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US Army K-51 Radio Truck with K-52 Trailer (35418) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-synchromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, with the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were many variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. The G7105 variant was a fully-enclosed van-bodied truck that had a full metal bodyshell to protect the contents, and thanks to its twin wheeled rear axle, it was capable of carrying the same load as its open-topped siblings. They were used extensively by the Signal Corps, but are relatively rare in the overall panoply of chassis types for this series. Their low production quantities and participation in WWII trimmed their numbers further, so they are quite rare compared to others of the type, but some still survive of course, and can be seen occasionally at historic vehicle rallies and get-togethers of like-minded enthusiasts. When it is full of radio equipment and personal gear, a trailer expands its carriage capacity to include a generator or similarly heavy piece of kit. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent G506 tooling from MiniArt, and is one of a large and still expanding range that is to be found in your favourite model shop. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and both load areas included, along with some appealing moulding and detail, particularly in the cab, the equipment and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-six modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope along with a short length of metal chain in a heat-sealed bag, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Detail is excellent, and well up to MiniArt’s usual standards, using PE parts to enhance the model, and finely moulded details of the chassis, running gear, trailer, cab and interior areas. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank with PE retention bands, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on leaf springs, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the serpentine pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, assembling the exhaust and its muffler, which slip into the underside of the chassis from below, held in position on PE brackets at the exit. The wheels are built with singles at the front, made from two parts each, and with twin wheels at the rear, again with separate outer sidewalls. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole. The three-part radiator housing is layered up, with the rear part having a hole that allows the air from the fan to cool the radiator when stationary, mounting on the front of the chassis and mating to the input and outlet pipes already in position. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The firewall is detailed with dash pots fixed to the forward side, and is set aside until it is needed toward the end of building the bodyshell, which is next. The sides of the van have a separate ribbing insert layered on the insides, to be joined to the floor after the raised platform for the crew seats is installed, fixing two four-part seats on top, and a small forest of levers in the centre of the floor. The floor is inverted to install the sidewalls, putting a short fuel filler tube on the outside that matches up with the extension within that leads to the tank. This boxing has a wall of radio gear assembled on the left side from a host of parts, and a long bench seat along the other with four cushions as a single part, with some impressive fabric sag moulded-in. Above the seats is a double cabinet with fake sliding doors, and PE chain straps at the sides, which is fitted near the rear along with a fire extinguisher on the right side. The rear light clusters are mounted on PE brackets on the rear of the side panels, one per side, and as is often the case with instruction steps, they may be better left of until after main painting. The rear valance plugs into the floor on two pins, joining the two side panels together on the lower edge. The dashboard inserts into the A-pillars that are moulded into the roof, with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box, plus two more on the headliner by the rear-view mirror, which installs into the front of the roof panel. The steering column is joined to the underside of the dash, adding a courtesy light, vent and six curved ribs to the inside of the roof in grooves. The rear doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles, locking mechanism in a fairing with a flat PE surround, plus handles on both sides of the right door, and clear window glass with rounded corners. The crew doors and their interior cards are assembled with handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The windscreen frame has the two clear panes fitted, and has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts, and below it on the scuttle is a ventilator panel that can be posed open or closed as you prefer. The steering wheel is fixed to the top of the column, the diagonal kick panel is joined with the firewall and fitted out with three foot pedals, and a button that I think is the parking brake. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted to the growing bodyshell assembly with a choice of aerial bases on the roof in front of the vent cowling that sits on a PE base, while the rear doors are installed within the frame in the open or closed position if you prefer, adding a short stay from wire of your own stock, and two PE eyes on the corners of the roof nearby. Two rear arches are fitted under the floor into recesses, projecting past the line of the bodywork to encompass the twin rear wheels, then with the body righted, a pair of wing mirrors are glued onto the cab in front of the doors at handle-height on long struts with PE brackets at the bottom, posing the doors open or closed again as you wish. The body and chassis are mated, and a choice of cowling panels that fit to the sides of the engine compartment after adding a V-brace under the bonnet, then fitting the front wings that incorporate the section of running boards under the doors that joins up with the rear boards. The front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wiper blades are hung from the top of the frame on styrene arms, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this appears on the sprues too for a simpler build process, but a more detailed and realistic grille can be fabricated from the PE parts on the fret. It is constructed completely from PE, and two styrene jigs are included on the sprues to assist with accurately creating the correct shape. The lower rail, light cages and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two PE brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, but if you elected to use the styrene grille, this process is condensed down to nipping the part from the sprue, cleaning the sprue gates, and gluing it to the front of your truck, removing a small curved section from the left of the styrene grille as it is glued in place. The bonnet can be fitted open or closed with a PE stay that is provided in the centre of the panel for the open option. Two additional stowage boxes are built out on the sides of the truck, with separate doors, PE padlocks, and a plate on the top to protect it from damage, one of them having a pioneer tool rack applied to the rear side, which has PE clasps and styrene tools provided to complete the details. It is attached to the right stowage box, and has a wire reel made up and fixed on a pin in a hole behind it, adding a choice of aerials and their tie-downs on the roof, varying depending on which aerial base you installed earlier. A small PE strap stops the roll unreeling during transit, just like the real (reel?) one. K-52 Trailer During WWII, the US used two small two-wheeled trailers for transporting additional equipment and other essential stores around the battlefield, towed by trucks and other vehicles that had at least a ¾ ton payload carried internally. There were two major variants, one for carrying many types of equipment and designated as G-518, the other a specialist water carrier that was given the catalogue designation G-527. The main contractor was Ben-Hur Manufacturing Co., which garnered it the nickname ‘Ben-Hur Trailer’, and its 1-ton load capacity in 3.2m3 volume meant that it saw a lot of action, mostly ignored by war historians and modellers alike, as it was a transport and not as interesting as the things that went bang. Nevertheless, there were over a quarter of a million built, and many of them spent their days dutifully following a Chevrolet truck around the roads and tracks of Europe and the Far East. This is a derivative of a new tooling from MiniArt, launched just after the G-527 Water Buffalo we reviewed recently, this kit has excellent detail as usual with MiniArt, including a full chassis, well-rendered chunky treaded tyres, and even a set of slat extensions to the sides of the structure with moulded-in wooden texture. Construction begins with the bodywork, starting with the two sides that have leaf springs moulded-in, which have the axle retention bolts added to both sides, PE tie-down loops down the sides, and the light cluster that is fitted on a PE bracket next to the rear suspension mount. A choice of external framework to the sides with or without the extension slats is glued to the sides, including small PE brackets at both ends of the slatted sections. The wheels are built from two parts, the larger having the outer hub, tyre carcass and the tread moulded as one, the smaller having the opposite sidewall details moulded-in. They are then put to one side while you build up the rest of the load area. The two sides are mated with the floor part, adding brake actuators underneath and on the side, and bringing in the ends to create the load box, with more PE brackets and foot stirrups to aid entry. While the chassis is upside down, the two-part inner hubs are fitted to the ends of the axles, adding a short length of 0.5mm wire to each one, and another length to a bracket under the floor. The towing frame is made from two converging lengths, which are fixed under the front of the floor on a pair of U-bolts, while a pair of mudguards are mounted on the chassis sides on pegs, inserting the wheels into their wells. The load bed is populated by a large generator that fills most of the area with a storage box at the front, which is first to be mad, including a PE padlock for security. Four jerry cans with PE straps are made with spare fuel to power the generator, starting work on the rear face where the control panel is located, which can be posed open or closed. The open option involves two PE door sections, the largest of which is the door that pivots up and slides into the housing with a styrene handle that is also found on the styrene closed door. Seven PE wingnuts are inserted between dividers for power connectors, which will still be visible when the main door is closed, exposing the wingnuts. This is fitted as one end of the generator’s cowling, adding another to the other end, and gluing PE handles between the columns of louvres on the sides, plus a pair of styrene tie-down loops. The opposite end has a radiator core mounted in the centre, and the top cowling has curved edges, and four more PE grab handles, a lifting eye, and a filler cap on the rolled edge. The tailgate is completed by adding the PE retaining pins on chains at floor level, then the two-part towing eye is mounted atop the front of the A-frame, and a jockey-wheel is built from two halves plus a yoke and pivot, with an alternate all-steel wheel if you prefer. This can be fitted under the hitch in either horizontal position for travel, or vertically for a parked trailer, locking it in place between two halves of the pivot. Another longer length of wire is fitted under the left chassis rail and hitch frame, dangling the end down over the hitch, adding a plug for the electronics, which has a hole moulded-in for the wire. The safety chains are cut to length, and are each trapped between two halves of their bracket, adding the hook on the loose end after drilling a hole in the part first. For protection of the equipment in bad weather, a tarpaulin cover can be made from five sides, adding PE clasps to the opening end, straps to the front, and short lengths of wire to represent the bungees that hold the tarp down around the lower edges. If you elect not to cover the generator with a tilt, the stowage box, generator and four jerry cans are installed on the floor, strapping a spare tyre under the chassis on a PE frame, which is held in place by a small hook at the rear. A third choice involves a slatted extension to the trailer’s sides, adding PE brackets to the sides earlier in the build, and fitting front and rear slatted sections to the front and rear, topping off the vertical sections with curved supports for the tilt when fitted. Markings There are five decal options on the sheet wearing green, including 1one in British service that has black camouflage over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: British Forces Radio Station, 8th Army Sector, Italy, October 1944 1st Armoured Division, 829th Signal Battalion, North Africa, Spring 1943 102nd Infantry Division, ETO, Autumn 1944 US Marine Corps, 4th Marine Division, Pacific 1944-5 Corps Signals Unit, 2nd Polish Corps, Italy 1944-5 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is an interesting variant of the G506 chassis doing the job that many of this type were built for, and with the addition of the trailer it looks substantially different from its siblings, which with the detail that MiniArt pack into all their kits, it’s a very tempting offering. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

