In Box Review of Testors-Italeri 1/35th Scale
GMC 2 ½ Ton Truck
Kit no. 827
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1979
I paid $3.66 for this kit when it was marked down from $4.50 at the Toy Fair store that used to be at the local mall.
It is available at several places on the Amazon site.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1979
I paid $3.66 for this kit when it was marked down from $4.50 at the Toy Fair store that used to be at the local mall.
It is available at several places on the Amazon site.
HISTORY:
The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog number, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 2 1⁄2 ton, 6×6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design (from 1941 to 1945) for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War.
The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion. The CCKW came in many variants, including open or closed cab, long wheelbase (LWB) CCKW-353 and short (SWB) CCKW-352, and over a score of specialized models, but the bulk were standard, general purpose, cargo models. A large minority were built with a front mounted winch, and one in four of the cabs had a machine-gun mounting ring above the co-driver's position.
Of the almost 2.4 million trucks that the U.S. Army bought between 1939 and December 1945, across all payload weight classes, some 812,000, or just over one third, were 2 1⁄2-ton trucks GMC's total production of the CCKW and its variants, including the 2 1⁄2 ton, 6x6, amphibious DUKW, and the 6×4, 5 ton (on-road) CCW-353, amounted to some 572,500 units almost a quarter of the total WWII U.S. truck production, and 70 percent of the total 2 1⁄2 ton trucks.
GMC's total of 550,000 purely 6×6 models, including the DUKW, formed the overwhelming majority of the 675,000 six by six 2 1⁄2 ton trucks, and came in less than 100,000 shy of the almost 650,000 World War II jeeps. Additionally, GM built over 150,000 units of the CCKW smaller brother, the 1 1⁄2 ton, 4×4 Chevrolet G506, at the same factory.The GMC CCKW began to be phased out, once the M35 series trucks were first deployed in the 1950s, but remained in active U.S. service until the mid-1960s. Eventually, the M35 series, originally developed by REO Motors, succeeded the CCKW as the U.S. Army's standard 2 1⁄2 ton, 6×6 cargo truck.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: 2 1⁄2-ton 6x6 Cargo truck
Place of origin: United States
Designer: Yellow Truck and Coach Co.
Designed: 1941
Manufacturer: Yellow/GMC Truck and Coach, Chevrolet
Produced: 1941–1945
No. built: Grand Total: 572,500 including all variants: CCKW specific: 518,000, — LWB CCKW-353: 464,000 and — SWB CCKW-352: 54,000 units, plus 54,500 non CCKW variants.
Variants: 1939 ACKWX – 2,466 units, C.O.E. AFKWX – 7,235 units, 6×4 CCW-353 – 23,649 units, DUKW amphibian – 21,147 units
Specifications 353 Cargo w/winch
Mass: 8,800 lb (4,000 kg) empty, 16,400 lb (7,400 kg) loaded
Length: 270 1⁄8 in (6.86 m)
Width: 88 in (2.24 m)
Height: 93 in (2.36 m) to cab, 109 1⁄8 in (2.77 m) overall
Engine: GMC 270 straight-6 of 91.5 hp (68.2 kW) at 2,750 rpm or 104 hp (78 kW) at 2,750 rpm
Transmission: 5 spd. × 2 range trf. case
Suspension: Beam axles on leaf springs
Fuel capacity: 40 US gal (150 L)
Operational range: 300 mi (482.8 km)
Maximum speed: 45 mph (72 km/h)
The GMC CCKW, also known as "Jimmy", or the G-508 by its Ordnance Supply Catalog number, was a highly successful series of off-road capable, 2 1⁄2 ton, 6×6 trucks, built in large numbers to a standardized design (from 1941 to 1945) for the U.S. Army, that saw heavy service, predominantly as cargo trucks, in both World War II and the Korean War.
The original "Deuce and a Half", it formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they pushed eastward after the Normandy invasion. The CCKW came in many variants, including open or closed cab, long wheelbase (LWB) CCKW-353 and short (SWB) CCKW-352, and over a score of specialized models, but the bulk were standard, general purpose, cargo models. A large minority were built with a front mounted winch, and one in four of the cabs had a machine-gun mounting ring above the co-driver's position.
Of the almost 2.4 million trucks that the U.S. Army bought between 1939 and December 1945, across all payload weight classes, some 812,000, or just over one third, were 2 1⁄2-ton trucks GMC's total production of the CCKW and its variants, including the 2 1⁄2 ton, 6x6, amphibious DUKW, and the 6×4, 5 ton (on-road) CCW-353, amounted to some 572,500 units almost a quarter of the total WWII U.S. truck production, and 70 percent of the total 2 1⁄2 ton trucks.
