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1/35 ICM Cargo Truck & MiniArt Army Truck
by John Ratzenberger


A Pair of (mini)-Deuces

Back in 2017 I reviewed, for AMPS (https://www.amps-armor.org/SiteReviews/ShowReview.aspx?id=4069 ), a Tankograd "TM" on the Chevrolet 1-1/2 ton 4x4 truck G506 series. At the end I lamented that there wasn't much out there to model other than the bomb service truck in the in the Airfix Bomber Resupply Set, although IIRC Andy hacked something into a very respectable version of it.

Here is we are in 2022 and both ICM and MiniArt have come out with 1/35 scale kits - my cup runneth over. The only real difference is the ICM kit is w/o winch and the MiniArt kit comes w/winch. I have not done a detail look, but both seem to have the same amount of detail - cabs, engines, chassis, etc. - and both appear well molded. My first impression is
that the MiniArt is a cut above the ICM kit, but I won't really know until I start one or both. The ICM kit has 4 markings - all Russian lend-lease; the MiniArt kit has 7 markings options - US, USN, a couple Lendlease plus 2 figures airing up the left front tire.

The 1-1/2T is a rather neat vehicle, a mini-deuce if you will, with pleasing lines. There isn't as much variety compared to a 2-1/2T, but a welcome break from all the usual suspects. I think one could do some post-war civilian conversions. What would be really neat now is for one of them to come out with the panel truck, but what I'd really like to do is find a 1/35
(1/32) scale turret so I could hack one of these into a USAAF turret trainer vehicle.

David Doyle Books does have a larger book on the G506 series due to come out sometime; I have it on pre-order although I really should just focus on OOB. I'll start one or both sometime
this year. 

John Ratzenberger
Picture
(above) Overshadowed by it’s larger sibling, (the Deuce and a half) the 1-1/2T
still performed yeoman service in every theater for virtually every Allied force
during and post WW-II. These kits can also be adapted for many surplus and
civilian uses as well.
Picture
(above) Production of these trucks ran into the hundreds of thousands in
many variants. In-box reviews of both kits are favorable and this kit can
be the basis of many, many variations.