Academy 1/72 U.S. 2 1/2 Ton 6x6 Cargo Truck & Accessories By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

The GMC 6x6 was a workhorse of the US Army during the Second World War, and after. This vehicle was a common sight on airfields and on the roads of Europe, carrying troops and materiel wherever it was needed. From a modeling perspective, one of the best books on this vehicle would be the WWP book on the GMC CCKW 353 & 352.

The Kit

Upon opening the box, the modeler is greeted by several trees of dark green plastic, all with nicely molded pieces with crisp detailing throughout. This is more than just the truck model, and this kit includes quite a few interesting accessories. More on those later. Rounding out the kit is a small decal sheet and a small sprue of clear parts.

Construction of this truck will benefit from following the instructions, as there is quite a bit to this model. The starting point is the engine, which is made up from three pieces. This fits onto the one-piece frame, and to this main assembly fits the front bumper/winch assembly and exhaust pipe. The latter could benefit from being drilled out, which will not be difficult to do. The one piece axle and transmission piece fits onto the frame as well, and while having this as one piece makes assembly simple, the various mold lines that are present will take some time to clean up.

Moving to the cab, there is a fairly detailed interior provided. The main floor piece has separate shifters and steering wheel, with the bench seat making up the rest of the interior. The cab itself is split into several pieces, with the one-piece top section featuring an engraved circle on the inside of the roof, for one of the variants offered. The cab sides are separate, most likely to ensure crisp detailing throughout. This means some careful test fitting, though, to ensure a flawless fit. A separate grill and side mirror round out the main cab assembly.

Next up is the bed assembly, and this is probably the most straightforward construction in this kit. The bed has separate flaps and rear bumper. On the top half, the benches are part of the bed sides, and there are separate front and rear pieces as well. A tool box for the front of the bed is also provided, with the tools molded in place. The final details include the optional cab machine gun (if you cut that hole in the roof) and stuff to toss in the bed: mounted and unmounted machine guns, gas cans, boxes, and barrels.

The decals provide markings for two trucks, both finished in overall olive drab. One has the white star surrounded by a white circle, while the other has just a white star. Both vehicles are plainly marked, with just white stenciling and the national insignia (although one of them does carry a "Convoy Leader" tag on the front). The decals, being mainly white, have no alignment issues, and should be no problem in application.

Conclusion

This is an excellent move forward in Academy's 1/72 vehicle line, and I hope that they continue the line with more support vehicles. My thanks to MRC for the review sample.