The Vulture Mark II is an improvement on the Clan mech known officially as the “Mad Dog”, but known in the Inner Sphere as the Vulture because of its hunched shoulders , protruding head and reverse-jointed legs. The original design was used for long-range fire support, but the updated version has replaced the arm-mounted large pulse lasers with two ER PPCs. The medium pulse lasers have been moved to the chin rack.

The kit parts, cast in light gray resin by JPG Productions, are beautiful and have great detailing. There is minimal flash and only minor areas that will require cleaning. The parts are solid-cast resin and this model will be heavy when it is completed.

The builder will have to drill out two major spots. Two holes were filled by the caster to make the casting process easier and less costly. The hole through the main body where the arms attach is the first point, and the second point is the hole where the chin guns attach. Also, the builder will have to supply short lengths of wooden dowel to join the legs at the knee. The legs will be glued, so the dowels are there only to pin the legs in place. Caps are provided to cover the dowels.

No instructions are included with the kit, but the link below will take you to the designer’s website and provide a general overview of the assembly. It’s not as difficult as you might think.

http://battlemechclub.blogspot.com/p/vulture-mk-ii.html

No decals are included, so the builder will have to obtain decals from other sources. But the nice thing is that the builder is not bound to any specific color scheme. The Mad Dog/Vulture was designed by Clan Smoke Jaguar, but because of the large numbers in which it was produced, the Mech is fielded by most of the Clans. The Mark II, however, is a variant produced for Clan Ghost Bear by Bergan Industries.


The completed model stands about 8.5 inches tall, depending on how the builder poses the legs.

This looks like a fun kit to build, and I look forward to building it at some point in the near future. I have three other Mechs in 1:60 scale (BMC Daishi/Dire Wolf, Armorcast Atlas and Ravenstar Uller) that are waiting to be built. Maybe it’s time to build that lance.

Review by: Rich “Lonewolf” Dula

Entry created: February 23, 2014