Good to know! Is this the Command Car, or the WC-63?
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I’ve built their Command Car and Weapons Carrier, and both kits contained the same sprue B with the hooks and all parts for the hood, dash, windshield etc., so it’s a safe bet that the WC-63 kit will have that sprue, too.
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That’s handy -now I need to find them in the stash! (Images from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark spring to mind…)
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Don’t forget Zvevda now- They have new WC-51 and WC-52 kits that are beautifully molded and accurate OOB.
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Nope - can’t buy them in the current climate. For now I’ll concentrate on AFV Club, ICM, Italeri, etc.
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After looking at that Studer restoration page I have to wonder how “standard” these hooks were. Some of the trucks have hooks like the Dodge sample, but one (with Dodge hooks) has a pair of the more common Studer hooks plonked on the fender as if the resto will include swapping them out. Did somebody replace original hooks with Dodge types over the years, with the resto planning to correct the mistake?
Well, as the kits we’re working on represent WWII vehicles, I’ve based my conclusions on period photos and resorted to pictures of restored samples only when they offered the best view of things that were positively visible in the in-action pics, just not well enough for modeling purposes. And yes, I think that restorators might say “rather a slightly incorrect original part than a modern replica of a totally correct thing”.
Well, regardless of how common or rare such swaps were during production, here’s m rendition of the typical Studebaker version! (The Dodge one may be some time, as I have to dig out a kit to measure…)
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I have issues with the Italeri wheels/tires on the water truck. The Tamiya CCKW tires are larger and IMHO better cast. However I have no idea which model tire diameter is more correct. I do wish someone would weigh in on this question. Continually down thru the years I have failed to measure the true outer diameter of the Deuce tire. Help!
I don’t know, you tell me if it is a noticeable difference:
First an Italeri Water Truck with a Tamiya open cab (Italeri Tires.)
Now a Tamiya Deuce with an Italeri cab. (Tamiya Tires.)
Actually I suspect they are both a bit off. The Studebaker kit tire seemed closer to the Italeri than the Tamiya. (I presume all wartime vehicles shared the same size tire and rim.used the same size tire? Yes/No?)
For comparison note the distance between the top of the front tire and the underside of the GMC fender in this real life photo. (FYI - this SWB Deuce carried no load in this photo.)
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As to the Hydrovac unit on the Deuce I can probably scare up an Italeri unit if you still need it. (Sorry but one only.) I usually rebuild them anyway and add extra detail to them anyway.
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I have posted this elsewhere (somewhere??) On this site … . .
If you really want to get crazy on detailing most any Deuce. . .
The wood beams between the frame rails and the load box or tank (yes they are wood, not steel) should have a visable wood grain texture AND be filled in on the backside not hollow.
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Good point. I noticed after gluing on the beam that for the water tank the beam end is not 90 but angled.
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The tyres scale down at 26.2mm diameter - and that matches the Tamiya and HobbyBoss parts. Italeri made theirs 25mm diameter, and the profile across the tyre is odd and “chunky” - I suspect they measured a modern tyre on a preserved/restored truck.
As for those wood beams, I suspect Italeri decided to avoid sinkholes (I know, stop laughing at that! Yes, you at the back! Stop it!) by making it hollow on the assumption nobody would notice because it’s hidden under the bed. The other thing I think you posted earlier Mike is that the metal C-channel frame rails had blocks of wood fitted inside where the shackle bolts held the bed on, to keep jolts from bending the channel inwards.
Wood grain in 1:35 is a contentious issue - I doubt it would be visible under the paint if you scale it down. But it does look nice…
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Do we need stage an intervention or share with the class what you are taking. 
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As to sink holes you are right of course. I am just telling you how it is and not how some mold designer wants it to be.
As to wood grain the mold designers dont seem to have any problem anywhere else where they need wood grain.
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Another item: Every hobby manufacture shows the tire chain storage drawer opening in the rear beam of the load box but nobody bothers to moddel the drawer itself as seen from underneath.
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That’s what sheet plastic is for! (Didn’t Heller or HobbyBoss add it? I know both Tamiya and Italeri missed it…)
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Bark your comment on tire diameter only varifies what I have already said. But it tells us nothing as to which is more correct to scale.
The Italeri tire molds are so OLD that I doubt they were measuring a modern tire.
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Tank the inner sides of what should be solid wood beams between the frame and the load box are hollow to avoid mold filling problems or “sink holes”.
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Looking up the correct full-size tyre (36.75" according to http://www.usarmymodels.com/ARTICLES/Tires/US%20Tires.jpg) actually gives 26.67mm in 1:35, so the Tamiya etc are just slightly small but within the range of part-worn tyres. The Italeri ones are noticeably small…
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