AM General M1025 Hummer
Model Number: 58154
Released
TBA
Drive
Shaft Driven 4WD, front geardiff / rear balldiff
Suspension
Four wheel independent double wishbone, coilover oilfilled shocks
Chassis Description
ABS Monocoque
Body Type
PS injection moulded
Motor
540
Width
205 mm
Length
396 mm
Height
162 mm
Wheel Base
280 mm
Tread Front
172 mm
Tread Rear
172 mm
Weight
1880 g
Scale
1/12
Tires
front:90x33 mm
Rear:90x33 mm
The M1025 Hummer or "Humvee" is the workhorse of armies worldwide. Tamiya modified the TA-01 chassis with slightly longer suspension arms for the Hummer and the result was a truck that drives well on tarmac and gravel. Tamiya's bodyshell however is a work of art and extremely detailed. This kit cries out for camouflage. Now where's that airbrush? (Description originally entered by acprc)
Reviews
miramar
I have reviewed the Hummer once already, but forgot to mention a small detail, so here I'm at it again! The Hummer surely is a very realistic looking model, but it's a very simple and cheap improvement you can do to make it look much better. Change the wheel nuts! Military vehicles don't have shining wheel nuts. Replace the original with Kyosho black (Kyosho parts number 1180 (5 nuts in the bag)) or if you want to use original Tamiya parts, the black anodised aluminum wheel nuts (53162) will do. It does much more to realism than you can possibly imagine, and the cost and effort is minimal. Also, it takes the single tool that is more useful than this website!
If you, like me, want to take this "dechroming" scheme further, you can replace all bright screws, washers and nuts (and some other "bright" parts) on the chassis too. On my built Hummer, a TA03 provided almost all the black (or rather dark grey) screws, and the rest plus black nuts and damper springs were sourced from Kyosho. The gearbox jointss (output shafts from the gearboxes) were replaced with the hardened hop-up versions (53218 front, 53217 rear) , which both last longer and are dark matt grey, keeping with the scheme. The also matt grey (53225) TA02W front universal drive shafts (yes, they are the correct length both front and rear on the Hummer!) replaced the original driveshafts and wheelaxles both front and rear.
Talking about the drivetrain, I would like to add that replacing the vibrating (power robbing) original propeller shaft with the 53079 TA01/Manta Ray stainless steel propeller shaft may not do much for the "military looks", but it's definately the second most important improvement on the Hummer after ball bearings.
You can also replace the "bright" TA01 step screws (King Pins) with the shorter black TA02 step screws, but the you have to "fill" the depression in the uprights with suitable washers. I didn't this by drilling larger holes in otherwise suitable washers from Kyosho.
At the time of the modification, black (or "dark") ball connectors weren't available, but now they can be cannibalized from the F201 chassis. With these simple modifications, the Hummer looks much more business-like, military business, that is. Some of them are quite costly, and don't do much for the performance of the Hummer (it's not a racecar!), so if you're on a tight budget, replace the screws, nuts and damper springs only, and it will still look great!
miramar
1/12 scale? Yes, it is, but the Hummer such a big car that even in 1/12 scale, it looks more like 1/10. The model is based on a modified TA01 chassis with longer suspension arms (exclusive for this model) so it's actually larger than a 1/10 touring car.
It's not such a good off-roader as one would expect by judging the looks. Truely a Tamiya classis, and MIB models will be highly collectable. If you can't find one, Tamiya now offers the same model in built and painted form in their XB-series (# 57714).
The model is a joy to build, but for those who know the TA01/02 well, there are no surprises. As this isn't a race car, Hop-Ups don't make much sense, but I would suggest replacings the bushings with ball bearings (16 x 1150 and 6 x 850) and the wobbling propeller shaft with the thicker # 53079 Stainless steel prop. shaft. As the wheels spin inside the rather hard tires, a small drop of superglue should be applied between each wheel and tire to cure the problem.
Like the original Hummer, the model has independent suspension. Realistic, but the ground clearance is rather limited. To make the model look realistic, Tamiya used the Jeep Wrangler tires on the Hummer, and as these have a shallow pattern, the Pajero tires is the better option for off-road driving. I locked both differentials on one of my Hummers, but along with the low ground clearance and long wheelbase, the off-road performance is unfortunately still disappointing.
The body and the wheels are the really nice parts of this model. Clear lenses for the headlights would have been nice, but apart from that, I love it. Lots of details and perfect proportions. I have 6 Hummers, so don't say I don't like it!