The M35 2½-ton cargo truck is a long-lived 2½-ton 6x6 cargo truck initially used by the United States Army and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. Over time it evolved into a family of specialized vehicles. It would not only inherit the World War II GMC CCKW's famous "Deuce and a Half" nickname but forge its own legacy.

The M35 started as a 1949 REO Motor Car Company design for a 2½ ton 6x6 off-road truck. This original 6-wheel M34 version was quickly superseded by the 10-wheel M35 design. While the basic M35 cargo truck is rated to carry 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) off-road or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) on roads, they have been known to haul twice as much as rated. Trucks in this weight class are considered medium duty by the military and Department of Transportation. This truck was the basis of many 'gun trucks' in Vietnam, was used in the Iraq war and is still in use by the US Army and the armies of several nations around the world. It was license built in Canada by Bombardier.

The kit is molded in an olive drab plastic and if one can believe the part number, is one of AFV Club's earlier releases. Indeed, it was last released in 2010. Still, the molding is actually very good and I did not see any flash or sink areas on an inspection of the bagged sprues. I did find ejector pin marks on the inside of fenders, the floor pieces and the inside of the canvas top piece, but I doubt if may companies can make those areas glitch free.

The kit includes a small photo etch fret that is for the grille and the exhaust shield. This latter bit will need to be rolled. I found it interesting that the wheels are on a radial sprue, something one doesn't often see. There are also twelve rubber tires.

In terms of options, there are a few. One is to have a winch installed on the front. This will require a bit of parts modification to get everything to fit. Another is the addition of the .50 calibre machine gun and mount to be operated by the co-driver. Despite the inclusion of this item, there is no open top option, at least no rolled up canvas top which would have been the norm if the gun were manned. I am wondering if thee is a resin aftermarket option for this. One can also have the canvas cargo cover installed, this being a single piece. For the bed area, there are seats along the side which can be modeled raised or lowered.

Instructions are nicely done and offer some detail painting options. There is no sprue layout diagram so I did not show the parts on this one. I have to assume that the underside is in olive drab as well as the interior. For markings options there is an overall OD Republic of China vehicle, a sand version from Desert Storm and one in the three color scheme of green, brown, and black. The decal sheet is printed on a light cream backing so not much in the way of white markings show. The rest should work fairly well. These vehicles were not heavily marked. While all the markings options show the cargo top up, the machine gun installed and the winch, I'm sure that the kit can be built with any of the options added or omitted as one desires. For those wanting different markings, Archer transfers offers several sheets for this kit.