Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $56.95 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com I, of course, rushed over to Blitz Hobbies and picked up my mandatory two as soon as he got them. Like the M3 halftrack (soon to be released), this was one of those….GOT TO HAVE!! First looks into the box immediately tell you a few things. This is definitely a better kit than Tamiya's but it is also a more expensive kit. Like many of Dragon's kits, it is a mix of some old and some new. There are six sprues that come from the M2/M2A1/M4 kit that makes up the chassis and front cab and five new sprues that make up the rear cabin, Maxson M45 Turret, and a driver and gunner figure. But I am getting ahead of myself… Let us first look at what is in the box. Dragon's non famous sturdy box is adorned with an artist painting of an M16 MGMC sitting beside an M5A1 on the side of a riverbank. Inside the box, are the eleven light grey sprues consisting of 389 parts, one clear sprue consisting of eight parts, a small etched fret consisting of seventeen parts, a small piece of twine and chain (for the front winch), a decal sheet to outfit six different vehicles, and the instruction booklet with a one page decal and painting guide included. First look issues are always bound to happen and in this case, it was inevitable. The front tires are still the deflated ones from the previous halftracks. Luckily, these can be replaced with aftermarket items. The frontal cab parts still do not have the split screws that hold the plates together. The new rear cabin plates do have this feature so you now have a correct rear cabin but an incorrect front cab. The two five gallon fuel cans or the front side mounts have not been changed. This makes mounting the cans easier but having them not mounted extremely hard. The pedals in the cab are still molded on and I have heard rumors that the shifter knobs are not of the correct shape. The windscreen is still a clear plastic affair which means the frame has to be painted around the glass. The headlights are clear parts. Note: drill these out. Do not do as I did and back-paint them silver and then olive drab. The effect was not good at all. Also on the headlights; as this is a later model, you only get the late model front ends. Your choice is closed up or opened with etched brass sheet forming the louvers. The rear cabin is well detailed with almost no pin marks visible. The M45 Maxson turret looks gorgeous. You will need to install a few wires here and there. Most notably are the visible battery and turret drive. The four .50 caliber machine guns look great and have the barrels hollowed out. Overall, with a little work, (a lot of work if you plan to fix the front screws) this will turn into one gorgeous M16. Once again I need to thank my wonderful wife Jerry for always supporting my hobby and to Dragon for releasing this kit and finally to IPMS/USA for allowing us a place to post this review for other modelers to see. (Editors note- we just received our copy of the kit and is going out for review- stay tuned for the build)

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.