Italeri

Chevrolet 15CWT

Kit Number: 6223

Review by  Mark Aldrich, IPMS# 39295

MSRP: $34.95 Imported by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) www.modelrectifier.com Italeri continues to re-release their older kits. They list this as a "Limited Edition". In my opinion, this should be labeled as a "Limited Run" or Limited Release" kit. There is nothing out of the ordinary about the kit. The box is typical Italeri fare, with an artist's painting of a 15CWT rolling across a rocky desert. The sides are adorned with Italeri upcoming releases or already released kits.

Inside the box you are treated to three sprues of Olive Drab plastic, one sprue of black plastic tires, one clear sprue for the windows (the only one sealed in plastic), one four page fold out instruction and painting guide, and a small decal sheet. The decal sheet allows you to decal one of three different vehicles. Your options are the US Army, British Army, or the Australian Army. I will end up building mine as a Vehicle belonging to the Israeli Army operating with the Southern Command right after the 1948 war for independence. As stated earlier, they are no frills in this kit. The only option is to use the canvas cover or go topless. The three roofing spars are included if you go for the topless option. The molds still appear to be in excellent shape considering they have been around since the Max/Peerless days. For those of you too young to remember, that would put it in the 70's. The few ejector pin marks are in locations that will not be seen once the kit it complete. However, with a price tag of $34.95, it doesn't compete with today's kits that run the same price. But, if you want one to add to your collection, they are the only name in the market.

This was an OOTB build, put together over three different modeling sessions at a fellow reviewer's house. It was a simple build and this kit does not stand up to today's standards. However, if you gotta have one, this is the only baby on the market. The biggest issues to me were the poor fit of parts and the huge amount of not-to-scale parts. All the shifters and knobs on the floorboard are way over sized. I built it opened up because I have the plan to fill the cargo bed with cargo. I am also planning on building it as an Israeli vehicle used in the early years and will probably add the standard three arrows of the Southern Command. The vehicle was painted with Model Master dark tan. This seemed like a good general use desert color. This vehicle may have been used by the British Army, Jordanian Army, Syrian Army, or the Egyptian Army. After the base paint was dry, the detail painting started. This was very easy. It consisted of the instrument panel and the lights. The instructions don't call out the colors for the fender or tail lights. After checking the few references I had and the internet, I opted for silver on the fender lights and orange for the tail lights. Verlinden transfers were used for the markings, with the exception of the weight class decal coming from the sheet. The vehicle was washed with black and then after cleaning it all up, was sealed with a flat coat. The bed was filled with some home made resin items and that completed the build. All in all this was a simple fun kit to build. I would like to thank MRC and Italeri for providing me with a "Golden Oldie" and IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it. This is one of the few "Weekend Build" kits currently on the market. Have fun, build a model!

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