The book starts with a brief history of the
vehicle and then it goes straight into the
photomontage of the actual vehicles. The
versions that are covered are the GS version,
the House body along with the Fuel tanker, and a
single Gun truck.
The all the close up details are from the GS
version. This covers all the details a modeller
could ever want. I know by looking at many of
the photographs I recognise not only the
individual vehicles but the location. Having
seen nearly all of them at the War and Peace
Military Vehicle Rally at Belting, Kent here in
the UK over the last 14 years I have attended
it.
The level of detail contained is truly
outstanding and shows the amount of mud, dust,
and grime that gets into every crevice on a
vehicle. For those modellers who want to add
realistic weathering to any vehicle then they
cannot find a better publication to illustrate
it than this. The only part that is missing from
this book is the smell of canvas, fuel, grease
and oil. Armed with this book you can turn any
of your M35 kits into a masterpiece of
modelling, it shows all the details needed to do
this. This not a book for the restoration
section of the military vehicle fraternity but
is aimed solely for model makers.
Having just taken up an interest in Gun trucks
myself and starting my own research this is an
invaluable book. As a bonus it has, part worked
but completed models but unpainted, which show
the level of details the model makers have gone
to achieve the superb models. The authors are to
be congratulated on this inclusion it adds depth
to the subject.
If I had to pick out a single photograph to
illustrate the level of detail then it must be
on page 48 top left it shows the underside of
the vehicle, with the front axle viewed from the
rear. This is weathering like you have never
seen before; an absolutely outstanding
photograph.
From a personnel point of view, it is going to
be invaluable when I start my Gun truck models
and it will not be sitting on the reference self
for many a long day.
I highly recommend it to all model makers who
like to build modern US vehicles and especially
those who are building Gun trucks now and in the
Future. The authors are to be congratulated on
adding more information to a long neglected
subject of modern US Army trucks.
For our American readers I give it a full ten
out of ten in each category of originality of
subject, quality of photographs.
Check with your local book supplier for price
and availability, which is not known at time of
review.
Many thanks to Franti for yet an other
fascinating book to review were a pleasure.
Review by Ian Sadler © June 05