WWII US Military Patrol with G7107 Truck (35599) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-synchro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a reboxing with added figures of a recent kit from ICM, and is one of a range that is now available from them. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, chassis, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres, plus the four figures of course. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are six sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the rear bumper irons, fuel tank, transfer casing and front axle installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The rear axle is made up and fitted with another drive-shaft, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with a top panel complete with decal for the dials, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits into the rear of the cab and has the back wall with small radiused window, then the roof fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open, or closed position. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet and a large front bumper iron that runs full width, and is quite literally a girder. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and attention turns to the load bed. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture down the walkway, and a thick rear section with hooks, and the optional reflectors moulded-in, which are removed for three quarters of the decal options. The same is true of the shallow sides, which also have a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, and the front upright gets the same treatment. An upstand incorporating two vertical pillars is glued to the front, and a pair of sides that consist of siding on five pillars per side are made up and are added to their locations, while underneath the floor is stiffened by adding four lateral supports, a trapezoid rear valence with lights, and four vertical mudguard boards and their supports. The front valance has a hole with a length of tube for the fuel filler to travel, and the final position of this tricky part is shown in a scrap diagram to help you with placement. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and is secured in place by a central cap. There is a choice of steps when completing the load bed, as the lower portion of the sides can be built either vertically to make maximum use of the cargo area, or with the lower sections flipped down to form seats for the transport of troops. This is accomplished by using a different set of supports, fitted vertically for stowed, or diagonally below for deployed. Both options then have the five tilt hoops fixed into the tops of their pillars to finish off. The model is finished off with front light with clear lenses, door handles, bonnet clasps, wing mirrors, and a choice of open or closed front windscreen parts, which requires the fitting of alternative wipers to accommodate the horizontally stowed screen, which has small supports fitted diagonally against the A-pillars, as shown in scrap diagrams at the end. Figures There are four crew, three of which are stood or seated in or around the vehicle, plus the driver, who is sat down with his hands and feet arranged to match the pedals of the vehicle. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. Markings These vehicles were usually left in their factory-applied scheme of olive drab, but were personalised with unit and other markings. From the box you can model one of the following machine: Decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Maybe it wasn’t very high profile at the time, but this was an almost ubiquitous vehicle in the battle against the Axis forces, that helped to carry out the crucial task of keeping the front-line supplied with weapons and supplies, as well as acting as a cheap and rugged transport for troops when they were out on extended patrols. It is all moulded in great detail as we’ve come to expect from ICM. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

US Stake Body Truck G506 (38067) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-synchro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four axles. Under the new coding it rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The civilian vehicles could be almost as varied in form as the military options with some obvious exceptions (civilians seldom have a need to launch rockets), and they were well-liked by their drivers and crews, carrying out cargo shipping duties before, during and after WWII. They benefitted from widely available spares and the know-how to repair and maintain them, often from ex-servicemen, and the truck served long after the end of WWII. The Kit This is a new civilian boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, one of a widening range that is to be found in your favourite model shop, and the term ‘Stake’ refers to the fact that there are removable sides to the load area consisting of posts or ‘stakes’ that slot into sockets in the load deck, adding flexibility to their use. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are seventeen modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and the spare tyre on an angled bracket. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail is attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank, adding the final drive shaft to the transfer box in the centre of the chassis. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below later, with linkages and axle brackets fitted to the rails. The additional chassis rails are secured to the main rails via six clamps that have long bolts holding the two halves together from above and below, each one made of two halves. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the engine side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box. The diagonal kick panel is joined with the firewall and decked out with three foot pedals, a stud and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in between two of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits round the rear of the cab back wall, with small ovalised window and optional PE mesh grille fitted later. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted to the floor, with the doors installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen is two panes of clear in a styrene frame fitted to the front of the cab open or closed, and below it on the scuttle is a ventilator panel that is posed open or closed later as you like it. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis with spacer rods applied, and a choice of engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included that incorporates the running boards under the doors. The windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. The front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wiper blades are hung from the top of the frame on styrene arms, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this appears on the sprues too for a simpler build process, but a more detailed and realistic grille can be fabricated from the PE parts on the fret. It is constructed completely from PE, and two styrene jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail, light cages and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two PE brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, and another small curved section is added to the left of the grille as it is glued in place with the help of some CA. If you elected to use the styrene grille, this process is condensed down to nipping the part from the sprue, cleaning the sprue gates, and gluing it to the front of your truck. The hood/bonnet can be fitted open or closed with two clasps and in the open option a PE stay is provided, attaching the clasps upside down. A number plate holder is fitted offset to the right at the front next to a pair of large hooks, and the rear lights are mounted on PE brackets at the sides of the PE bumpers fitted earlier. The load bed floor is a single moulding with four cross-ribs glued to the underside, and the two sides made up with slatted gates inserted that have PE furniture, and simple slatted front and rear sides that glue onto the bed and are clipped together with more interlocking PE brackets at the corners. The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the fuel filler’s PE clamp, and exhaust that is added on PE brackets and has an optional PE skin to the muffler. It’s time for the rest of the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two parts each, and twin wheels at the rear, made up much earlier in the instructions for some reason. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole, with a pair of rear mudflaps behind the back wheels, and an additional carrier for the spare wheel under the body. Markings There are four colourful markings options on the decal sheet from various parts of the US that were operating in the 1940s. From the box you can build one of the following: Connecticut, 1940s Idaho, 1940s North Dakota, 1940s Texas, 1940s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to be blessed with many new kits of the Chevrolet G506/G7107 truck in 1:35 of late, which was ubiquitous during WWII and equally at home lugging goods of all types around the USA and beyond in the decades following. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

