Hasegawa

1/48 Follow Me Jeep Willys MB

Kit Number: X48-11:1500

Reviewed by  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

MSRP: $20.95 This product in 1/48 scale consists of 6 sprues, holding 65 parts. The vehicle body and a piece of wire for the antenna are packaged separately in a small plastic bag. The box is very sturdy and colorful, with photographs of the completed kit. Decals are included for 3 "versions". The most colorful version, featured on the box top, is a jeep used on an unnamed airfield in Iowa during WWII, featuring a body painted in red and white checkerboard. The two other versions represent vehicles used by the 323 Sqd, 91st BG, England, 1943, and a Radio Jeep for the Korean war, 1950.

The kit instructions are printed on a quad-fold sheet, with a clearly illustrated construction sequence. The instructions leave little doubt as to where parts are attached and how they fit together. As is the usual case, there is a painting guide on the instruction sheet as well. Featured prominently on the box and on the instructions is an official "Jeep" seal indicating the product is licensed by "Jeep", actually Daimler Chrysler. Included are 3 figures, one in a "seated" position and two standing. The figures require assembly and allow for some articulation of the head and arms, providing for the possibility of a more animated appearance. As evidenced by the photographs on the box, there is a sufficient amount of detail in the engine compartment and in the passenger area for a very nice model to be built out of the box. It would not be difficult for the average modeler to add some wiring to the motor and some instrumentation to the radio face. I got AMS fever while working on the driver's instrument panel, drilled out the gauges and placed the gauge face decal on the back of the panel. Easy, even for a modeler of average ability. When you attach the dashboard to the body you will note the exceptional fit. The piece literally snaps into place. With few exceptions most of the model fit together in this same fashion.

The kit decals are of high quality and are easily applied. There are some very small "stenciling" decals that are applied so care must be taken to align them. The overall fit of the parts are excellent. Only two parts required any work to hide seams, those being the jerry can and the radio cabinet. If you install the radio cabinet you need not hide the seam along the top since it is not visible when the "fabric" cover is attached. The seams along the sides of the radio cabinet, however, should be filled. The seats, dashboard, steering wheel and gear shift levers provide enough detail to give the kit that special "jeep" personality. The criticisms I have for this kit are that there are some ejector pin marks in unfortunate locations, as well as a "licensed" seal molded into a few parts. Each seat had a ejector pin mark on the back, but these would be almost impossible to see under normal viewing conditions. There are also marks on the underside of the engine hood and on the underside of the fabric canopy. A "licensed" seal is also visible on the underside of the canopy. Another "licensed" seal appears on the underside of the vehicle body. It is visible when the kit is completed and must be removed if the builder wishes to display the underside. Ten minutes of sanding takes care of these small problems but it is frustrating that the "licensed" seals are molded on kit parts. Hasegawa included a small rectangular piece on one of the sprues that displays the Hasegawa logo. I wonder if the "licensed" seal could have been molded on a similar piece which wasn't used on the model. I highly recommend this kit for modelers of all skill levels. This kit is just about as trouble free as a model can get and results in a model that is eye-catching.

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