Overview
At first glance Videoaviation.com's MHU-191/M Munitions Transporter appears to be a simple straight forward, easy to build kit. The parts come in individual zip-lock bags and are packed in a sturdy cardboard box with all the appropriate warnings and a nice picture of the finished model. Consisting of 52 pieces, 28 of those are small cylindrical "rollers", cast in light tan and grey resin it's packed with detail. There's a minor amount of flash on a few of the part but nothing to sweat over. I'll breakdown my review into the three major sub-assemblies, the kit, the instructions and the decals.
The Kit
The Cart
The cart pieces are delicately cast in a light tan resin and have outstanding detail. The lower portion of the cart is delicate and will require some patience and care to clean up. My sample had a little flash on it but nothing terrible. The wheels have excellent detail on the hubs and should paint up nicely. The bomb racks are also thin and delicate with some nice surface detail. Some care will be need when removing the small cylindrical "rollers" and gluing them in place. It appears that Videoaviation has provided you with a few extra which is probably a good idea as its certain that some will be lost. The quality of the casting is very high, my sample had no air holes and only a very minor amount of flash.
The GBU-38 JDAM Bombs
The bombs and their assorted fittings are cast in grey resin that has little or no flash and no air holes. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful texture on the bombs themselves, truly outstanding. The tailfins are cast separately and have some awesome surface detail. There are 2 bombs in the kit and there's an option to build them with a DSU-33 Radar Proximity sensor nosecone. To do so the standard nosecone must be removed with a razor saw and replaced with the provided DSSU-33 nosecone. Definitely a cool option that'll make for a different and interesting look
The Figures
The two figures are cast in the same light tan resin as the cart and are broken down into three parts: both arms and the body. There was a very small amount of flash on my samples, nothing serious though. The poses are realistic and are molded to interact with the cart and the bombs. Compared to other resin figures on the market the detail is a little on the soft side. Still, a good paint job should take care of that. The protective goggles both figures are wearing are a nice touch.
The Decals
Fantasy Printshop provides the one small sheet of decals. They appear in register and have good detail. Markings and placards are provided for the cart. There are a number of small yellow squares on the decal sheet that are not mentioned in the instructions. I can only guess what they are or where they should be placed. If I were to guess I'd say that they might be reflective tape that would go on various locations on the cart for nighttime safety...just a guess though.
The Instructions
The instructions are not included in the kit box. I believe the size of the packaging made it nearly impossible for them to be boxed up with the kit. You must go to the Videoavaition webpage, select the MHU-191/M from the menu and then open the PDF file and print the instructions...definitely well within everyone's computer capabilities. The two page instructions are easy to follow, contain a parts break down and have good painting and decaling guides. No specific brand or shade of paint was recommended except for the bombs which have several Federal Standard references depending on which one you choose to build. There's not much guidance for the figures, only red for the vests is called for. Nothing else is recommended for the uniforms. The box art shows one figure in woodland camouflage and the other in desert BDUs. I'm sure either of those schemes would be fine or even a green work overalls would do.
Conclusion
This is another outstanding effort from Videoaviation.com and should build into a really nice accent piece for almost any current Naval aircraft or a really cool standalone vignette. There's plenty of reference pictures on the Internet of the real thing and some opportunities for some super detailing. Small and simple I think a weekend is more than enough to finish this kit, I'm very anxious to get started.
Thanks to Videoaviation.com for providing this kit and to Matt Bittner of Internet Modeler for the opportunity to write this review.