Overview
This is Dragon’s release of the iconic WW2 Jeep with a .50 cal MG and Armor Plating. Since already has been so much written about the Jeep in WW2 and almost everyone knows about it I won’t dwell on the history of this vehicle. It is my understanding the armor plating applied to Jeep’s was a field modification and to my knowledge there were no factory applied armor plates. At least I couldn’t find any information that would suggest that. Having said that, let’s take a look at the kit.
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The Kit
This kit comes in four light gray sprues, 1 clear sprue and the body. There are also two PE Frets and one single PE piece. This totals to 126 plastic parts plus the PE. Decals are provided for one vehicle, U.S. Army Western Front 1945. There are also individual decals for the gauges on the instrument panel as well as individual digits for the registration number.
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The parts are nicely molded with crisp detail as we come to expect from Dragon. There are no visible mold parting lines. The ejector marks are either hidden from sight after assembly or are on the sprue. There was also no sign of flash.
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The instructions are divided into 11 steps with the first three steps covering the chassis. Step 4 includes the assembly of the engine, radiator and adding of the battery, hood, dash board and the rear plate. Step 6 covers the Jerry Can, Jerry Can bracket and spare tire. Steps 7 and 8 include the head lights, seats, pioneer tools, steering wheels, pedals and gear shifters. The .50 cal is added in step 9. There is an additional small instruction sheet for the .50 cal which includes the addition of some PE to the gun. In step 10 the engine and the body are added to the chassis. The armor plate, which is a large piece of PE, is added in step 11.
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The paint is called out as overall Olive Drab.
Conclusion
This is a very nice little kit. If just build out of the box looking like it just came out of a museum, or banged up and dirty in a diorama, I am sure this kit will make a nice addition to any collection. The inclusion of a full engine gives plenty of opportunity for extra detailing.
I would like to thank Dragon USA for this review kit.