Matchbox HEMTT

They just don't have catchy names anymore, do they? The Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck with Load Handling System, or HEMTT- LHS, came out this year from Matchbox. It has a moveable arm with detachable cargo container, which I have yet to paint. The rest was done in Vallejo 70819 Iraqui [sic] Sand.

What scale is it? The web tells me the real deal is just under 1000cm long. The Matchbox one measures up at 11.5cm, which is ~1:87. The cargo container is supposed to be 20' long in the above pictures. Here are some pictures with a 15mm Peter Pig USMC and an 1:100 Irishserb HMMWV.

Compare to these pictures- I'm happy to use it for my 15mm gaming.

And if you're creative...

We got nukes, we got knives, we got sharp sticks!

I distinctly recall the first time I saw 'Aliens'- I had recorded it on VCR because it was on in the middle of the night- it was the extended version with the sentry guns. I was on the edge of my seat with this awesome film. Ripley has saved Newt but is being chased by the Queen. Ripley gets to the landing pad- but the dropship has gone! The Queen comes up the lift, the doors open- and the video ran out of tape. I swear it was a year or two until I saw what happened next- talk about a  cliff-hanger! It's still one of my all-time favourites.

Khurasan's Exterminators. These were an instant must.

If, perchance, you chose to paint them like the 'Aliens' USCM, there's a lot of helpful pictures on the web and the double-disk DVD.

Uniform: basecoat khaki, Y-stripes in dark grey and dark sand

Armour: Olive green, y-stripes in dark brown and sand, stripes in cream and black

Still working on taking better photos. The quick example of the camo pattern above is a little bit lighter in the flesh- the palette is white. Camo is hard in 15mm- you want to get the effect, but not at the expense of a drab mini on the tabletop.

I love these miniatures, I really hope the range of infantry expands to give more variations, support weapons and higher command options.