1.5t 4x4 G506 Cargo Truck (38064) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-synchromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, with the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were plenty of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. Following the end of WWII, many were mothballed, or sold off into civilian service, where they went on to give good service over an extended period. Those equipped with a load bed was a workhorse in America and other countries after WWII, when money was tight, so second hand or former military equipment was just the ticket for the cash-strapped hauliers and long-distance transport companies. As time went by, they gradually wore out, repair became more expensive, and newer more effective vehicles came to market that permitted the carrying of larger loads over greater distances for less. Some still survive of course, and can be seen at historic vehicle rallies and get-togethers of like-minded enthusiasts. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, and is one of an expanding range that is to be found in your favourite model shop. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and load area all included along with some appealing moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-two modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a short length of shiny metal chain, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on leaf springs, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the serpentine pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail is attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank, with a stowage area that had an open rear and top at this stage. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below later, with linkages and axle brackets fitted to the rails. A spare tyre mounts on a large bracket on the left outer of the chassis, with the inner face a separate part to achieve correct thickness and detail. A set of additional chassis straps trap the additional rails to the lower rail, the real ones cinched up by long threaded coach-bolts. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the forward side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box, plus two more on the headliner by the rear-view mirror. The diagonal kick panel is joined with the firewall and fitted out with three foot pedals, a button and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole between two of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped two-layer rear wall that fits round the rear of the floor, with small ovalised window and optional PE mesh grille fitted later, adding four levers in front of the seats at the same time. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted to the floor, while the doors are installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen comprises two clear panes in a styrene frame fitted to the front of the cab open or closed, and below it on the scuttle is a ventilator panel that can be posed open or closed as you prefer. A pair of wing mirrors are glued onto the cab in front of the doors at handle-height. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis with spacer rods applied, and a choice of engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included that incorporates the running boards under the doors. The windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. The front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wiper blades are hung from the top of the frame on styrene arms, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this appears on the sprues too for a simpler build process, but a more detailed and realistic grille can be fabricated from the PE parts on the fret. It is constructed completely from PE, and two styrene jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail, light cages and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two PE brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, and another small curved section is added to the left of the grille as it is glued in place with the help of some CA. If you elected to use the styrene grille, this process is condensed down to nipping the part from the sprue, cleaning the sprue gates, and gluing it to the front of your truck. The hood/bonnet can be fitted open or closed with two clasps and in the open option a PE stay is provided, attaching the clasps upside down. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a planked texture on the underside, a slim rear section with moulded-in reflectors, and separate rear lights mounted to the chassis. The shallow sides and taller header board are separate frames with some PE furniture applied along the way, while the underside is strengthened by four cross-braces. The load bed sides are extended by a set of verticals with twin planked top panels, and these too have PE furniture installed, many of which will require some simple folding. The rear rail has a pair of towel-rail hinges and PE brackets fixed to it during the assembly of the bed, and underneath is the door to the stowage area built earlier, which gets a PE shackle and padlock to keep it secure. A run of planked bench seats is fitted along each side of the load bed for passenger transport, and these can either be built deployed on diagonal brackets, or stowed away with the brackets and seats stored vertically against the side wall to maximise load area. The rear gate has a pair of PE stirrups, hinges, and a couple of hooks, and their latches have their pins linked to the vehicle by lengths of chain so that it doesn’t get lost by careless loaders or drivers. A scrap diagram shows exactly where it should be mounted. The tailgate can be posed open or closed, and the latches fitted accordingly. The completed bed is joined to the chassis along with a pair of mudguards and their braces, and a strip of PE rolled around the pipe links the exhaust to the back of the mudflap, sliding over the exhaust with the position shown in a scrap diagram. There are two locations for each PE number plate holder, as shown in the last diagrams. The wheels are made up along the way in the instructions, with singles at the front, each made from two parts each, and with twin wheels at the rear, again with separate outer sidewalls. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole. Markings There are five markings options on the decal sheet from the 40s, in various regions where the type was operating. From the box you can build one of the following: Czechoslovakia, Late 1940s Poland, Late 1940s Kyiv Region, Ukraine, Late 1940s Latvia, Late 1940s Germany, Soviet Occupation Zone, Late 1940s Decals have been screen printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to be blessed with new kits of the Chevrolet G506/G7107 truck in 1:35 recently, which was ubiquitous during WWII and beyond, perfectly at home lugging goods of all types around the world, or as this boxing portrays, around Eruope. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've been working on this kit alongside the AMT 1967 Shelby GT350, primarily because I didn't want to airbrush the same color twice. I got this kit (and started modelling) to make this specific model kit, to TRY to match my real car (my Vette has the base engine). So far about 90% of all parts have been painted, assembly will start soon. The body has been sanded and is ready for primer alongside the Shelby GT350. It will be painted just like my car, Metallic Turquoise. As there is very few polished items on this vehicle IRL, I decided to paint all the chrome parts steel, with a few exceptions. I have seen a few examples of C4 Corvettes with polished rims, but mine has the alloy rims. So I decided to paint the rims as well. The interior and the engine will be assembled first while I wait for the weather to let up so I can prime the body. The interior will be black with dark grey dash and center column.

US Tow Truck G506 (38061) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-syncromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were plenty of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. Following the end of WWII, many were mothballed, and sold off into civilian service, where the went on to give good service over a long period. The type with a crane mounted on the load bed was frequently seen towing broken-down vehicles throughout the USA, having found their way into the ownership of garages and recovery services for a knock-down price. They were usually brightly coloured with large signs on the doors telling potential customers who they were, and how to get in touch should they ever need to engage their services. As time went by, they gradually wore out, repair became more expensive, and newer more effective vehicles came to market that permitted the towing of larger vehicles and their recovery from difficult places, such as in the ditches at the side of the road, or down a hill where the victim had eventually come to rest. Some still survive of course, and can be seen at rallies and get-togethers of like-minded enthusiasts. The Kit This is a reboxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, and is a full interior kit, with engine, cab, load area and crane all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope with some metal chain within, a decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. Later on, and pair of rear light clusters are mounted on the rear of the chassis rails on PE brackets. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front. The engine is fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail and spare tyre on an angled bracket are attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank. More control linkages and a first-motion shaft are joined to the rear of the engine, and a substantial number of brackets are fitted to the chassis rails under the load area. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below at a later point. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the engine side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed as you wish. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box. The diagonal foot panel is joined with the firewall and decked out with three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits round the rear of the cab back wall, with small ovalised window and PE mesh grille fitted later, while the remaining vehicle and crane controls are added into the centre of the floore. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted, with the doors installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen is two panes of clear in a styrene frame that is posed open or closed later on. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis and the engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included on the sides. The headlights and sidelights are added onto the fenders, the main lamps having clear lenses. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with a choice of singles or doubles at the front, each wheel made from two parts each, and twin wheels at the rear, made up much earlier in the instructions for some reason. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole. The afore mentioned windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. PE windscreen wipers hung from the top of the frame, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this doesn’t appear on the sprues, and there’s a good reason for that. It is constructed completely from PE, and two more jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two brackets stretched across the front of the radiator that are glued in place before the bumper/grille is added. The hood/bonnet can be fitted open or closed by inverting the clasps and in the open option, a PE stay is provided. A PE number plate holder is placed under the front lip of the right fender. The winch is started by creating the mounting arm with motor, then the bobbin can be created either with a two-part styrene representation of a full reel, or an empty bobbin that you can load with some of your own material or leave empty. It is offered up to the arm and secured in place by adding the short arm that mounts the other end of the axle, before being fixed to the underside of the vehicle at the front, with a protective C-shaped bar over the front. A short take-off shaft and linkage is also added under the chassis to provide motive power to the winch. Once the winch is in place, the monolithic front bumper iron is fixed to the front of the chassis rails, and has a pair of hooks and a PE bracket fitted to the top surface. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture on the underside, and a thick rear section with hooks, separate rear lights and moulded-in reflectors. The shallow sides and front have separate frames, plus four lateral supports under the bed. A double-width stowage box is made up with lift-up lid and grab handle over the top, for later positioning at the front of the load bed. The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the exhaust system, which is held in place by PE brackets that are details in scrap diagrams, and a fuel filler pipe is inserted into the narrow gap between the cab and load bed. A further support for the spare tyre and two vertical mudflaps are installed along with a number plate holder under the right rear of the floor. The included chain is used to make up a final section of the towing rope on the winch, and has styrene hooks at each end, but you must supply a short length of rope or cable to join it to the winch from your own stocks. Construction of the crane begins with the cropped A-frame that holds the gearing and forms the base of the crane, with PE cogs and supports fixed to the styrene parts as work progresses. The jib is equally simple, consisting of curved angle-iron with a pulley at the end, and more PE cross-braces along its length. The jib attaches to the top of the base and is held at an angle by two sliding braces, which on the real thing are adjusted by sliding past each other with pegs holding it at the required angle. If you want to adjust the angle of your model however, you will need to cut and adjust these yourself. The remainder of the chain is wrapped around the cylinder at the apex of the crane's base, then threaded along the jib and over the pulley at the end and finally down to the hook, back again and up to the last hook at the very end of the jib. A large winding handle is fitted either to the top bobbin or by using an additional long rod to the small cog at the bottom of the gear set. a PE maker's plaque on the side of the A-frame reads "Weaver Auto-Crane, Weaver Mfg.Co., Springfield Ill USA". Markings There are four markings options on the decal sheet, all of which are different colours. From the box you can build one of the following: Texas, 1940s Nevada, 1940s Ohio, 1940s Kansas, 1940s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt/gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to have been blessed with new kits of Chevrolet G506 truck variants in 1:35 recently, which must have been pretty common in Post-War America. Great detail and some cool decal options. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Well, I had the day off work and I still need to get paint for my '65 Grand Prix build. What to do? I got this one off the bay as spares or repairs. It's mostly just missing the engine and a set of wide tyres. All the important stuff is there. So let's see what we have then.... A shelf worn box for one. This was also boxed as 'Heavy Chevy'. There's one on the bay as I write this. Love the shape! The shell. A few very small scratches but otherwise very nice. Lots of other bits including the custom parts. So it'll be another lowrider. Two sets of very similar wheels. No metal axles on this kit, but the wheels must be glued to plastic stubs, so no vroom vroom on the shelf A little later and I had it mocked up to check the ride height and stance. Cool. The front suspension setup is rather vague and requires patience and three hands. How a ten year would get on I shudder to think. Did I mention no engine? Luckily I have a few spares. I chose the one seen here bottom left. Already wired from years ago. The engine simply sits on the crossmember. No attempt at proper mounts then. I found a propshaft that fitted too. And that is where this one stands so far. Looks like I'm going to need more paint fairly soon. Whether the weather will be good enough to paint is another matter. We shall see. Thanks for looking, and your comments are always welcome. Cheers, Pete

