HG P408 AM General HMMWV Project

The AM General HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle), also known as the Humvee, is one of the most ubiquitous military vehicles of the modern era.  The initial contract was awarded in 1983 for this vehicle which would replace the original versions of the Jeep (and M151).  This vehicle has many features unusual for a 4WD truck including four wheel double wishbone independent suspension and portal hubs.  The M1025 variant is an Armament Carrier with a roof mounted rotating turret.

Various RC companies have offered a scale Humvee over the years, and I always imagined I would end up with the Tamiya version (57714) sooner or later.  Then this one popped up from HG.  HG (Heng Guan) is a Chinese company that I was aware of only as a producer of inexpensive toy grade vehicles, therefore I had never given them much thought.  However, after I saw a YouTube review of this model and saw the low price, I decided I would give them a try.  HG has no distributors in North America that I am aware of, so I had to order this directly from China.  I was pleasantly surprised by what I received.  The model is packed in a hard foam re-usable carrying case and includes a twin stick 16-channel transmitter, though only 3 channels were in use out of the box.  The model mimics the drivetrain of the real thing including the independent suspension and portal hubs.  The whole chassis including all the gears and axles are metal.  The front and rear gear differentials are open, and the central transmission has two speeds with an external torque converter.  It even has realistic exhaust.  At the time I ordered, there were 3 paint schemes offered: desert tan, olive drab, and forest camouflage.  I went with the desert tan.  The model was also offered both with and without light and sound kits.  I foolishly ordered mine without and then ended up spending much more than the difference in cost adding them later.  The hard plastic body is as detailed as any RC I have seen with opening hood, doors, engine bay, tail gate, and rear hatch.  The interior is fully detailed as well.  There is a Mk 19 grenade launcher mounted to the turret on the roof.

Although the model comes Ready to Run, it also includes a full build manual.  I took the opportunity to mostly tear down the model, repaint the chassis, and rebuild with a few modifications.  Other than the paint, the most significant change is the replacement of the 16-channel receiver with a 5-channel from Spektrum so I can use my normal radio.  There's nothing wrong with the stock radio, but I'm not a fan of twin stick and it is not programmable.

The included motor is not for crawling.  Although the exact details of the motor are not known, it appears to be a 27 turn motor which makes the model quite fast, especially in high gear.  The manual says to only use 2s (7.4V), but I didn't read that until I'd already run it on 3s which seemed to work fine.  The open differentials make for limited off road traction, but both can be locked manually by inserting a set screw.  The included servo and speed controller were adequate so I did not replace them.  I did add the lights and sound.  The sound is not great, but the lights include turn signals, brake lights, and reverse lights.

I am quite happy with this purchase.  The model is heavy, strong, and accurate.  It looks great driving across rough terrain or on the road.  I see more HG models in my future.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  It has not been replaced.