In Box Review of Peerless 1/35th Scale Canadian Chevrolet Field Gun Tractor
British Commonwealth Armed Forces WWII
Kit no. 3510
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1976
I paid a paltry $7.00 for this kit years ago.
It is available at Hobbylinc for $46.40 or at Kit Linx for $48.79 or at Squadron for $48.80 or at Mega Hobby for $56.85 or at Sprue Brothers for $51.99 or at Hobby Hut Models for $48.80 and at 7 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1976
I paid a paltry $7.00 for this kit years ago.
It is available at Hobbylinc for $46.40 or at Kit Linx for $48.79 or at Squadron for $48.80 or at Mega Hobby for $56.85 or at Sprue Brothers for $51.99 or at Hobby Hut Models for $48.80 and at 7 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks were mutually coherent ranges of military trucks, made in large numbers, in several classes and numerous versions, by Canada's branches of the U.S. 'Big Three' automakers during World War II, compliant to British Army specifications, primarily intended for use in the armies of the British Commonwealth allies, but also serving in other units of the British Empire.
Canadian factories produced some 850,000 vehicles in World War II, including some 50,000 armoured vehicles, self-propelled guns and tanks, but the greatest significance is given to the vast majority – over 800,000 – of trucks and light wheeled vehicles, produced by Ford, GM and Chrysler of Canada.
Until the currency restrictions of the late 1940s, the Canadian automotive industry's output provided a major part of British Empire countries vehicles. These territories levied reduced "Imperial preference" duties on Canadian products, usually made by Canadian subsidiaries of the big U.S. auto manufacturers. In the late 1930s, Canada started drawing up standard designs, to prepare for the beginning of the war, which involved a unique and historic design-and-production collaboration between rival giant car-makers, especially Ford Canada and GM of Canada.
Canadian Military Pattern trucks not only motorized the militaries of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but were also sent to the Soviet Union after the Nazi invasion, as part of Canada's Gift and Mutual Aid program to the Allies, comparable to the U.S. Lend-Lease Act.
During the war, CMP trucks saw service around the world in the North African campaign, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Italian Campaign, the Eastern Front, the Burma campaign, the Philippines, the liberation of Northwest Europe, and the Western Allied invasion of Germany. CMP trucks also served in post-war conflicts in Indonesia, French Indochina, and the Portuguese colonies in Africa.
The United Kingdom's official History of the Second World War called Canada's wartime production of soft-skinned trucks, including the CMP class, the country's most important contribution to Allied victory. Canada's trucks are considered to have "put the British Army on wheels". In the North African Campaign, the British Eighth Army fought Panzer Army Africa using almost exclusively CMP trucks, and the Allied progress from Sicily through Italy and France depended heavily on the Canadian trucks. By the end of the war, Canada's vast supply of trucks provided a vehicle for every three soldiers in the field — compared to one vehicle per seven American soldiers — making it the most mobile army in the world.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: 3 ton 4x4 Cargo
Place of origin: General Motors of Canada Limited Ford and Chrysler Canada
In service: From 1940
Wars: World War II
Designer: General Motors Canada and Ford Canada
Designed: 1936–1940
Manufacturer: Chevrolet in Oshawa and Ford
Produced: 1940–1945
No. built: 500,000+ Service Flag 3298 for Employees of Canada's Armed Forces
Specifications (Ford F15):
Mass: 7,875 lb (3.572 t)
Length: 204 in (5.18 m)
Width: 84 in (2.13 m)
Height: 116 in (2.95 m)
Engine: Chevrolet GM 216 216 cu in (3.5 L) petrol I6 or Ford 239 239 cu in (3.9 L) petrol V8, GM: 85 hp (63 kW), Ford: 95 hp (71 kW)
Suspension: Wheel 4x4
Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks were mutually coherent ranges of military trucks, made in large numbers, in several classes and numerous versions, by Canada's branches of the U.S. 'Big Three' automakers during World War II, compliant to British Army specifications, primarily intended for use in the armies of the British Commonwealth allies, but also serving in other units of the British Empire.
