-60 on a rooftop turret mount. The interior is basic (as befits a military vehicle) but realistic. My only real dislike is the wing mirrors which I feel would have been more accurately represented in metal (the plastic ones bend in towards the centre of the vehicle). Hence it looses a mark, but gets a very high 9/10 marks from me. All in all, another triumph for Exoto.
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