MTL MRAP's

[Denver Road Doug]

Noticed a neat new military load announced my Micro-Trains....an "MRAP", or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.  (I don't claim to know much at all about military equipment, FYI.  Just curious as far as an n-scale flat car load)

I did some extremely quick research and found what I think to be close to what they are shooting for.  (there seems to be many variants of this type of vehicle)
http://www.military-today.com/apc/cougar_mrap.htm

"Entered Service" in 2002.  I'm guessing somewhere online there are some good pics of them loaded on a train.   Haven't found them yet.

[ljudice]

Aren't these the "up-armoured" versions of other vehicles - modified in response to IED attacks in Iraq?

I was sort of under the impression the add on armor kits were not always attached to them....  But I may be wrong!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Aren't these the "up-armoured" versions of other vehicles - modified in response to IED attacks in Iraq?

I was sort of under the impression the add on armor kits were not always attached to them....  But I may be wrong!

Nope, these were built from the ground up to deal with buried IEDs. They were built from the ground up to deal with threats from the sides and below. From what I understand, they were actually a pretty big life saver compared to the HMMVs that were used before.

Check out:

Notice the note, no casualties. (Warning: combat footage, language)

They definitely look sorta Mad Max'y.

[Dave V]

When I rode through Baghdad with 2ACR in 2003 we were in soft-top HMMWVs with the doors off...  Gotta love the Cav.

[Denver Road Doug]

Here's from MTL's newsletter:


Looks like laser-cut wood?  Maybe resin but it has that look of where the lines are burned in.  Keep in mind, HO-scale photo or a little larger...I bet they'll look pretty good painted up.

And here are a couple of different styles of MRAP's travelling by rail:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2408446
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2408451
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2408482

And here's what Micro-Trains wants you to model: 

[wazzou]

No wonder they roll over...pretty tall over the wheels.  Certainly that is to keep as much armor as possible between the crew and the IED.

[John]

actually, the bottoms of these are V shaped IIRC, to deflect the blast pressure

[Bob Bufkin]

actually, the bottoms of these are V shaped IIRC, to deflect the blast pressure

John, you beat me to this. 

Aren't these the same vehicles they are giving local police forces that has a lot of people in a uproar?

[Chris333]

Recently a crap load of local police depatments got these for free as surplus. This one is my local DP's:
https://www.facebook.com/257356634383004/photos/pb.257356634383004.-2207520000.1414785051./558107887641209/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/257356634383004/photos/pb.257356634383004.-2207520000.1414785051./558107887641209/?type=3&theater

Mostly they just use it for parades.

I saw it up close and the body is about 2" thick, looks like it gets about 3 MPG.

[John]

No idea why PDs need these things ..  (yea . I've heard all the arguments) .. they kind of remind me of south african riot police vehicles

[w neal]

They assemble some like vehicles near here. The CN mainline runs right next to the factory. Too bad they don't ship them by rail.

[delamaize]

...From what I understand, they were actually a pretty big life saver compared to the HMMVs that were used before...

Yeah, compared to the "soft side" vehicles we used before the war, they has saved a lot of lives. I have Battle buddies that have been blow'd up in them, and they are still with us. Worst injury out of my group of friends was a busted arm. fortunately (or unfortunately the way I look at it) I never deployed, I stayed at Mother Rucker for my entire enlistment, so I don't have any first hand experience.

No wonder they roll over...pretty tall over the wheels.  Certainly that is to keep as much armor as possible between the crew and the IED.

Actually, with how the hulls are shaped, it's not too bad, the CG is pretty low considering the tire size and size of vehicle. In this case, they probably hit the huge a$$ crater, which is probably caused the rollover.

actually, the bottoms of these are V shaped IIRC, to deflect the blast pressure

Yup V shaped hull, usually made from one piece of material. welds provide weak spots.

I saw it up close and the body is about 2" thick, looks like it gets about 3 MPG.

2" to 3" on the bottom portion of the hull, depending on which model, their is several different styles of MRAP out there.
Believe it or not, the mileage is is between 10-12 mpg.

[ljudice]

The ultimate camping vehicle for the Zombie Apocalypse!!!! 

No idea why PDs need these things ..  (yea . I've heard all the arguments) .. they kind of remind me of south african riot police vehicles

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Even though they ride high on the ground, they actually have a very low center of gravity due to that V shape being solid steel several inches thick. They were also designed to be able to drive AFTER blowing their tires for some distance.

Does every police department need an MRAP? No, but regional SWAT teams do. These are similar in design and use as special-built SWAT personnel carriers. Why are they needed? School shootings, terrorism, high risk warrants and other special circumstances. How often do you need a full blown ladder truck? Maybe once every few years, but every town has one.

[Big Train]

John:

They are based on South African Riot Control vehicles. None existed in the US military inventory before these designs were built under license by a few US defense contractors in the early 2000s. Then everyone, and I mean everyone  that had the capacity to produce heavy vehicles rushed to build mine-blast protected vehicles.

The MT version is pretty much generic from what I've seen.