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In-Box Review
135
WWI Model-T Ford Armored Truck

by: Brian Hill [ JONNYSOCKO ]

background

A little Model T history:
One of the most widely used vehicles of WWI was the Ford Model T chassis with many different bodies and roles: 19,000 used by the British alone. They were built both in the US and the UK. The earliest Fords in service were ambulances only, as Henry Ford refused to let his cars be used in combat roles. It’s Most famous adventures were in the Western Desert, Palestine, and Mesopotamia (read 'Iraq') as unarmored recon vehicles and machine-gun cars (see recent RPM kits). Lawrence of Arabia liked them better than Rolls Royce armored cars because they were lighter and less liable to get stuck in the sand.
Reference: "Military Transport of World War I", C. Ellis & D. Bishop



Introduction:

My curiosity for WWI subjects drew me too this neat little truck and also helped me discover a source for hard to find WWI AFVs. I bought this from a seller on Ebay, and received the kit in a very timely manner and well packed. This kit is made by a small company called MAJOR MODELS (located in Russia.) They make several neat armored vehicles, accessories, figures and tank conversions. I’ve provided a link to the Major Model sales page for those interested in these type of models.



Kit contents

In the listing and on the website it is stated that these kits are resin and white metal. At first inspection I noticed that it is not really a resin but more of a Bondo type material and this is related to the main truck body and cab. The greyer pieces making up the bed and other thin sheet metal parts of the truck seem to be a little different type material but quite similar. Maybe it's a stronger more flexible type substance that gives better strength? Never the less the detail is very good and the white metal pieces are cast nicely as well.



Accuracy

There’s only a couple of real pictures that I’ve have seen of this truck, but it does look fairly close to those in the old black and white photos I viewed online. The springs and drive train all resemble those on my father in-laws model T fairly well, so that’s good enough for me.

The instructions are simple and straightforward, it’s a simple kit and no trouble should be had to figure it out. After filing and sanding, the pieces fit well. It’s a very delicate model and great care should be taken so no pieces get broken when assembling it. There were a few small imperfections i.e. air bubble holes but only a couple real small easy to fill ones.



Painting

There are no color references other than the color of the one on the website- Russian Green? From some of the things I've read, it sounds as though Russia may have used these trucks in their Civil war and possibly in WWI. As for other countries, I would go with the usual colors of their other vehicles etc... I would be reluctant to expose any of these Bondo type castings to any strong solvents or paint and would recommend acrylic type paints for finishing; I'm not sure how this substance might react to such harsh chemicals?



Conclusion:

This is a fine little truck and represents a breath of fresh air to us WWI enthusiasts who have little to choose from in regards to armor from the Great War. I'm almost sure you could include this little truck under any countries flag, fighting in WWI and be fairly safe. Any more inforamtion on this little truck would be welcome.



SUMMARY
Here’s a nice surprise from a small company out of Russia that defiantly deserves some consideration if you’re a WWI enthusiast like me.
  UNIQUENESS:90%
  QUALITY:90%
  ACCURACY:90%
Percentage Rating
90%
  Scale: 1:35
  Suggested Retail: $30USD
  PUBLISHED: Apr 05, 2006
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 90.00%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.00%

About Brian Hill (jonnysocko)
FROM: MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES

This is one of the cooler places I've found on the web. Theres some real talent on this forum / site. I've been building models since i was about eight? I'm fourty now. I'll go long stretches without building any models but since I've been looking online at places like Armorama, well you guys have ...

Copyright ©2021 text by Brian Hill [ JONNYSOCKO ]. All rights reserved.


   
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