Academy

1/72 M35 2.5 Ton Cargo Truck

Kit Number: 13410

Reviewed by  Chris Mobley, IPMS# 42891

MSRP: $18.95 Review item courtesy of Model Rectifier Corp (MRC) www.modelrec.com The M35 has served all the way back to the end of WW2 and still serves today in places like Iraq. It is used to haul not only supplies but troops as well. Academy has released a 1/72 version to add to their 1/72 ground vehicle line up. Opening the box you will find three sprues in a tan color, a small decal sheet for two markings and 11 step assembly instruction sheet. Initial glances shows that the parts look to have nice detail for this scale and that construction should not be too complicated.

Assembly starts with the chassis, suspension and drive train. The drive train is a bit tricky to install as the drive shafts fit very tight and are even a tad long with a couple of them. There is also a hole in the front of the transmission where nothing will attach as the kit has no motor. This was quickly filled in though. The next step is cab and body assembly. It goes together rather well and exterior details are there but there are none on the inside of the doors. The kit also provides no windshield and there is not one called out on the instructions. The instructions are not real clear on where to place the steps exactly but you will want to put the passenger side one almost touching the fender so the fuel tank will fit. The body goes together good and the only thing you'll really need to touch up are some ejector marks and the front and rear indicators on the bottom of the bed.

After that it is just the remaining bits like tools, wheels cab details. All these went with out any issues. The decals give the option of a green Vietnam era version or a modern day sand color for Iraq. The decals in my kit had some smeared text and the ones for the rear bumper were too large to fit in their areas. Over all this was an enjoyable little build to do over a weekend. My thanks to MRC Academy for the chance to review this kit

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