Thursday, 24 April 2025

More 15mm BPM US Dodge trucks and US softskins in general

 I already have one Dodge light truck from BPM and I wanted a couple more trucks to make them up to three in number. It seemed sensible to get them from the same manufacturer.


I would have got resin models, but my existing one was APL and I got two more of those so they match better. The only really obvious striations are on the tilt, which look a bit like crumpled canvas anyway. Surprisingly the mudguards are actually quite curved on these instead of stripey, which isn't true of a lot of BPMs offerings in APL. 


There is a fair bit of raised detail on and around the bonnet which comes out nicely with a wash and a drybrush. I've also noticed in the picture here that  I've forgotten to finish painting the windscreens! 


They come with separate tilts but I'd already stuck one down so I stuck these down too. They weren't really used as troop transports so I don't need to jam any passengers in the back.


Quite a nice addition to my expanding fleet of US softskins! It is a shame a lot of this stuff isn't really compatible with my British vehicle fleet, although obviously it can be used by the Russians.


I'm still ridiculously pleased with the Roco Dodge radio truck in the middle of this line here. It reminds me of Charles Grants motorised infantry battalion in 'Battle'. I can't imagine how much he spent on all those Roco vehicles. iirc it was 5 x Radio Trucks, 11 x Maultier halftracks and 7 x lorries. Let alone all the jeeps, tanks and artillery (although his AT guns were Airfix 6pdrs).


And having lined all the stuff up, I spent a couple of minutes fixing the windscreens. That is much better. 



6 comments:

  1. When I was growing up the Minitanks were $.25 - .50 each, so relatively inexpensive, even given inflation.

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    1. I remember them as a relatively expensive option, but they had a good range and you didn't have to glue them together! There were certainly quite a few at my school Wargames club in the early 1970s. Fleets of King Tigers naturally....

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    2. Found a magazine ad for Minitanks as imported in the U.S. in 1965. Prices for most are .25 or .39, the big Dragon Wagon tank transporter is .98. Stugs were .25, Pz IVs and Tigers .39. Pity I can’t attach an image.

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    3. Ah, those were the days! Comparable to smaller Airfix kits which I reckon were around 25p in today's money.

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  2. You can never have too many softskins

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    1. As I survey my vast fleet of German vehicles, I sometimes think that you can!

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