Canadian factories produced some 850,000 vehicles in World War II, including some 50,000 armoured vehicles, self-propelled guns and tanks, but the greatest significance is given to the vast majority – over 800,000 – of trucks and light wheeled vehicles, produced by Ford, GM and Chrysler of Canada.
Until the currency restrictions of the late 1940s, the Canadian automotive industry's output provided a major part of British Empire countries vehicles. These territories levied reduced "Imperial preference" duties on Canadian products, usually made by Canadian subsidiaries of the big U.S. auto manufacturers. In the late 1930s, Canada started drawing up standard designs, to prepare for the beginning of the war, which involved a unique and historic design-and-production collaboration between rival giant car-makers, especially Ford Canada and GM of Canada.
Canadian Military Pattern trucks not only motorized the militaries of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but were also sent to the Soviet Union after the Nazi invasion, as part of Canada's Gift and Mutual Aid program to the Allies, comparable to the U.S. Lend-Lease Act.
During the war, CMP trucks saw service around the world in the North African campaign, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the Italian Campaign, the Eastern Front, the Burma campaign, the Philippines, the liberation of Northwest Europe, and the Western Allied invasion of Germany. CMP trucks also served in post-war conflicts in Indonesia, French Indochina, and the Portuguese colonies in Africa.
The United Kingdom's official History of the Second World War called Canada's wartime production of soft-skinned trucks, including the CMP class, the country's most important contribution to Allied victory. Canada's trucks are considered to have "put the British Army on wheels". In the North African Campaign, the British Eighth Army fought Panzer Army Africa using almost exclusively CMP trucks, and the Allied progress from Sicily through Italy and France depended heavily on the Canadian trucks. By the end of the war, Canada's vast supply of trucks provided a vehicle for every three soldiers in the field — compared to one vehicle per seven American soldiers — making it the most mobile army in the world.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: 3 ton 4x4 Cargo
Place of origin: General Motors of Canada Limited Ford and Chrysler Canada
In service: From 1940
Wars: World War II
Designer: General Motors Canada and Ford Canada
Designed: 1936–1940
Manufacturer: Chevrolet in Oshawa and Ford
Produced: 1940–1945
No. built: 500,000+ Service Flag 3298 for Employees of Canada's Armed Forces
Specifications (Ford F15):
Mass: 7,875 lb (3.572 t)
Length: 204 in (5.18 m)
Width: 84 in (2.13 m)
Height: 116 in (2.95 m)
Engine: Chevrolet GM 216 216 cu in (3.5 L) petrol I6 or Ford 239 239 cu in (3.9 L) petrol V8, GM: 85 hp (63 kW), Ford: 95 hp (71 kW)
Suspension: Wheel 4x4
Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
THE KIT:
Peerless is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Philadelphia, PA U.S.A. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid box. The cover art shows a color illustration of a Canadian Chevrolet Field Gun Tractor, that is posed on a dirt field with mountains in the background.
It is overall dark-brown. It has a large white star on the sides of the cargo area, a white serial no. H1446378 on the doors of the cabin. The ends of its front bumper are painted white. A black square, outlined in white with a white PASS on it is low on the right side of the nose. Atop the right side headlight housing is a square that is divided horizontally into red, white and red bars, with a yellow oak leaf on it.Atop the other headlight housing is a square divided horizontally into red and blue, with a white no. 3 on it. These last 3 markings are not on the decal sheet. So this scheme cannot be made. Bad move Peerless !
The driver wears a khaki uniform and a black beret on his head.
One side-panel of the box shows a color photo of the model made up in the 3 marking choices provided on the decal sheet.
One is painted in a sand color and the other two in green.
The 1st one has white H4217516 on the cab doors. A small blue square that has its lower right corner as a red square and has a white D4 on it. This mark is repeated on the left rear, over a square that has a red top and blue bottom with white 42 on it. In the center of the rear is a white CAUTION over white H4217516 again.
The 2nd one also has the D4 mark on it on the sides of the cargo area. Over white serial no. CH 4244956.
The 3rd one just shows a white serial no. CH 4246993 on the cab doors.
Peerless is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Philadelphia, PA U.S.A. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid box. The cover art shows a color illustration of a Canadian Chevrolet Field Gun Tractor, that is posed on a dirt field with mountains in the background.
