1991 Desert Storm - Iraqi Army Progress
Adding AAV-7A1s to USMC 1991 Gulf War Force
In the course of building up my 1991 Gulf War USMC force, I ran across some old Forces of Valor toys that are in approximately the same scale that would make nice additions. Okay, they’re 1:144 (10mm) instead of 1:100 (15mm), but given the price people were asking for these same vehicles in Battlefront 15mm, I cut my losses and just used these … once they get a little love, that is.
The vehicles are the AAV-7A1, Amphibious Assault Vehicle used for beach landings by the USMC from the late 1970s to the present day (although back in the day they were formerly known as LVTP-7s).
Again, these are going to be a little off in scale. But since I already had them, didn’t have to build them, and with just a little love Forces of Valor toys can make really great miniatures in a pinch, and since I had extra parts lying around after building my Battlefront Marine vehicles, I decided to take the easy win and add these two AAV-7A1s to my Desert Storm force.
So those are the two starting vehicles. Cross a Higgins Boat with a M113 and you get the idea. The "toy" weapons are super thick and chunky, so I'm cutting them off and replacing with spares from my LAV-25s and HMMWVs.
Here are the vehicles refitted with the "correct" weapons, an M2HB .50 cal, and Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher.
The paint has now been touched up and a dark wash applied. The weapons have also been painted and dark washed. Apologies, the color temperature of these photos are way off.
Those weapons are a little fragile in there (I may go back later and drill / re-fix them), but for now these guys are ready to stand with the rest of the Marines!
You can just barely see the propellers that operate almost like old-school DD-Shermans. These things dropout of the back of Marine Corps amphibious assualt shiops and carry troops straight the to shore, complete with armor protection and immediate gunfire support. After over 40 years in service, however, they are finally being replaced in the 2020s. But for a 1991 Gulf War force they're perfect. 
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