Galaxy Hobby M1240A1 Build Review

A review of Galaxy Hobby 1/72 kit of the M1240A1

Galaxy Hobby has several models of the M-ATV family of vehicles at 1/72 scale, this review is focused on their reference GH72A05 for an M1240A1.

First Look

The kit comes in a large box with a hinged lid. Inside there are four grey and one clear plastic sprues, a photoetched fret, five 3D printed resin wheels and a decal sheet. 

The instruction book is in A5 landscape format, in color, printed on glossy paper and stapled. 

The parts have very  good detail and definition. The thickness is adjusted to scale, considering that it is 1/72 it means that some parts are quite fragile. 

The interior includes the seats, the dashboard, the frame for the radio (but not the radio itself) and the inside of the doors. Although it is enough for what you can see through the small windows, it does not allow you to show it with the doors open without adding quite a bit of detail. 

The wheels, including the spare, have very good detail, in keeping with the model. 

Assembly

The assembly does not present great complications in itself, as the parts fit very well without using putty. Some of them have marks that need to be cleaned, though. 

The photoetch parts also fit perfectly with the plastic. 

The only problem is that there are a few errors in the instructions, mixing some part numbers. Although it is usually easy to detect because they do not fit as they should, it is essential to test to avoid these problems. In particular the suspension arms need to be looked at carefully to make sure the springs rest where they should. 

For my part I changed the order of assembly of some of the more fragile parts like mirrors or antennas, leaving them for the end to avoid breaking them. 

The optional parts for the Polish version are well differentiated in the instructions. 

Four decorations are offered with decals for US Army, Polish Army, Polish Special Forces and ROK. Paint references include FS and Vallejo, Tamiya, Ammo, Mr. Hobby and Vic Hobby.

Conclusion

A nice model of this vehicle, with very good detail for its scale and with included accessories such as resin wheels and a good photoetch set. Although the assembly requires some care due to a few errors in the instructions, the fit is excellent and produces a good looking kit.