G7107 US Cargo Truck (35598) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-syncro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. After the war was over, there was a huge surplus of military equipment, resulting in many of the less dangerous kit finding its way into civilian service. They were simple to run and maintain, which made them eminently appealing to industry, giving them a long and useful afterlife. The Kit This is a reboxing from ICM of their expanding line of kits of this type, branching out into the civilian sphere for a change. The kit arrives in a standard ICM top-opening box with a captive lid to the tray, and inside are six sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small decal sheet, and glossy instruction booklet with spot colour and profiles of the decal options on the rear pages. Detail is as you’d expect from ICM, with a lot included in the box including the engine and cab, plus a deployed canvas tilt in styrene. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the rear bumper irons, fuel tank, transfer casing and front axle installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The rear axle is made up and fitted with another drive-shaft, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with a top panel, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits into the rear of the cab and has the back wall with small ovalised window, then the roof fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open or closed position. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet and a large front bumper iron that runs full width, and is quite literally a girder. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and attention turns to the load bed. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture down the walkway, and a thick rear section with hooks, and the optional reflectors moulded-in. The shallow sides have a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, and the front upright gets the same treatment. An upstand incorporating two vertical pillars is glued to the front, and a pair of sides that consist of siding on five pillars per side are made up and are added to their locations, while underneath the floor is stiffened by adding four lateral supports, a trapezoid rear valence with lights, and four vertical mudguard boards and their supports. The front valance has a hole with a length of tube for the fuel filler to travel, and the final position of this tricky part is shown in a scrap diagram to help you with placement. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and is secured in place by a central cap. There is a choice of steps when completing the load bed, as the lower portion of the sides can be built either vertically to make maximum use of the cargo area, or with the lower sections flipped down to form seats for the transport of troops. This is accomplished by using a different set of supports, fitted vertically for stowed, or diagonally below for deployed. The tilt is made up from five parts and placed over the load bed, then the model is finished off with front light with clear lenses, door handles, bonnet clasps, wing mirrors, and clear windscreen with wipers, and number plate holders front and rear. Markings These post-war civilian wagons were often colourful, but sometimes left in their olive drab army finish by the more retrained operators, but were personalised with garishly colourful schemes by others. From the box you can build one of the following machines: Post Office truck, Minnesota, 1946 Michigan, 1960s Iowa, 1970s Missouri, 1970s The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. There is a decal provided for the central instrument binnacle in the cab, which is nice to see. Conclusion These are pretty much some of the brightest lorries I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s a great kit of this important vehicle, moulded in great detail as we’ve come to expect from ICM. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Manufacturer: Monogram. Aftermarket: None used. Paints: Tamiya, Molotow Liquid Chrome, 2K clear, Mr Color Surfacer 1500 black. Weathering: Starship Filth Oils. Link to build thread: Hi all, the Chevy Z28 is all done, I did find this old kit a bit of a challenge to put together in a few places. The build instructions are more like a comic than anything with useful details. I mistakenly fitted the decals on the rear boot spoiler forward facing instead of rear facing; I used PVA glue to mount the spoiler and the front nose valance to avoid any weld action glue damaging the paintwork. I added some adhesive backed foil to trim up the door edges and bonnet, this was painted over with Molotow chrome paint. It was extra work I could have done without, but it did add a touch of bling to the paint scheme. Overall, for a kit of its age I am happy with how it turned out. Thank you looking in on this build everyone and happy modelling.

G7117 Truck (35597) 1:35 ICM via Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-syncro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a new boxing of a brand-new tooling from ICM, and a number of these kit variants is in your favourite model shop as I type this. It’s an ICM kit, and a full interior kit too, with engine cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres, now complete with winch, deployed load cover behind the cab. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are six sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure with a short length removed to accommodate the winch. The drum is depicted with a full roll of cable, with a pair of spoked ends, axle and motor at the ends, and a strong set of beams boxing it in, plus a new front bumper with in-built roller to protect the cable from wear. A small C-shaped template slots over a bump on the chassis rail, then the winch is slid into the rails until it comes to a stop thanks to the jig. The rear bumper irons, fuel tank, and transfer casing are installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The front and rear axle are made up and fitted with another drive-shaft each, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with a top panel, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits into the rear floor of the cab and has the back wall with small ovalised window, then the roof fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open or closed position as you see fit. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet on top. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and attention turns to the load bed. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture down the walkway, and a thick rear section with hooks, and the reflectors moulded-in, and a frame to stiffen it up. The same is true of the shallow sides, which also have a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, and the front upright gets the same treatment. An upstand incorporating two vertical pillars is glued to the front, and a pair of sides that consist of siding on five pillars per side are made up and are added to their locations, while underneath the floor is stiffened by adding four lateral supports, a trapezoid rear valence with lights, and four vertical mudguard boards and their diagonal supports. The front valance has a hole with a length of hose for the fuel filler to travel, and the final position of this tricky part is shown in a scrap diagram to help you with placement. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and all wheels are secured in place by a central cap. There is a choice of steps when completing the load bed, as the lower portion of the sides can be built either vertically to make maximum use of the cargo area, or with the lower sections flipped down to form seats for the transport of troops. This is accomplished by using a different set of supports, fitted vertically for stowed, or diagonally below for deployed. Both options then have the five tilt hoops fixed into the tops of their pillars to finish off. The new alternative is a canvas tilt in the erected state, which is made up from roof, ends and sides, with one end open and the flaps tied back. This assembly is installed over a set of upright sides, but without the hoops of the skeletal option. The model is finished off with front light with clear lenses, door handles, bonnet clasps, wing mirrors, and a choice of open or closed front windscreen parts, which requires the fitting of alternative wipers to accommodate the horizontally stowed screen, which has small supports fitted diagonally against the A-pillars, as shown in scrap diagrams at the end. Markings These vehicles were usually left in their arrival scheme of olive drab although the Navy painted theirs grey, but were personalised with unit and other markings on the doors or somewhere equally prominent. Some would probably have been re-painted at some point, but that’s down to your references. From the box you can model one of the following machines: US Army, 1941 US Army, 1942 154th Engineer Battalion, US Army, 1943 US Navy, 1940s Decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Finally, there is a decal provided for the central instrument binnacle in the cab, which is nice to see. Conclusion Maybe it wasn’t very high profile at the time, but this was an almost ubiquitous vehicle in the Lend-Lease supplies to Soviet Russia that helped to carry out the crucial task of keeping the front-line supplied with weapons and supplies. Moulded in great detail as we’ve come to expect from ICM, and with the tilt parts it’s even better than the previous boxings. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

