Unimax Forces of Valor Military Replica Series
By Jerry D. Morelock, Armchair General Editor in Chief and A J Summersgill, ACG Website Staff

Published Sunday, February 24, 2008  | 0 comments  | Print  | E-mail

I’ll get this out in the open - I have absolutely no patience, skill or time when it comes to model-making and I am completely incapable of even gluing two pieces of plastic together without making a complete mess of it and throwing the whole lot in the bin.  And don’t even get me started on painting models…

So if you’re like me, you will often find yourself in a bit of a quandary when it comes to model collecting, as we are generally left with inaccurate, out of scale or horribly deformed models that bear little resemblance to the vehicles they are supposed to replicate.

Which is why I knew I had found something special when I began to collect the 1:32 scale Forces of Valor "Combat Proven Machines" range a few years ago.  I was finally able to get my hands on a unique series of replica vehicles from my favourite era of military history - World War II.  These vehicles were not only beautiful to look at, they featured an astonishing amount of detail, a vast amount of scaled accessories and the kind of battle-worn appearance generally only achieved by the best model-makers in the business.

In the remainder of this article, I’ll be focusing on three different ranges produced by Unimax under the Forces of Valor banner.

We’ll begin with the 1:32 range I mentioned above, and this wonderful Willys Jeep.  This particular vehicle is a replica of the type that was used during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, as used by the 11th Armoured Division.

Although this is only a small vehicle, the detail is incredible - coated in mud and frost, this battle-worn Jeep has clearly seen a lot of action.  The paintwork is scratched and worn, scuffed from daily use.  The seats are tired and frayed, the windscreen coated in grime, the only clear areas those swept by the wipers.

The accessories that come with the Jeep are no less amazing.  There are spare fuel cans, a mounted machine gun that can be dismounted and which features not just one ammunition box, but three spares as well.  Equipment packs can be hung from the sides of the Jeep and a large radio antenna protrudes from the back.  The driver figure that comes with the Jeep is covered in grime and one can almost smell the stench of battle on his uniform.  His grim face gives little away as he drives his vehicle through the blasted countryside.

The Jeep also comes with a small two-sided information card which gives the useful vital statistics of the real vehicle.

This vehicle is typical of the 1:32 range - the attention to detail is lavish, the care that has gone into the production is amazing and I’d recommend this range to anyone interested in models or the era as a whole.

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