Kit, ICM 35511, Studebaker US-6

ICM


Product Specifications.

35511, Studebaker US-6. 1/35th-scale styrene kit containing 213 styrene parts (including six clear), six decal/markings schemes and 12 pages of instructions 29 steps.


Introduction.

The Studebaker US-6 was the “other” major US-produced 2.5-ton tactical truck used during the Second World War. It was exported in large numbers, notably to Stalin’s Soviet Union during the war and was rarely used by the United States’ armed forces. This particular kit features the cargo body, but the US-6 was also used to mount rocket launch rails; in this guise it became the famed “Katyuska”. Those with a hankering for that version can obtain an Italeri kit and by cross-kitting and scratch-building, a truck with some punch can be created.


Weather built stock or not, those with an interest in modeling lend-lease vehicles used by the Red Army have had this truck at the top of their wish-lists for quite some time. I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised at what ICM has come up with.


Wheels.

Starting a review of a decent kit with its most glaring problem area may not be a good idea, but that’s how I have formatted these reviews; I guess we’ll all survive the shock.


The wheel rims and tires are molded in two parts each, with the inner section consisting of the brake drum and part of the tire sidewall. The outer half contains all of the tread detail, the outer sidewall (complete with manufacturer’s logo and tire data) and the hubs. All of this is crisply-rendered, but the problem is that the tread detail is completely bogus. It is an attempt to depict the typical non-directional lug pattern of the run-flat tire, but instead of being staggered from side-to-side, the lugs line up with each other. This renders the parts virtually useless to modelers who want the least bit of accuracy, never mind those to whom accuracy is foremost. It is especially frustrating when one notes that the cleanly-drawn instructions depict the proper configuration.


I suppose some after-market manufacturer will eventually come to the rescue. In the mean time, the tires from Tamiya’s CCKW will fit with very little modification. And, I seem to recall that the “original” Tank Workshop had a set of wheels with snow chains designed for the Tamiya kit back in the olden days. Perhaps the new TTW will consider re-issuing them with mods to fit the ICM kit?


Suspension System and Drive Train.

This entire area consists of two main groups: the frame and the suspension system/drive train. Each is made up of multiple parts, all of which have some very fine detail.


The frame is composed of two main longitudinal members, connected by cross-members of varying configurations; most of the latter are composed of multiple parts for maximum detail definition. I worked carefully through these as “sub” sub-assemblies ensuring that all surfaces were “trued” using various sanding and filing media. Some superglue, used in conjunction with my Testors liquid cement did not go amiss here either. Some parts needed to be “modified” to fit, but in the end, everything worked out well. Regardless of the care taken, the styrene used in this kits production is rather soft, so a certain degree of “non-parallelism” was the result of my efforts.


A separate front bumper with mounts and separate tow hooks is then attached to the front of the frame. The edges of the bumper are commendably thin and the opening for the inertia starter crank is nicely-rendered. The rear bumperettes are also separate parts as is the tow hook. The instructions note that the bumperettes should be left off when towing a load. If this is done, there are details on the frame that indicate where they were attached; this is a nice touch.


The engine, transmission and radiator are composed, in total, of almost 20 parts. This entire assembly mounts to the frame and later in the construction process a two-part battery is installed on the compartment walls. Throw in some wiring and plumbing, and a very nicely-detailed engine and compartment will be the result. Finally, the engine manifold connects to the muffler and exhaust pipe; the latter needs its end drilled out for the proper appearance.


Other items added to the frame are a multi-part fuel tank and a spare tire with mounting bracket. The three-part running boards are then added.

The drive train is based on axle cores and drive shafts that are all molded together as one unit, much as Tamiya had done with their GMC kit. This simplifies construction and aids in alignment, although as related above, the styrene is rather soft and flexible. To this unit are added spring bundles, sway braces, steering linkages, bump-stops, tie rods and various other parts.


Cab and Cargo Bed.

The cargo bed represents the all-steel type, with two wide slats per lower side and front, as opposed to several narrow slates as seen on wood bodies. The upper sides are wood slats with extremely restrained grain texture. The parts are very nicely detailed and crisply-molded. There are no visible ejector pin marks on any surfaces except the cross members underneath the deck and a few spots on the wood-slat bench seats. These are located in easy-to-reach spots that do not compromise any surrounding detail and were cleaned off in a couple of minutes. The tail-gate is hinged and will remain movable after construction (I put the body together first and “flexed” the gate part; it popped right into place); the panel below it has the remaining hinge detail. The panel itself also contains reflectors, back-up lamp and tail-lamps; the latter do not have the proper “cats-eye” configuration and will need to be corrected.


Within the cargo bed, wood slat bench seats with separate support arms are provided; these can be mounted up or down. Support frames for the canvas roof are provided as separate parts. Left as is, they are to be mounted one-atop-the-other and stored on the upper forward rim of the cargo bed wall. If wishing to mount them in their “in-use” spots, the modeler must trim their ends; this is noted in the instructions. Beneath all of this are multi-part mud-flap/strut arrangements.