1.5T 4x4 G7117 Cargo Truck w/Winch (35389) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-synchro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a reboxing and minor re-tool of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt that is coming to your favourite model shop right now. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-six modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a tiny bag with some metal chain within, a decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the new ladder chassis, which has the new shaped ends to accommodate the winch, and leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank with PE straps, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on U-bolts, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail and stowage area are attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, with linkages and axle brackets fitted to the rails. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the engine side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box. The diagonal foot panel is joined with the firewall and decked out with three foot pedals, a stud and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits round the rear of the cab back wall, with small ovalised window and PE mesh grille fitted later. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted, with the doors installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen is two flat clear parts in a styrene frame that is posed open or closed later on. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis and the engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included that has Chevrolet embossed on the vertical sides and some holes drilled in the rear of the fenders. The aforementioned windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. The spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and the front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wipers hung from the top of the frame, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this doesn’t appear on the sprues, and there’s a good reason for that. It is constructed completely from PE, and two jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, and another small curved section is added to the left of the grille as it is glued in place with the help of some CA. The hood/bonnet is able to be fitted open or closed with two styles of clasp and in the open option, a PE stay is provided. Two tie-down hooks are fixed to the front bumper iron too. The winch is started by creating the mounting arm with motor, then the bobbin can be created either with a two-part styrene representation of a full reel, or an empty bobbin that you can load with some of your own material or leave empty. It is offered up to the arm and secured in place by adding the short arm that mounts the other end of the axle, before being fixed to the underside of the vehicle at the front, with a protective C-shaped bar over the front. A short take-off shaft is also added under the chassis to provide motive power to the winch. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture on the underside, and a thick rear section with hooks, separate rear lights and moulded-in reflectors. The shallow sides and front have separate frames and a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, with PE closures and chains on the rear gate that can also be fitted open or closed, as can the seats that run down each side. The four rear mudguards are held at the correct angles by PE brackets, and on one side a pioneer toolkit is lashed to a frame with PE fixings holding an axe, pick axe, and spade. The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the toolkit on the right side of the flatbed. The five hoops that support the roof are inserted into the tops of the verticals along the side of the bed and the bed is then installed on the chassis. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two parts each, and twin wheels at the rear, made up much earlier in the instructions for some reason. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hub. The winch has a length of chain and you need to supply a length of rope from your own stock, plus a styrene hook and eye to complete its installation, with the end hooked over one of the lugs on the bumper iron. There are two extra fuel cans on brackets with PE tie-down straps on the running boards, plus a pair of buckets with PE handles for you to bend and fit in place. In addition, a crew of two American Army driver figures is included on two separate sprues, one wearing overalls and a cap and twirling a tyre iron, while the other soldier in standard GI uniform is pushing down on a track pump that he is standing on to keep it in position. Each figure is made up from individual legs, torso, head and arms, plus the aforementioned pump and tyre irons. Markings There are a generous seven markings options on the decal sheet, in a variety of markings and with a pale grey US Navy vehicle for a little variation from green. From the box you can build one of the following: 93rd Infantry Division, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 1943 8th Air Force, 56th FG, 62 FS Halesworth, England, 1943 45th Division, 120th Engineer Combat Battalion, Sicily, Italy, 1943 US Navy, 1944 Red Army, Germany, February 1945 Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB), 1st Expeditionary Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, Special Transport Troop, Italy, 1944-45 Brazilian Expeditionary Force XXII Tactical Air Command, 350th Fighter Group, 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron, Pisa, Italy, 1945 Decals are printed by MiniArt’s usual partners Decograph, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to be blessed with new kits of the Chevrolet G7107 truck in 1:35 recently, which was ubiquitous during WWII on the Eastern and Western fronts as well as the Far East, where it played an important but unsung role in the defeat of the Nazis and the Axis, lugging weapons, ammunition, men and supplies to the front and sometimes back again. Add the winch to move things around a bit, and with the included figures, you’ll be a happy modeller. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Good day, colleagues and sympathizers. For a review, I present to you a model whose appearance in plastic I have been waiting for a long time. American one-and-a-half-ton Chevrolet G506 truck in the G7107 variant. The second largest truck delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease (47700 units!) And here in my hands is the cherished box from ICM. Start building! At first everything seemed fine... We are studying the prototype. The first thing that catches your eye is the body ... Incomprehensible short beams, the absence of a box at the back from below. And the body is metal. Disorder. Sawed through. I didn't bother with the cabin, and it looks more or less like it. We redo the fat bumper and its fasteners at the same time (hello, thin metal and evergreen), slightly modify the front grille. Making new wipers. Throw out native wheels with native hubs. Wheels - PanzerArt from GMC, self-made hubs. Adding some wiring. We fill the body. An canvas made of tracing paper, all sorts of junk from stocks. The most interesting task was to make straps on the left side of the body similar to the photo. It seems to have worked out. The driver is ICM, the comrades in the body are hybrid from ICM, Zvezda and MSD. A pair of machine guns, a Zvezda and an ICM. Coloring - Akan, Tamiya, GSI. Marking is a stencil. Oil and pigments - AK, MIG, etc. Enjoy watching! Thanks for attention.

