New CCKW-353 Radiator grill and Rifle gun rack for this vehicle and Jeep
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/arto-cckw-353-radiator-grill-and-rifle-gun-rack
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/arto-cckw-353-radiator-grill-and-rifle-gun-rack
Nice. Now scale it down to 1/48 for those Tamiya Deuces and Fuelers and I’ll buy at least eight.
Fit it to the Hobby Boss kit and it would be more useful to me
@18bravo , Rob, let’s put that in my queue. 
Why should they fit it to the HobbyBoss kit? The hood, side screens and front fenders of the HB are grossly too long and the cab is squashed to make up the difference.
They went wrong starting with the very first CCKW Bofers kit and have continued their mistake throughout the entire line of GMC variants.
The rest of the kit is great but best to substitute either the Tamiya open cab front body or the old Italeri hard cab for the HB abomination!
It’s all on how you look at it. I have 4 of the Hobby Boss kits, and they look ok.
The grills are another matter, they are way too heavy.
I’ve built the Tamiya kits and the grills on them look fine.
As for the size it’s all how you measure, these were just trucks and not precision made equiptment.
There will always be variants in manufacturing so I don’t get upset if it’s a little off .
Totally disagree. The squashed HB hard cab looks more like it belongs on a Bedford. And the fenders are way too long.
I realized it the minute i saw the first pre-production photos of the HB hard cab. I have written extensively here on this site (now buried in the archives with a sizable number of photos missing) on the subject.
Again I suggest you find the old Italeri Water Truck on sale at Hobby Lobby and replace all the HB sheet metal.
To my eye the cab and fenders are just wrong! And believe me I am NOT a rivet counter.
https://archive.armorama.com/forums/225750/
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I agree with Michael totally - the HB cab is totally disproportionate - how in the world does this happen when there are so many existent examples, photos and dimensioned drawings ?
Agreed! There are so many Deuce out there the mold Engineers could have borrowed one and rolled it right into the design studio for on the spot measurements!
Here is a photo comparing the HB fender to the Italeri offering:
Photo by John Hale
And yet the Italeri and Tamiya cabs are almost an easy drop-in swap for each other. (Have done it many times)
So in other words HB screwed the pooch!
HB door laid over the actual vehicle:
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EXAMPLES:
Tamiya LWB CCKW with Italeri “Gun Truck” Deuce cab.
.
Italeri Water Truck with Tamiya open cab.
.
Work in progress: - HB SWB CCKW with Tamiya fenders and Italeri cab.
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But definitely save that HB firewall and engine - the best in the industry!
The remainder of the HB truck is totally A-OK and 100% beautiful!
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Fantastic cross-kitting work!
The Tamiya and Italeri kits have been discussed in detail in a German modeling forum, as was the Studebaker US6 from ICM.
There are also some cross-kitting opportunities there: the Studer cargo bed can be swapped with the Italeri one without any fit issues.
For the radiator grill replacement ones from Rescue Models (Hungary) have been suggested. I wonder how they compare to the product presented here?
Concerning the drivetrain: both the Tamiya and the Italeri kit have the split-axle (Timken) drivetrain, but the banjo-axle (GM) drivetrain is available in 3D-print on Shapeways for both of these kits. Has anyone tried them yet?
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I have the parts but have tried them.
Do you have the links to the German forum would be interested in seeing that discussion and information?
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Sure! Here they are:
ITALERI 271 “U.S. Army Cargo Truck (2 1/2 Ton)” 1:35
ICM 35514 “Studebaker US6 U4 WW II Army Truck” 1:35
The second thread is much longer. Here it is also suggested to swap the cargo beds with the Italeri kit.
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Thanks, I will spend sometime reading those threads soon. 
Who does those banjo axles? Maybe he’d do them in 1/48.
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I usually do not trust Shapeways quality but those do look nice.
Kind regards,
James
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James I have never had any problems with Shapeways products. Cost and Shipping yes, but not the product itself!
As to swapping load boxes: Yes the load boxes were often built by sub-contractor suppliers so IF the model is correctly proportioned to start with, swapping load boxes between different model maker’s products is no problem.
This gives you the option to swap an all metal Italeri load box for the beautifully done Tamiya wooden version and or give your Deuce a very nice cloth top for the rear.