GMC's total of 550,000 purely 6×6 models, including the DUKW, formed the overwhelming majority of the 675,000 six by six 2 1⁄2 ton trucks, and came in less than 100,000 shy of the almost 650,000 World War II jeeps. Additionally, GM built over 150,000 units of the CCKW smaller brother, the 1 1⁄2 ton, 4×4 Chevrolet G506, at the same factory.The GMC CCKW began to be phased out, once the M35 series trucks were first deployed in the 1950s, but remained in active U.S. service until the mid-1960s. Eventually, the M35 series, originally developed by REO Motors, succeeded the CCKW as the U.S. Army's standard 2 1⁄2 ton, 6×6 cargo truck.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: 2 1⁄2-ton 6x6 Cargo truck
Place of origin: United States
Designer: Yellow Truck and Coach Co.
Designed: 1941
Manufacturer: Yellow/GMC Truck and Coach, Chevrolet
Produced: 1941–1945
No. built: Grand Total: 572,500 including all variants: CCKW specific: 518,000, — LWB CCKW-353: 464,000 and — SWB CCKW-352: 54,000 units, plus 54,500 non CCKW variants.
Variants: 1939 ACKWX – 2,466 units, C.O.E. AFKWX – 7,235 units, 6×4 CCW-353 – 23,649 units, DUKW amphibian – 21,147 units
Specifications 353 Cargo w/winch
Mass: 8,800 lb (4,000 kg) empty, 16,400 lb (7,400 kg) loaded
Length: 270 1⁄8 in (6.86 m)
Width: 88 in (2.24 m)
Height: 93 in (2.36 m) to cab, 109 1⁄8 in (2.77 m) overall
Engine: GMC 270 straight-6 of 91.5 hp (68.2 kW) at 2,750 rpm or 104 hp (78 kW) at 2,750 rpm
Transmission: 5 spd. × 2 range trf. case
Suspension: Beam axles on leaf springs
Fuel capacity: 40 US gal (150 L)
Operational range: 300 mi (482.8 km)
Maximum speed: 45 mph (72 km/h)
THE KIT:
Testor was the importer and distributor of Italeri kits in the 80's. Italeri is a an old prolific model company that manufactures many different models in the popular scales.
Testor was based in the 80's when this kit was released in Rockford, IL.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box.
I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art show a color photo of the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck on a modeler's work table. This version of the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck had the soft top cab which differs from the Italeri kit 6271 which has the hard top cab.
The finished model is in overall olive-drab with a large white star on the cab doors, atop the hood and a small one on the tailgate. The sides of the hood have a white U.S. ARMY 479017 on them. The front bumper has a white 9B-4E on the drivers side and a white C-31 on the other side.
The models is said to make up to 18.6 cm long (slightly over 7").
One side panel has the history of the 2 1/2 ton truck in English on the left side and the Testors and Italeri logos on the right side.
Testor was the importer and distributor of Italeri kits in the 80's. Italeri is a an old prolific model company that manufactures many different models in the popular scales.
Testor was based in the 80's when this kit was released in Rockford, IL.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box.
I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art show a color photo of the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck on a modeler's work table. This version of the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck had the soft top cab which differs from the Italeri kit 6271 which has the hard top cab.
The finished model is in overall olive-drab with a large white star on the cab doors, atop the hood and a small one on the tailgate. The sides of the hood have a white U.S. ARMY 479017 on them. The front bumper has a white 9B-4E on the drivers side and a white C-31 on the other side.
The models is said to make up to 18.6 cm long (slightly over 7").
One side panel has the history of the 2 1/2 ton truck in English on the left side and the Testors and Italeri logos on the right side.
The other side panel has a list of materials and Model Master paints required to complete the assembly of the kit: cement, hobby tools, brushes and tape.
The box bottom has 8 photos of the completed model along with the model kit features description.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 2 olive-drab trees, a clear tree that is not cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
Trees are molded in dark olive-drab and are not alphabetized. Instead they are labeled as trees STAR, CIRCLE and SQUARE.
The first large olive-drab tree STAR holds: the frame sides, axles, wheels, grill, steering wheel, leaf springs etc. (101 parts).
The kit holds 2 olive-drab trees, a clear tree that is not cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
Trees are molded in dark olive-drab and are not alphabetized. Instead they are labeled as trees STAR, CIRCLE and SQUARE.
The first large olive-drab tree STAR holds: the frame sides, axles, wheels, grill, steering wheel, leaf springs etc. (101 parts).
The second large olive-drab tree SQUARE holds: the cab parts, cargo bed floor and walls, figure, exhaust pipe, machine gun and its ring mount etc. (81 parts).
The clear CIRCLE tree contains the parts for the windshield and headlights (8 parts).
The decal sheet has 6 stars: 4 stars without outside rings 2 stars with rings. There are 2 sets of serial numbers as well as unit markings. The sheet completes the kit contents.
This is a nicely detailed kit. I only wish it had a cargo load included.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.