The one thing that is crucial to the winning of any conflict is the ability to supply the army in the field. A super tank is no good without fuel. Soldiers also need to be fed and supplied with ammunition and so on. When the US entered the war against Germany, it developed several tactical cargo vehicles of varying load carrying capabilities. The 2.5 ton truck in its various versions represents the typical and most widely used vehicle of its type. Thanks to its robust and simple construction, it became the standard truck of the Allies during the latter part of WWII.

This is a reissue of an older mold from the folks at Italeri. Two large sprues of olive drab plastic are in the box with the clear sprue encased in its own bag to help prevent damage. And a good thing it is as well. Italeri has decided not to bag most of its kits and the result is that when one opens the box on just about any Italeri kit, one will find that a number of the parts have departed from the sprues and are loose in the box. In this case, the majority of the wheel halves were rattling about. Fortunately, this kit does have a proper box with a lid so no parts managed to go astray.

Overall, the years have been kind to this mold. Aside from some sink areas on the bed and a few other places, the parts are free from flash. Ejector pin marks are usually evident on parts from kits of this generation and this one does have them on the inside of the doors, tailgate and a number of other locales. Removing them will be difficult in a few instances and the builder may want to just leave them in situ rather than do damage to the surrounding detail in an effort to remove them.

The molding is quite crisp, a trademark of just about any Italeri military kit. It is a curbside so one gets the lower part of the engine, but the running gear is complete and nicely done. The forward winch is an optional part, though one does have to remove the forward mounting braces from the frame members. The kit comes with an upper defensive machine gun, for which a hole has been cut into the roof. Those wishing to not include this option will have to resort to sheet styrene and filler to take care of the opening. A driver figure is included in the set. The troop seats in the back can be displayed up or down.  No cargo is supplied, but there are a lot of aftermarket sets that can provide what is needed.

Instructions are very nicely done with clearly drawn construction sequences. Painting information is provided throughout and is based on Testors Model Master enamel and acrylic paints. FS 595 colors are provided as needed. There are markings for two vehicles, both in overall olive drab. One is from the 34th Infantry Division during 1944 and the other is a French truck of the 101st Regiment during 1976 (this date may be a typo). The small decal sheet is well printed and includes an instrument panel.

It is nice to see this favorite reissued once again. It makes into a very nice model and is just the sort of kit that appeals to a wide range of modelers. Though it appears to be a bit complex, it is not and as such would be perfect for those who are ready to move up to kits that offer a bit more in the way of detail.

August 2005

Instruction sheet