G7117 Truck with WWII Soviet Drivers (35594) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-syncro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a new boxing of a brand-new tooling from ICM, and a number of these kit variants is in your favourite model shop as I type this. It’s an ICM kit, and a full interior kit too, with engine cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the chunky tyres, now complete with winch, deployed load cover and a crew of two drivers to fill the cab. It arrives in one of ICM’s medium-sized top-opening boxes with the usual captive inner flap, and inside are eight sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure with a short length removed to accommodate the winch. The drum is depicted with a full roll of cable, with a pair of spoked ends, axle and motor at the ends, and a strong set of beams boxing it in, plus a new front bumper with in-built roller to protect the cable from wear. A small C-shaped template slots over a bump on the chassis rail, then the winch is slid into the rails until it comes to a stop thanks to the jig. The rear bumper irons, fuel tank, and transfer casing are installed, before the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front, and a short drive-shaft at the rear that links to the transfer box in the middle of the chassis. The front and rear axle are made up and fitted with another drive-shaft each, while the front axle gets the steering arm installed, which keeps the twin ball-jointed hubs pointing in the same direction, providing you’ve not been over-enthusiastic with the glue. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, and the battery box attaches to the outside of the ladder chassis next to a pair of tread-plated steps, then from the left of the engine, the air box and intake are attached to finish it off. The crew cab is next, beginning with the dashboard that inserts in the front bulkhead along with a top panel, then is joined with the cab floor and decked out with a pair of levers, gear stick and hand-brake on the floor, three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in the diagonal floor section in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver (more about them later) share a bench seat that is made up from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits into the rear floor of the cab and has the back wall with small ovalised window, then the roof fitted, after which the doors are made up with handles, winders and glazing, fitting within the frame in the open or closed position as you see fit. On the front of the firewall a vent is glued to the scuttle panel, and two reservoirs are attached, then the cab is mated to the chassis along with a couple of additional engine ancillaries and linkages to the front axle. The radiator is laminated from core, surround and tin-work, with a bezel fitted to the front and the assembly is then applied to the front of the engine, attaching to the chassis and input/outlet hoses that are already there. The cowling sides and front fenders are installed to permit the front grille to be attached, plus the bonnet on top. Behind the cab a spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and attention turns to the load bed. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture down the walkway, and a thick rear section with hooks, and the reflectors moulded-in, and a frame to stiffen it up. The same is true of the shallow sides, which also have a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, and the front upright gets the same treatment. An upstand incorporating two vertical pillars is glued to the front, and a pair of sides that consist of siding on five pillars per side are made up and are added to their locations, while underneath the floor is stiffened by adding four lateral supports, a trapezoid rear valence with lights, and four vertical mudguard boards and their diagonal supports. The front valance has a hole with a length of hose for the fuel filler to travel, and the final position of this tricky part is shown in a scrap diagram to help you with placement. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two halves each, and twin wheels at the rear axle, put together with two two-part wheels each, and two hub parts added to the finished pair. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, and all wheels are secured in place by a central cap. There is a choice of steps when completing the load bed, as the lower portion of the sides can be built either vertically to make maximum use of the cargo area, or with the lower sections flipped down to form seats for the transport of troops. This is accomplished by using a different set of supports, fitted vertically for stowed, or diagonally below for deployed. Both options then have the five tilt hoops fixed into the tops of their pillars to finish off. The new alternative is a canvas tilt in the deployed state, which is made up from roof, ends and sides, with one end open and the flaps tied back. This assembly is installed over a set of upright sides, but without the hoops of the skeletal option. The model is finished off with front light with clear lenses, door handles, bonnet clasps, wing mirrors, and a choice of open or closed front windscreen parts, which requires the fitting of alternative wipers to accommodate the horizontally stowed screen, which has small supports fitted diagonally against the A-pillars, as shown in scrap diagrams at the end. Figures This boxing includes the driver and co-driver dressed in their standard WWII-era fatigues with quilted jackets. One has a cap while the co-driver has one of those prototypical fur hats with the ear-flaps tied over the top. They’re up to ICM’s usual high standard, and have a separate sheet of instructions that show painting and build numbers. Markings These Lend/Lease vehicles were usually left in their arrival scheme of olive drab, but were personalised with unit and other markings on the doors or somewhere equally prominent. Some would probably have been re-painted at some point, but that’s down to your references. From the box you can model one of the following machines: Unknown Red Army Unit, East Germany 1945 Vehicle from a Lend/Lease Consignment 1944 Decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Although undocumented, there is a decal provided for the central instrument binnacle in the cab, which is nice to see. Conclusion Maybe it wasn’t very high profile at the time, but this was an almost ubiquitous vehicle in the Lend-Lease supplies to Soviet Russia that helped to carry out the crucial task of keeping the front-line supplied with weapons and supplies. Moulded in great detail as we’ve come to expect from ICM, and with the new tilt parts and figures it’s even better than the previous boxings. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hi everyone, this boxing dates back to 1980; however the car is a 79 vintage I believe. Monogram put some great details into this kit, I will be painting the bodywork gloss black, but the interior will be a two-tone grey colour, should be a blast to build.

G7107 1.5T 4x4 Cargo Truck w/Crew (35383) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then moved to the 7100 range, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, with a four-speed “crash” (non-syncro) gearbox putting down a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities with the Allies in the West, the Soviets in the East, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were a lot of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity, such as being used by the Soviets to carry Katyusha rockets on a stripped-down flatbed. The Kit This is a reboxing of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt that is coming to your favourite model shop right now. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-four modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a tiny bag with some metal chain within, a wide decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank with PE straps, and PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on U-bolts, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail and stowage area are attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, with linkages and axle brackets fitted to the rails. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the engine side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box. The diagonal foot panel is joined with the firewall and decked out with three foot pedals, a stud and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits round the rear of the cab back wall, with small ovalised window and PE mesh grille fitted later. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted, with the doors installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen is two flat clear parts in a styrene frame that is posed open or closed later on. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis and the engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included that has Chevrolet embossed on the vertical sides and some holes drilled in the rear of the fenders. The aforementioned windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. The spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and the front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, some German fittings for decal option 4, and PE windscreen wipers hung from the top of the frame, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this doesn’t appear on the sprues, and there’s a good reason for that. It is constructed completely from PE, and two jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, and another small curved section is added to the left of the grille as it is glued in place with the help of some CA. The hood/bonnet is able to be fitted open or closed with two styles of clasp and in the open option, a PE stay is provided. Two tie-down hooks are fixed to the front bumper iron too. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture on the underside, and a thick rear section with hooks, separate rear lights and moulded-in reflectors. The shallow sides and front have separate frames and a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, with PE closures and chains on the rear gate that can also be fitted open or closed, as can the seats that run down each side. The four rear mudguards are held at the correct angles by PE brackets, and on one side a pioneer toolkit is lashed to a frame with PE fixings holding an axe, pick axe, and spade. The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the toolkit on the right side of the flatbed. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two parts each, and twin wheels at the rear, made up much earlier in the instructions for some reason. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hub. There are two extra fuel cans on brackets with PE tie-down straps on the running boards, plus optional tilt frames that fit to the top of the vertical rails if used. In addition, a crew of three American Army driver/loader figures is included on a separate sprue, wearing overalls or fatigues with jackets, wearing caps and performing various maintenance tasks/leaning on things. Each one is made up from individual legs, torso, head and arms, plus an M1 Garand in a holster and some stowage bags. Markings There are four markings options on the decal sheet, three in green and the last one in German grey, as it is under new management. From the box you can build one of the following: 12th Armoured Division, 7th Army, 1943/44 298th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Army, France, Summer 1944 Brazilian Expeditionary Force, Italy, 1945 Captured vehicle, Unknown Wehrmacht Unit, Eastern Front, Summer, 1943 Decals are printed by MiniArt’s usual partners Decograph, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to be blessed with new kits of the Chevrolet G7107 truck in 1:35 recently, which was ubiquitous during WWII on the Eastern and Western fronts as well as the Far East, where it played an important but unsung role in the defeat of the Nazis and the Axis, lugging weapons, ammunition, men and supplies to the front and sometimes back again. The included figures are just gravy! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Army G7107 4x4 1.5t Cargo Truck (35380) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that were capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-syncromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were plenty of variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. The G7017 had a cargo bed with canvas top, while the G7117 was the same except for the addition of a winch to give it some static pulling power. They were well-liked by their drivers and crews from all the Allies forces, and were adapted to other tasks due to their ubiquity. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and is the first kit of a range that is coming to your favourite model shop very soon. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and load area all included along with some very nice moulding and detail, particularly in the cab and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-nine modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a tiny bag with some metal chain within, a wide decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, and at the rear a short additional chassis rail and stowage area are attached to the frame at the rear behind the fuel tank. The exhaust and its manifold slip into the underside of the chassis from below, with linkages and axle brackets fitted to the rails. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The roof and windscreen frame are moulded as one, with a headliner insert and rear-view mirror that are inserted within, and the three-part radiator housing is made to be used later. The firewall and roof are joined with some of the dash pots fixed to the engine side of the firewall, while the doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The dashboard inserts into the front bulkhead with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box. The diagonal foot panel is joined with the firewall and decked out with three foot pedals and the steering wheel on a long column that slides through a hole in front of the pedals. The driver and co-driver share a bench seat that is made up on the floor from back, cushion and a C-shaped surround that fits round the rear of the cab back wall, with small ovalised window and PE mesh grille fitted later. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted, with the doors installed within the frame in the open or closed position. The windscreen is two panes of clear in a styrene frame that is posed open or closed later on. The cab and radiator are both placed on the chassis and the engine cowling side panels fit between them with a choice of two styles of front wing/fender included on the right side and just one on the left, which needs a hole drilling in the rear. The aforementioned windscreen has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts. The spare tyre is placed on a bracket near the exhaust, and the front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wipers hung from the top of the frame, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this doesn’t appear on the sprues, and there’s a good reason for that. It is constructed completely from PE, and two jigs are included on the sprues to assist with obtaining the correct shape. The lower rail and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, and another small curved section is added to the left of the grille as it is glued in place with the help of some CA. The hood/bonnet is able to be fitted open or closed with two styles of clasp and in the open option, a PE stay is provided. Two tie-down hooks are fixed to the front bumper iron too. The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture on the underside, and a thick rear section with hooks, separate rear lights and moulded-in reflectors. The shallow sides and front have separate frames and a series of tie-down hooks fixed along their lengths, with PE closures and chains on the rear gate that can also be fitted open or closed. The four rear mudguards are kept at the correct angles by PE brackets, and on one side a pioneer toolkit is lashed to a frame with PE fixings holding an axe, pick axe, and spade. The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the toolkit on the right side of the flatbed. It’s time for the wheels to be made up, with singles at the front, each made from two parts each, and twin wheels at the rear, made up much earlier in the instructions for some reason. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hub. The kit comes with a stack of eight barrels to be made up of two types, both of which are made from two halves with end caps that are glued in with the embossed writing on the inside, and adding a separate filler cap for some of them. In addition, an American Army driver/loader figure is included on his own sprue, wearing overalls and a shoulder holster, wearing a woollen cap on his head and leather spats over his boots. He is made up from individual legs, torso, head and arms, plus the holster with the handle of his pistol showing round the retention strap. Markings There are four markings options on the decal sheet, all of which are green, but one is covered in sand coloured bean-shaped camouflage over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: 12th Air Force, 86th FBG, Kobra North, Cape Bon Peninsula, Tunisia, 1943 1st Sig Battalion, 1st Armoured Corps (7th Army), Sicily, Italy, 1943 US Military Police, 7th Army, France, 1944 US Army Service Forces, 9th Service Command, January 1945 Decals are printed by MiniArt’s usual partners Decograph, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion We seem to be blessed with new kits of the Chevrolet G7107 truck in 1:35 recently, which was ubiquitous during WWII on the Eastern and Western fronts as well as the Far East, where it played an important but unsung role in the defeat of the Nazis and the Axis, lugging weapons, ammunition, men and supplies to the front and sometimes back again. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I want to show you a model that I made in 2017 for a Facebook model competition (won it). The theme was post-apocalypse. I used a Chinese toy car: Chevy Camaro '67 in 1:34 scale and a 1:35 WWII figure from Tamiya (with a WH40K helmet). I also used accessories for WWII Tamiya military models. The base is made of styrene foam, the billboard is a vintage advertisement print and glued to the styrene frame. The bundle on the roof is a tissue soaked in wood glue, placed on polystyrene cubes

