The vehicle

The British Army states that

“WMIK (Weapons Mounted Installation Kit) is a lightly-armoured, highly-mobile fire support and force protection Land Rover. It is manned by a crew of three, commander, driver and gunner, and it can carry a range of weapons including; the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), the Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) and Grenade Machine Gun (GMG).” [1]

Of course, there is a tradition of using such vehicle types, going back to the beginnings of the SAS in North Africa during the Second World War [2] [3]. However, because of the vulnerability of such vehicles to IEDs, more protective vehicles, such as the Jackal, have been introduced.

The kit

Airfix 1/48 kit [4]. Having some delays with painting the Sherman (which should be read as I somehow managed to mess it up to the extent that I will have to start over with it!) I moved onto this model as a (hopefully) quick interlude to restore my spirits. I suppose I really should be doing the 1/35 scale kit, for maximum detail and accuracy, but I happen to have most of the Airfix Afghanistan vehicle range, either built or in the stash, so the choice was made.

References

1. http://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23594.aspx
2. http://www.eliteukforces.info/uksf-gear/wmik/
3. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234928621-land-rover-wolf-weapons-mount-installation-kit-wmik/
4. http://www.airfix.com/british-forces-wmik-land-rover-snatch-land-rover-1-48.html