The cab represents the fully-enclosed pressed steel type and the kit parts capture the characteristic contours of this area of the US-6 quite well. The roof section is packed loose in the box (more on packaging, below) and has some fine seams that suggest it comes from a slide-mold; it attaches to a separate rear wall section; filler may be needed here after the joint is sanded down. The cab floor, as well as the engine compartment bulkhead, is made up of two more separate parts. Care in clean-up and alignment are the order of the day here (it’s all “butt joints”) and it should be noted that where the cab rear wall meets the floor section, some trimming of the latter was needed to ensure proper fit; out-of-the-box, it just won’t work.


Separate wind-shield wipers are fitted to the exterior, while a pair of struts can be used to prop the clear wind-shield (which itself is nicely done and is complete with frame details) in the open position. Just in front of that, a separate air intake vent flap is provided; it too can be positioned opened or closed. Separate cab doors with some very fine details are then fitted. These are devoid of ejector pin marks on both surfaces and are dressed up by separate door handles, window hand-cranks and grab handles. Commendably clear and un-distorted styrene parts make up the side windows. The two side-view mirrors are connected to extremely fine stalks; one of mine broke in transit, so I’ll replace both with thin brass rod.


The cab interior features a three-part steering wheel and column, as well as separate driver’s hand and foot controls, all of which are extremely delicately-rendered. The instrument panel features decals for the dial faces, which I prefer to painting; there are also decals for the data placards seen on the dash-board. Properly applied and given a gloss coat the instruments will look the part quite nicely. The bench seat comes in two parts that mount onto a separate base section. The seat cushions are smooth and devoid of any texture or wrinkle detail.


The fenders are fitted to separate engine compartment side panels. The former mounts head-lamps (with clear lenses), marker lamps and black-out lamp. Separate support struts detail their front ends and a separate grill is then fitted. It has the manufacturer’s name plate molded in place but the word “Studebaker” is not present. My grill was also damaged in transit, but not irretrievably so. When all this is assembled, the engine compartment hood can then be put in place. Leaving it loose will allow the engine to be viewed; it has no braces or struts for use in attaching it in an opened position.


Molding, Fit and Engineering.

This kit is technically a rather pleasant surprise in several areas. Molded-on detail is fine and crisp, while ejector pins are notably absent in critical places; the ones that are present are under-stated and easily dealt with. It is a good idea to carefully clean, “true” and test fit all parts prior to using the glue. With normal precautions, there should be no major problems; I have noted some minor areas that need attention above. The styrene that’s used is a bit soft and decidedly non-rigid. This aids in clean-up but is a detriment to proper alignment, especially in the area of the chassis frame.


Accuracy and Details.

The major accuracy issue of the wheels and tires has been mentioned above. Check Terry Ashley’s recent review at PMMS for another issue connected with these parts. A minor issue is the shape of the tail-lamps, as mentioned above. I have no scale plans with which to compare the parts. Overall, appearance-wise, the kit seems to be correctly-proportioned and has the proper details in the proper places.


Instructions.

These are clearly drawn and logically broken-down. There are a fair number of parts, so care must be taken to ensure they are all accounted for, prior to going on to the next step. As Terry noted at PMMS, the parts are not numbered on the sprues; this causes time to be wasted trying to identify them. His idea regarding labeling them with a fine marker certainly will help move things along!


I usually don’t discuss packaging in my reviews, but in this case I think it is relevant. All parts sprues are in a single plastic bag, which means they can easily “intertwine”; this caused some damage and breakage as mentioned above. There is certainly room for improvement in this regard.


Decals and Markings Information.

Decals are provided for six vehicles. The designs are crisp and since they are almost all in one color (yellow, white or “blue drab”), registration is not an issue. The carrier film is thin and matte. Markings for the following trucks are given:

• Red Army 3rd Byelorussian Front, Lublin, Poland 1944.
• Red Army 2nd Ukrainian Front, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1945.
• Red Army 2nd Ukrainian Front, Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1945.
• Polish 1st Army, Germany 1945.
• Czechoslovak 1st Army Corps, Czechoslovakia, 1945.
• US Army Air Forces, 8th Air Force, Great Britain, 1944.

Photos of wartime Studebakers do not proliferate in available references, so it is difficult to check the markings for accuracy. Most photographs that I have come across show the US-6 as a Katyusha launcher, so markings for them are not necessarily relevant to those provided in this kit. Finally, the “blue drab” serial numbers as seen on US vehicles are the wrong color; they are grey.


Conclusion.

This kit, although it has a major accuracy issue is nonetheless a fine offering in nearly every other respect. Those who want a US-6 in their display case should be prepared to replace the wheels and do a tiny bit of extra detailing; other than that, this kit is “good to go”.


Recommended with reservations.


Frank V. “Curly Stooge” De Sisto


There are two fine “walk-around” type books in print describing the US-6, one from Wings & Wheels, the other from Rossagraph; neither resides in my library at present. It should be noted that a Google search will come up with quite a listing for the US-6 (I have listed just a few below), so those without printed references will still be well-served. References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:

1. “Stalin Organs”, Schiffer, by M. Foedrowitz.
2. www.the-blueprints.com.
3. www.cckw.org.
4. www.olivedrab.com.


ICM kits are available from DragonUSA. For more information, visit their web-site at: www.DragonUSAonline.com.


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