Italeri 1/35 15 CWT Truck with Breda

HISTORY

  Early in 1937,  the Ford Motor Company of Canada and General Motors of Canada Ltd were each invited by the Canadian Department of National Defence to produce a Canadianized prototype of a 15-hundredweight light infantry truck that had then been recently adopted by the British War Office.  By 1938,  Canadian military authorities had shifted their interest to heavier 4x4 and 6x4 designs.  In that year,  Ford and GM were invited to produce prototypes of a 6x4 medium artillery tractor derived from the British 6x4 Scammell Pioneer.  By 1939,  plans had been prepared for the mass production in Canada of a range of military vehicles based on fairly strict British specifications.  These trucks were originally designated "Department of National Defence (DND) Pattern"; however,  when production volumes increased and it became clear that the Canadian-built vehicles were to serve widely in the forces of other countries,  the class of trucks was redesignated "Canadian Military Pattern (CMP)".  At the outbreak of World War II,  Canada's relatively large and modern automobile industry was shifted over to the production of military vehicles.  While the Dunkirk evacuation in the spring of 1940 succeeded in rescuing close to 340, 000 Allied soldiers who had been encircled by the invading German army,  the British Expeditionary Force had been required to abandon most of its military vehicles in Francer.  It then became an urgent need to replace those losses and to provide new vehicles to equip the rapidly expanding armed forces of the Commonwealth

The kit gives you a variety of build options, colors, patterns and markings, WW 2 European and African theater of operations.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow in the variety it offers. The model itself is not sophisticated and is easy to build. the cabin is quiet simple and i would have liked to see more detail inside and an engine. Missing  too are jerry cans,  ammo boxes,  tool, etc I added all that myself from various Tamiya, Mini art and MB kits. Care has to be taken when fitting the suspension and shocks and balancing them so the truck sits well in upright position. The parts all fit well. The Breda is a wellcome addition. The figures are Mini art.

This is my first military truck build and I planned from the start that it would be a heavily weathered desert campaign vehicle. This is the Canadian version built by a subsidiary of GM. I used valejo Iraqi sand as the main color , the weathering was done mainly with oil paints,  burnt sienna, burnt umber and pastels such as orange, sand, grey to simulate dust and rust. The model was flattened before weathering. the tyres are gunze tyre black, i used a silver pencil to fade areas such as grills and steps. A little light grey was used on panels to simulate chipping. The decals are thin, good and i used softner on the roundel. 

This is a nice and easy kit and gives you a variety of campaign and scenario build options. Next time i intend to experiment with dents such as the trucks gasoline tanks and torn fenders. A highly recommended kit.

 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Canadian_Military_Pattern_truck

Amin Ghazzaoui

December 2013 

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