’78 Corvette Indy Pace Car (07646) 1:24 Revell After WWII General Motors subsidiary Chevrolet developed a sports coupé concept into a production car following a good reception at their 1953 show, with solid sales ensuring its continuation. Each year subtle changes were made until a new generation was ready to supplant the aging design. By generation three, referred to as C3, which was made from 1968 to 1982, the look of the car had changed substantially to a smaller, sleeker two seater, about which Prince was probably dreaming about when he wrote Little Red Corvette, a song released in 1983. The C3 was based on their concept car, utilising many of the internal components of the C2, but replacing the engines with a slightly larger unit pushing out the same BHP, which gave additional leeway for tuning. Engine sizes and output changed as the years went by, with optional small- and big-block engines, plus a host of other options such as power windows and side exhaust options, while the introduction of unleaded fuel and catalytic converters put a bit of a crimp in their performance for a while. In 1978 the Corvette was 25 years old, so a special edition was released to celebrate, with a silver and black paintjob that matched that of the Corvette Pace Car that was used at that year’s Indy 500 race, with a new interior and dash. The optional spoiler and air dam, and new seats were continued over into the next years until the C4 replaced it with a sleek new bodyshell that was itself phased out in 1996, with a little of the original spirit lost along the way to my eyes. We’re currently on C8 at time of writing, introduced in 2020 and that’s a good-looking car IMHO with over 600bhp on tap, although sales might not be great thanks to Covid-19. The Kit This is a rebox of an old 1979 tooling that has had some new parts along the way, although I don’t have any of the other kits so can’t confirm for certain. There was even a translucent glow-in-the-dark edition once upon a time, which is weird, but I’m starting to wonder if there is a snap-fit kit that’s muddying the waters. The Copyright symbol on the inside of the spare tyre carrier confirms the 1979 vintage, while the black printing of Zhongshan 112719 GL 2, probably relates to where in China this boxing was moulded. As I always say, it’s a product of its time but it seems to have stuck quite close to the original spec of the interior especially, which will give a good start to a historically accurate look, at least partly because it was tooled when the car was still new. You may need to do a little extra preparation in places due to the age of the tooling, and add some details here and there, but it’s quite a detailed kit for the time, even down to the tread upon the tyres. It arrives in the usual end-opening box that Revell use, and inside are three sprues and a bodyshell in white styrene, another with plastic chrome (Marzac?) applied all over, a clear sprue with glazing and lights, and four individual black rubbery tyres. Inside the colour printed instruction booklet you will find a large decal sheet and the disposable safety sheet that accompanies all their kits. After a preamble of paint codes and sprue diagrams that takes up half the booklet, construction begins with the engine, which is well represented if a little soft in places, although much of it won’t be seen once the body is in place around it. Some chrome parts for the rocker covers and other ancillaries are used, with the almost complete assembly and fan belt dropped into the floor pan with its transmission, securing on three mounting points, much like a real engine. The chassis is detailed with a one-piece front and rear suspension, plus the rear axle with differential housing in the centre, then the exhaust and twin mufflers to the rear with an exhaust pipe poking out on each side of the bumper, and to get the right angle, you are advised to use two 3mm lengths of sprue to space them correctly. A drive-shaft links the transmission to the rear axle, then the firewall drops in place with what looks like a chromed brake cylinder attached, then the radiator panel with tinwork around it and a chromed air intake trunk with airbox mating to the top of the carburettor, completing the detailing of the engine compartment, which you might want to add some HT leads to. At this point the wheels are made up from chromed “alloy” fronts with flat rears that are blacked out, both pushed into the tyres from either side without glue. Red pinstripes around the rim and Goodyear logos for the sidewalls are provided on the decal sheet. The passenger compartment is a separate “tub” that is painted according to the call-outs and then detailed with gear shifter (it’s a manual), handbrake lever, dashboard part with decals for the dials, a chrome steering wheel on top of a steering column that fits through the hole in the dash. Sadly, there are no foot pedals, but Revell have tried to remedy this by adding a decal for the front footwell, which you could use to pattern pedals of your own design along with some references. The seats have the correct lateral panelling plus side-bolsters, and have a rear added to bulk them out, then these and the arm rests on the door cards are inserted into the tub and glued into the inside of bodyshell, locating on two pins in the rear. The bonnet/hood is held in place on a pair of pivots that sit in recesses inside the front of the wing area of the bodyshell, trapped in place when the shell and the floor pan are joined in the next step. The body has a Targa roof, with a wrap-around rear window with ridges moulded into the inner surface to depict the de-mister wires, which was still quite a luxury back then. The windscreen has the rear-view mirror attached, then inserts into the body from the outside and can be joined later by the optional roof panels, painted gloss black to match the upper body. A pair of chromed inserts are installed on the side-skirts, with the indicator repeaters on the fenders painted or decaled, as they are moulded in with a slight raised texture. The front bumpers have the grilles moulded-in, and the spoiler is a separate part that affixes to the lower side of it. At the rear the deep moulded-in number plate surround and the two over-riders are depicted, and into the four deeply recessed lights, clear parts are fitted, after painting the outer lights with concentric rings in transparent red, silver, then clear. The inner clusters are left clear, then the bumper is inserted into its recess and joined by the spoiler above it. The final job is to fit the aforementioned roof panels (if you want), add the wing mirrors with their chromed inserts and you’re done. Markings This is of course a special edition depicting the race day appearance of the type at the 1978 Indy 500, so it has the special decals on the door, along with the pin-striping along the black/silver demarcation, as well as badges that are applied over the moulded-in depictions that give them a degree of depth. Decals are also provided for the badges on the boot/trunk and bonnet/hood, plus silver and red pin-striping around the power-bulge on the bonnet. Two options for number plates are supplied, one set in blue, the other black and both with red writing. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Of course it’s an old kit and you should set your expectations accordingly, but with new decals in the box, and a bit of tender loving care during the construction process, a good replica can be made. Recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

