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All
text is in English with 72 pages and there are 289 photographs of the
M35 A2 truck and the surprise in this publication is the inclusion of
the Gun Truck Models there are 40 and a further surprise is the
inclusion of the Quad .50 Turret Mount which has 12 photographs and 7
black and white line diagrams. Lastly, to add even more detail to this
book it contains 14 high quality art side profiles of Gun Trucks in
Colour.
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 |