Unboxing: Empress Miniatures’ MGS Stryker & Humvee
June 3, 2015 by dignity
Keith from Empress Miniatures has once again joined John to show off some more awesome looking modern warfare vehicles. This time we go stateside for US military mainstays the MGS Stryker and the iconic Humvee.
The Stryker is an eight wheeled armored fighting vehicle with the MGS variant being a Mobile Gun System with a 105mm gun.
If you've ever seen an action or modern war film you'll instantly recognise the Humvee. It's not going to be out of place in Sci-Fi or Horror either so don't feel like it's restricted to historical gaming!
How would you utilise the Humvee in a zombie game?
Just a heads-up, but the MGS actually uses the 105mm gun rather than 120mm … fact-fail and entirely my fault (sorry John) 🙂
Still a very silly machine though …
Assembling my MGS and 3 x ICV is the next project on my to-do list. Look out, zombies!
Love to see those!
Btw, John, read your PMs!
Yeah it’s going to be a big old build! US Army and some Strykers for my rifle platoon, some USMC via the Kickstarter and a 1:48 CH53 (might get some of your MRAPs instead) and a 1:48 Pave Hawk which is just waiting on some PJs from you guys 😉
I spent last weekend putting together the MGS, 3 Strykers, 3 HUMVEEs and a couple of M-ATVs for a super-secret project. Quite a bit of heavy metal!
That MGS is a terrible piece of kit. Too much weapon for the chassis, making it unstable and top-heavy, and unpleasant to fire outside the forward arc… and don’t take it off a road. Maybe they’ve fixed all that since I got out; can someone enlighten me?
vehicles for Terminator, woohoo!!
Awesome unboxing episode, guys. A few points I liked in particular: 4:00 – “And of course we need a .50 caliber, because no American vehicle is complete with SOME kind of big machine gun . . . as useless as it would be on this vehicle.” Hey, don’t make fun of our “Ma Duece” M2s, John. Over here in America they are a national tradition! 😀 10:30 “Marines, as often the case, get the rubbish, get the cast-offs.” As a former US Marine during the First Gulf War (not *at* or *in* the First Gulf War, mind you), I certainly… Read more »
Yup, I’ve got a lot of love for the Ma Deuce as well, @oriskany. Also a staple of our military for as long as anyone can remember. I didn’t like carrying it much, but it was a great thing to have backing up a company defensive position. And once you got it “registered” on likely avenues of approach it was nasty, and could even be used for plunging fire out to a phenomenal range. Very useful in any capacity! I don’t see them going away for a very long time. In fact, I have every intention of bolting one to… Read more »
Weight may have been a consideration for keeping the M60 as well, @oriskany … 20-ton difference! I’m not current on U.S. logistics, but if the marines got the Abrams, wouldn’t that mean having to build a lot of amphibious capability around it?
I don’t know, @cpauls1 – The Marines were equipped with the M1A1 relative soon after the Gulf War. I don’t *remember* any new amphibious warfare ships having to be built to accommodate it? Who knows, maybe they had to refurbish the bays in existing ships? I’m pretty sure (not 100%) that this is just another example of the Marines getting equipment 5-20 years after the Army does. It’s just a function of the fact that the USMC is part of the Department of the Navy, so all our funding has to pass through the Navy’s hands first. Anyway, just a… Read more »
I can understand you being bitter, @oriskany . Same thing happens in Canada. Every time we get a Liberal government our military spending and capability goes all for sh*t.
I was told that the American military is most advanced, high-tech armed force in the world. When they had me working on equipment dating back to the 40’s and 50’s, they just said it was tried and true or well tested. No need for anything newer.
John great video. Remember the HMMWV, was designed during the cold war and was designed as a multi purpose role with larger weapons and cargo capabilities. It was meant to replace the Jeep and Mutt and Gama Goat. They are fun to drive but very noisy and tight trails are a pain in the rear.
@Oriskany I believe the big reason that the Marines have stayed with the Super Cobra is transportable and can be pack on the Assault Carriers that the marine force launches from. The Apache is much bigger and would take up more space.
The Marines have stayed with the AH1 as it gives them commonality of parts with the UH1s that they use, and because they couldn’t afford a ‘navalised’ Apache. Its also more reliable than an Apache.
If I can drive in the tracks of armoured vehicles and thereby avoid mines inside them, I’m all for it. Gimme a wide Humvee!
Is there a retailer in Germany? Think I could use these along my Enforcers
Miniaturicum in Germany.
love the striker just a modern (Hobart’s funny) for the environment it’s to be used in.
Humvee model is a bit of a mix of versions: its the basic Cold War/BlackHawk down model, but with the armoured cupola from the M114 models, which means it should have the armoured boxes on the doors (if for no other reason than to bring the centre of gravity back down after that massive cupola goes on the top…).
I like both of those.
Just need a descent rules system to gain widespread popularity.