US Army Chevrolet Trucks in WWII Casemate Illustrated ISBN : 9781612008639 Trucks, certainly not the most glamours of Army vehicles, and probably not the first thing that springs to mind if you are asked about vital military equipment. However its not really a case of what trucks do, but what they dont do. Trucks move men, equipment, and supplies. They tow guns, carry wounded back from the battlefield, are converted into mobile workshops, radio stations, recovery vehicles, cable layers, field kitchens and even field chapels! In short Armies could not really do without trucks. This book from Casemate in their Illustrated Special range is just slightly smaller than A4 in size, hard back with 160 pages. The book is illustrated throughout with black and white photos, with some colour plates towards the back of the book. The book looks at the 1 1/2 ton Chevrolet 4x4 truck in its various guises. Types covered in the book include; Cargo trucks, pane; trucks, dump trucks, tractors, bomb service trucks, telephone trucks, chassis cabs, cab over trucks, and lowboys. The 1 ton trailers often pulled are also looked at. The book finishes with a look at trucks on operations, lend lease trucks, and there use after the war. Conclusion This is a quality publication looking at this important truck of WWII and its many uses. There are great photos throughout which will be of interest to the modeller and WWII buff alike. Highly recommended. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi guys, this is the final reveal for this very old re boxed kit. I think it was kitted originally by Lindberg, back in the mist of time, and re booted by Round 2 model company, with a few improvements I guess I should have bare metal foiled the chrome trims, but instead used Molotow chrome, brushed freehand. This was quick, but not the sharpest of lines, but I can live with it. Overall not too bad of a build, I detailed up the engine bay with some chrome parts from my spares box, just to give it a bit of life, not really a show car, I wanted it to look a bit used. I had a can of sign writers white enamel paint on my shelf so I used it to paint the white wall tyres; also scratch built the twin aerials on the back of the car using some nylon bristles from an old sweeping brush. The beach boys wrote a song about this car "My 409". Well I better go and polish that chrome, bye for now.

Happy New Year everyone, I started this kit just after completing the 66 T-Bird build, but shelved it for a while due to getting the Lamborghini build finished by the end of last year. Anyway I have dusted the box off the shelf and hope to crack on with it over the next few weeks, I found a red example on YouTube that I like the look of, so that's what I hope the finished model will look like give or take a few details. More updates soon.

Finished the CMP at last, (delayed by moving house half way through the build). Depicted as part of the 2nd Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles, France 1944. On now to do the figures, then the diorama. Apologies if the photos are a bit naff; combination of a cheap camera phone and half a glass of scotch.

The BM-13 'Katyusha' multiple rocket launcher was first deployed by the Red Army during the German invasion ('Operation Barbarossa') during WW2. Mounted on trucks, these highly mobile rocket batteries made up for their inherent inaccuracy with their capacity to deliver a saturation bombardment of an enemy position, before rapidly relocating to avoid retaliatory strikes. Particularly effective as a psychological weapon, the howling noise made as they were fired en masse earned them a fearsome reputation with the Germans. In June 1938, the first prototype multiple rocket launcher was developed in Chelyabinsk, Russia, firing modified 132mm M-132 rockets broadside from ZiS-5 trucks. These proved unstable, however one of the engineers, a man by the name of Galkovskiy, proposed mounting the launch rails longitudinally, firing forward over the cab. The result was the BM-13 (BM = Boyevaya Mashina, or 'combat vehicle' for M-13 rockets). The design was relatively simple, consisting of racks of parallel rails on which rockets were mounted, with a folding frame to raise the rails to the desired trajectory. Each truck had 14 to 48 launchers. The M-13 rocket of the BM-13 system was 142cm (55.9in) long, 13.2cm (5.2in) in diameter and weighed 42kg (93lb). The first large-scale testing of the rocket launchers took place at the end of 1938, when rounds of various types were used. A salvo of rockets could completely straddle a target at a range of 5,500 metres (3.4 mi); the artillery branch, however, were not particularly impressed with the results. It took the best part of an hour to load and fire 24 rockets, while a conventional howitzer could fire 95 to 150 shells in the same time. Further tests with various rockets were conducted throughout 1940, and the BM-13-16 with launch rails for sixteen rockets was authorized for production. Unfortunately, only forty launchers were built before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Initially, secrecy concerns prevented the military designation of the launchers from being known even by the soldiers who operated them. They were called by various code names, including 'Kostikov guns', 'Guards Mortars', and 'flutes'. The name BM-13 was only allowed into secret documents in 1942, and remained classified until after the end of WW2. Because they were marked with the letter K (for Voronezh Komintern Factory), Red Army troops adopted a nickname from Mikhail Isakovsky's popular wartime song, "Katyusha", about a girl longing for her boyfriend, who is on military service (Katyusha is the Russian equivalent of Katie, an endearing diminutive form of the name Katherine). As an aside, here's the actual song - you might have already heard the tune without necessarily knowing what it was called or what it was about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLvtP6KMUM German troops coined the term Stalinorgel ("Stalin's organ"), after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, due to the launch array resembling a pipe organ. As a result of their success in the first month of the invasion - most notably during the defence of Smolensk in July 1941 - mass production was ordered and the development of other models proceeded. The Katyusha was relatively inexpensive and could be manufactured in light industrial installations which did not have the heavy equipment to build conventional artillery gun barrels. By the end of 1942, more than 3000 Katyusha launchers of all types had been built; by the end of the war total production is believed to have reached in excess of 10000 units. The truck-mounted Katyushas were initially installed on ZiS-6 6×4 trucks, as well as the two-axle ZiS-5 and ZiS-5V. In 1941, a small number of BM-13 launchers were mounted on STZ-5 artillery tractors. A few were also tried on KV tank chassis as the KV-1K, but this was abandoned as a needless waste of heavy armour. From 1942, with the advent of Lend-Lease, they were also mounted on various British, Canadian and U.S. trucks; in this case they were sometimes referred to as BM-13S. The cross-country performance of the Studebaker US6 2½ ton truck was so good that it became the standard mounting in 1943, with the designation BM-13N ('Normalizovanniy', or 'standardized'). More than 1800 of this version were manufactured by the end of WW2. After the end of WW2, BM-13s were based on Soviet-built ZiL-151 trucks. A battery of BM-13-16 launchers comprised four firing vehicles, two reload trucks and two technical support trucks, with each firing vehicle having a crew of six. Firing was initiated by way of an electric primer provided by the truck's own battery system. Reloading was executed in 3–4 minutes, although the standard procedure was to switch to a new position some 10 km away due to the ease with which the battery's location could be identified by the enemy. Where possible the firing vehicles travelled to their new firing location with the lower rack already loaded. Four BM-13 launchers could fire a salvo in 7–10 seconds that delivered 4.35 tons of high explosives over a 400,000-square-metre (4,300,000 sq ft) area, making its power roughly equivalent to that of 72 conventional artillery guns. ************************* I enjoyed this kit more than I initially feared I would, despite the challenges put in my way by the kit makers PST. Certainly the relatively small scale (1:72) contributed to the 'fun', but at least the moulding quality was for the most part pretty good. The instructions could do with a bit more clarity though, and a couple of reasonably detailed figures would have been a welcome inclusion. The WIP thread is here should you wish to peruse it. Anyway, without further ado, here are a small (large!) collection of photos of the finished article, hope you enjoy them - comments and criticisms all welcome, as ever! Thanks to all who followed the build with comments and suggestions, all very much appreciated

A few shots of the current WIP; the 1/35 scale Chevrolet 15CWT by Italeri. The tarpaulin is scratch built as I didn't like the stock part. Still very far from finished; haven't even started weathering the cab area yet, but happy so far.

So working away on the Italeri 1/35 Chevrolet 15CWT truck as part of a diorama. Bit of a pig of a kit to be honest, and it needs all the help I can give it. Decided to complete the cab interior out of sequence as it'd be impossible to paint once assembled. Here are a few pics of the project.