Tamiya 1/48 US 2.5 ton 6x6 Airfield Fuel Truck

fdsafdsaThе GMC CCKW is a 2.5 ton 6X6 U.S. Army cargo truck that saw service in World War II and the Korean War, often referred to as a "Deuce and a Half" or "Jimmy". The CCKW came in many variants, based on the open or closed cab, and Long Wheel Base (LWB 353) or Short Wheel Base (SWB 352).

Built to 812,262 copies, CCKWs were employed in large numbers for the Red Ball Express, an enormous convoy system created by Allied forces to supply their forces moving through Europe following the breakout from the D-Day beaches in Normandy, from August 25 to November 16, 1944, when the port facilities at Antwerp were opened. At its peak the Red Ball operated 5,958 vehicles, and carried about 12,500 tons of supplies a day.

The basic chassis was used for a number of other vehicle types, including a dump truck, fuel truck, bomb truck, fire engine, surgical van, flatbed and a number of other uses. These trucks were widely used post war and well into the 1950s and even later by Allied nations.

If memory serves, Tamiya previously did a standard truck version of this kit and so is able to use some previous sprues along with new ones to produce this version. with the simple addition of new sprues and leaving out others, a fuel truck was developed.

Now the process is not a simple as you might think. For instance, the cargo truck was a canvas topped version while this one has a steel cab. Also though the chassis is the same, everything that fits atop it in the rear is new, and those two features alone are enough for two new and nicely done sprues. \

To backtrack a bit, the kit comes with a single piece chassis frame that has a lower engine piece molded into it. The six wheel drive drive-train attached to hefty leaf springs and then to the chassis. The rear tires and wheels are the proper design and fit snugly together. Front wheels have inserts for the inner part of the wheel. Clear bits fit into the doors, which can be posed open.

The interior is nicely done with a bench seat, steering column and shifter. The upper cab piece holds the instrument panel and windscreen. There is an extension piece for the back to complete the cab assembly. Tamiya includes a long length of tubing and wire for the fuel lines. One cuts the lines to length, inserts the wire and then wraps this around the two hose reels. Now if one doesn't want to do all that, then the option is there to have the reel access doors closed, but it would be a shame to hide all that. There are a pair of figures included. One is in fatigues holding the fuel nozzle. The other is complete with helmet and leaning on one of the reel access doors. Not sure if this figure would be dressed like this back at a base in England or not, but it is provided.

Markings are included for two similar overall olive drab trucks. It is pretty obvious that these are meant for the European theater and probably for an English base. I would think that if operating in the Pacific or on the Continent that they would not have the 'US Army Air Forces' logo on them, but I could be mistaken so check references. 

I know that a lot of folks will undoubtedly use this for a diorama, and I'm sure that is what Tamiya intended when producing this. However, 1/48 military subjects have really taken off in the last several years. This is #79 in Tamiya's catalogue and other companies have also produced vehicle kits in this scale as well. This is not a simple kit as it has a lot of small parts, but one thing for sure is that it will build into a very nice model with a bit of patience and care in building.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_CCKW

April 2014

Thanks to me for the preview kit.