MiniArt US 1.5t 4x4 G506 Flatbed Truck (38056) 1:35

[Mike]

US 1.5t 4x4 G506 Flatbed Truck (38056)

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 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, and they served long after the end of WWII.

 

 

The Kit

This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, and is one of a range that is lurking about in your favourite model shop.  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-one modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope, a wee 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 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 later on, 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 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 the engine cowling side panels fit between them with front wing/fender included.  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 later, 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 closure clasps are fixed to the sides of the bay too.

 

The load bed floor is a single moulding with a ribbed texture on the underside, a slim rear section with moulded-in reflectors, separate rear lights on PE brackets mounted to the chassis.  The shallow sides and taller front are separate frames, and the underside is strengthened by four cross-braces.  The load bed is joined to the chassis along with the spare tyre on the left side of the flatbed, then the fuel filler and exhaust are added on PE brackets.  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 hub, with a pair of rear mudflaps behind the back wheels.

 

 

 

 

 

The kit comes with a stack of ten barrels to be made up of four styles, all 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 tap on one end, with some of them having four-part stands so they can be laid down on the load bed.  In addition, a civilian driver/loader figure is included on his own sprue, wearing overalls and a baseball cap with turned up brim on his head and work boots – on his feet, of course.  He is made up from individual legs, torso, head and arms, plus the cap, which is separate so you can replace it with something else if you feel the urge.  A top-hat or pineapple maybe?

 

 

 

Markings

There are five colourful markings options on the decal sheet from various eras of the types operation.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Indiana USA, 1940s
• Texas USA, 1945
• Florida USA, 1940s
• New York USA, 1950
• Philippines, 1946

 

 

 

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 G506/G7107 truck in 1:35 recently, which was ubiquitous during WWII at home, lugging goods of all types around the USA and beyond.

 

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[bootneck]

That's a lovely looking kit Mike, and it is nice to see something in that scale that isn't drab green.   Question:  would this type of vehicle have been found in commercial use in Britain postwar?  I may have an inkiling of an idea.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Mike]

32 minutes ago, bootneck said:

Question:  would this type of vehicle have been found in commercial use in Britain postwar? 

I have absolutely pas de clue Mike, sorry

[bootneck]

Thanks Mike; however, I am sure some kind knowledgeable type will come along and answer this, as they're bound to want to ready your review! 

 

Mike

[JeroenS]

Ooh this one's nice!