Tamiya 1/48 US 2.5 ton 6x6 truck. The Red Ball Express.

[StuartH]

Hi,

 

This is my recently completed Tamiya 1/48 US 2.5 ton Cargo truck.

 

The majority of these trucks were produced by GMC and were affectionally known as 'Jimmy' by the troops. They were the workhorse of the Red Ball Express and were declared by General Eisenhower to be one of the 5 most important vehicles of WW2. They were also used in the Korean War to great effect.

 

The Red Ball Express was the first of the dedicated supply routes designed to support the Allied thrust across Northern France following D-Day. It was a massive 1 way loop which operated 24/7 from St Lo towards Paris between August and November 1944. The roads were closed to civilian traffic and at its peak each loop was a 600 mile journey. All cargo that Patton's Third and Hodge's First Armies required had to be moved by truck as the French Railways were severely damaged due to Allied bombing and sabotage by the French resistance during Nazi occupation. In addition fuel could not be supplied by pipeline across Northern France as the pipeline simply could not be laid fast enough to match the rapid advancement of US troops. The term 'Red Ball' comes the US railway slang term meaning 'fast freight'. At its peak approximately 6,000 trucks were in use moving 12,500 tons of cargo per day. Interestingly 75% of the personnel involved in the operation were African-American troops.

 

Paints: Lifecolor acrylics

Etch: Aber

Stowage: Valuegear

Weathering: Ammo Mig pigments/mud

 

Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Roman Schilhart]

What an iconic truck. 

Great modelling and presentation!

 

[sandsmodels]

great work

[FrancisGL]

Hi Stuart,

Nice truck and vignette, like me a lot,

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

 

[StuartH]

On 4/3/2022 at 4:24 PM, Roman Schilhart said:

What an iconic truck. 

Great modelling and presentation!

 

Thank you! Much appreciated. 

Yes, they're a great looking truck...I hope to do a few more variants. It would be good to see you work your 1/72 magic on one!

On 4/3/2022 at 6:38 PM, sandsmodels said:

great work

Thank you. Your comments are much appreciated 👍

[StuartH]

7 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

Hi Stuart,

Nice truck and vignette, like me a lot,

Cheers and TC

Francis.👍

 

Thank you Francis for your kind comments 👍

[Roman Schilhart]

9 minutes ago, StuartH said:

It would be good to see you work your 1/72 magic on one!

 

 

I did the Airfix/Heller kit not so long ago:

[Trevor L]

Top job. I love the truck, the cargo and the diorama.

I like those 'shady' photos too. 

[StuartH]

1 hour ago, Roman Schilhart said:

 

I did the Airfix/Heller kit not so long ago:

 

I think I missed that one! Great job on the truck & stowage and it looked superb with the trailer.

Love that vehicle 🍻

 

51 minutes ago, Trevor L said:

Top job. I love the truck, the cargo and the diorama.

I like those 'shady' photos too. 

Thank you and much appreciated for the comments. Yes, I like a few of the darker photos to give a bit of a sense of atmosphere.

Thanks again 👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

Very good build. i appreciate the realistic load and lashing.