Another impressive battle implement brought to you by the United Kingdom, this Jackal is one sly dog.
Like the canine that it takes its name from, this vehicle is not something you will find on toy shelves or armories in the U.S. The Jackal is a MWMIK — Mobility Weapon-Mounted Installation Kit –– designed to perform fast and long-range incursions into the battlefield. Unlike the standard Land Rovers or Humvees, these vehicles are designed to take more of a beating, and they offer some standoff capability if they get cornered. Still, its light armor and good performance make it better for hitting hard and running like hell — able to keep speeds of 50MPH off-road and maxing out around 75MPH on-road.
It’s a concept that is almost inherently British, dating back to World War II and the SAS’s long range patrol missions in North Africa, running their stripped-down Chevy trucks across vast expanses in the dead of night, harassing German supply and information forces. The Jackal’s open-top seems to directly reflect those early commando vehicles.
But that’s enough of a background, let’s talk about the toy itself. Designed for the HM Armed Forces figures, who generally clock in around the 10-inch mark of the old Action Man figures, the Jackal is a bit large for 1:10-1:12 scale figures. Unlike their Harrier or Apache, the Jackal is more like their Scorpion/Scimitar tank in terms of scaling, being nearly accurate to their 1:6-ish size. It’s worth noting I’ve seen guys who use this with their G.I. Joe Sigma 6 figures, and that looks like a great fit.
This one came to me loose, so it’s lacking the machine guns that normally adorn it, but you can see the peg ports for a GMG or 12.7 HMG on the turret, and a smaller GP gun on the left passenger side. Obviously, this vehicle drives from the right seat.
A little spartan on features even with those guns, the jackal still has a rotating turret mount, an opening trunk, soft rubberized plastic tires, and smoke and flare grenade canisters on the corners. The detailing on the armor plating and “chicken caging,” as well as the spare tires and jerry cans, is very nice. Interior is sparse as well, but, then again, so is the real deal.
I think some customization will be in order for mine to bring in some more feature and maybe some additional enclosure for the cabin, but we’ll see. As one of the few HMAF vehicles to be had regularly under $20, it’s still a great vehicle as-is.
