Monogram Duece & Half ton truck 1/35 **Complete sort of**

[Chris]

My Project for this GB is an old reissue of the Mongram 2 1/2 ton truck, I also plan to add some Vietnam era infantry that is on order and make it into a small dio.


This kit is a golden oldie more then 50 years old but still has decent detail for its age. The reissue shows some flash and lots of ejector pin marks but is pretty crisp for its age






Unfortunetly Monogram retained the vinyl tires and acetate clear piece, which you have to cut out using a template in the instructions


A nice instruction sheet is included, which calls the truck 'eiger beaver', a designator the Army dropped almost right after the truch was introduced in 1951. Its still used to this day BTW.

[Chris]

First step is to build the undersides, not a lot of detail but it looks ok


The cab is next, the kit allows the doors to open


The rear is next, and both are glued to the frame


The kit is quickly finished, I added the tires because I plan to paint over them anyway.

[ShaunW]

Jeez Louise! that was fast building! Welcome aboard with this one Chris, what a great looking old kit - the tarp in particular looks better than some much more modern offerings that I've seen.

[Chris]

The kit is old as the hills but it only takes about an hour to build.

I'll start painting tomorrow.

This is the figure set on order:

[ShaunW]

Nice one, I recognise the box art for the figures - are they Dragon perchance?

[Chris]

Masterbox, they are brand new, just released series featuring Vietnam era US armed forces, and the set includes the vietnam lady.

[ShaunW]

Excellent, the postures look perfect for a small dio and represent a typical scene played out many times during the conflict I would imagine.

[Chris]

I also plan on filling the back of the truck with stuff from the spares, boxes and weapons and such.

[ShaunW]

Excellent, I look forward to seeing this. TBH I didn't expect anyone to build a dio, so top marks for that

[Chris]

Odd history of why, the first go round with this kit was some 40 years ago, and a dio attempt was made then, using plaster and mongram figures!(cringe, you can see them in the pics)

The dio idea sprang from my desire to show infantry with the truck, Vietnam was basically a war of small unit tactics, infantry was the king of the hill in that war, so a GB should have some grunts in there somewhere!

[Dazzled]

Nice kit for the age certainly and didn't it go together fast. I'm not much of one for building then painting military (or any other) vehicles. How do you get into the cab to add detail, weathering etc.?

[Chris]

The doors open, and there isn't tons of detail in there!

[Saxon]

Wow, I love the classic box art and the figures. Are you planning on keeping the box?

Can't wait to see this one built up.

[Chris]

I preshaded a few spots with a black marker (i know, there are those that say the marker bleeds over time, horsehockey. I have been doing this for years and that can only happen if you use enamels never with acrylics) and sprayed the truck field drab, which is a toned down olive drab color which standard OD fades too over time.






Next the wheels are pianted black, seats brown, red lights added and silver headlights and mirrors done





Do some decaling tomorrow.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Good work.

I didn't really pay attention to this until I noticed the wheels and realized it was an M-34, not an M-35 - interesting. I was able to barely read the instruction page you provided to confirm it. Does your kit have a copyright or manufacturing date on it ? The hey-day of this model was really the 50s. Ought to dig up some RVN decals and figures, that would really be unique.