It is overall dark-brown. It has a large white star on the sides of the cargo area, a white serial no. H1446378 on the doors of the cabin. The ends of its front bumper are painted white. A black square, outlined in white with a white PASS on it is low on the right side of the nose. Atop the right side headlight housing is a square that is divided horizontally into red, white and red bars, with a yellow oak leaf on it.Atop the other headlight housing is a square divided horizontally into red and blue, with a white no. 3 on it. These last 3 markings are not on the decal sheet. So this scheme cannot be made. Bad move Peerless !
The driver wears a khaki uniform and a black beret on his head.
One side-panel of the box shows a color photo of the model made up in the 3 marking choices provided on the decal sheet.
One is painted in a sand color and the other two in green.
The 1st one has white H4217516 on the cab doors. A small blue square that has its lower right corner as a red square and has a white D4 on it. This mark is repeated on the left rear, over a square that has a red top and blue bottom with white 42 on it. In the center of the rear is a white CAUTION over white H4217516 again.
The 2nd one also has the D4 mark on it on the sides of the cargo area. Over white serial no. CH 4244956.
The 3rd one just shows a white serial no. CH 4246993 on the cab doors.
The other side-panel of the box shows 4 color box-arts of other truck kits that Peerless manufacturers: Kit no. 3506, a Dodge 1 ½ ton personnel carrier, Kit no. 3507, a White M3A1 scout car, Kit no. 3508, a Canadian Chevrolet 15-cwt truck towing a gun and Kit no. 3509, a Bedford QL gun portee.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 5 olive-drab trees, a loose olive-drab cab roof part, 2 clear trees, 5 rubber tires and the decal sheet in 3 stapled-shut cello bags.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 7 ¼” x 10” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white copy of the cover art. Over 3 black and white photos of real Canadian field tractors and the history of the Chevrolet field gun tractor in English.
Page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model. Below the illustrations is a listing of the names of all the parts on the trees. Nice move Peerless!
Page 3 on through to page 7 gives a grand total of 5 assembly steps. Step 1, 2 & 3 have black and white photos that show what the model looks like after those steps. Nice move Peerless!!
Page 8 is a painting and marking guide.
It shows three 2-views.
The 1st one is serial no. H 4217516 (already described above)
The 2nd one is serial no. CH 4244956 (also already described above)
The 3rd one is serial no. CH 4245993 (it too already described above)
Olive-drab letter A tree holds: steering wheel, windshield frame, cab doors etc. (52 parts) 4 parts are excess.
This kit holds 5 olive-drab trees, a loose olive-drab cab roof part, 2 clear trees, 5 rubber tires and the decal sheet in 3 stapled-shut cello bags.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 7 ¼” x 10” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white copy of the cover art. Over 3 black and white photos of real Canadian field tractors and the history of the Chevrolet field gun tractor in English.
Page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model. Below the illustrations is a listing of the names of all the parts on the trees. Nice move Peerless!
Page 3 on through to page 7 gives a grand total of 5 assembly steps. Step 1, 2 & 3 have black and white photos that show what the model looks like after those steps. Nice move Peerless!!
Page 8 is a painting and marking guide.
It shows three 2-views.
The 1st one is serial no. H 4217516 (already described above)
The 2nd one is serial no. CH 4244956 (also already described above)
The 3rd one is serial no. CH 4245993 (it too already described above)
Olive-drab letter A tree holds: steering wheel, windshield frame, cab doors etc. (52 parts) 4 parts are excess.
Olive-drab letter B tree holds: frame, leaf springs, axles etc. (54 parts) 11 parts are excess.
Olive-drab letter C tree holds: passenger area walls and roof etc. (77 parts)
Olive-drab letter D tree holds: floor panel, passenger room doors etc. (12 parts)
Olive-drab letter E tree holds: wheels, seat frames and cushions, figures (divided in half with upper and lower body parts) and rifles (47 parts)
The one piece cab shell is next.
The 2 clear trees are not alphabetized. Together they hold window panes (5 total)
Next are 5 black rubber tires.
There are 2 metal axles to attach the wheels. There were parts that came loose from the trees such as the fender, fuel tank and the rear plate.
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents.
The detail is very good.
Recommended.
Recommended.