Maisto 2009 Hummer H3 SUT

[Chuck Most]

While the plastic kit manufacturers continue to ignore the modern light truck market (for the most part), a few die cast manufacturers have picked up the slack. This is both good and bad.

Maisto offers a 2009 Hummer H3 SUT (GM-speak for 'Sport Utility Truck') in it's odd 1/26 scale. It's a pretty decent kit, if you can get past the little hiccups common to die casts. For instance-

1. The front doors and hood open, but on fat, clumsy dogleg-type hinges. Much of the detail on the areas these opening panels expose is molded in, as well. Detail on the die cast body is chunky at best, but then, on a 1:1 Hummer, the detail is clunky at best as well, so what we have here may be the perfect candidate for a die-cast kit!

2. The factory applied paint (in this case, a bloody-vomit-like metallic burgundy) is poorly applied and splotchy, and sprayed right over any jagged mold lines that may be on the body.

3. The engine is a simple 'pancake' plastic design. However, in this case, there are printed logos and decals already on the part, and what is visible at least looks decent.

4. The front portion of the chassis (where the engine would go on a full detail kit) is wide open, giving the model a 'see through' look when viewed from the side.

Moving on, what exactly does the kit consist of? Well, you get the aformentioned pre-painted body, which has the glass, bumpers, grille, mirrors, and charcoal-plastic-hood-scoop-dealie attached. Essentially, all one needs to do to build it is attach the dash, seats, chassis, and wheels, making it a great kit for a newbie, or, for a more experienced modeler, a great way to kill boredom for an afternoon. The only optional parts are the wheels- both stock style, in chrome or silver finish.

I decided to disassemble the body on mine, strip it, and repaint it (Testors Lime Ice). I also got rid of the nasty mold lines. Be sure to use an etching primer on die cast metal! I also added the wheels, tires, and brake rotors from a Revell 'Uptown' Charger SRT8. I used aluminum tubing to replace the kit axle stubs.

There you have it- a 'Donked Out' shelf model of a Hummer that's a bit different from the Revell H2 version, in less than two hours!

Edited November 25, 2009 by Chuck Most