Tuesday, September 7

New colours & plastic to add to our preview of the 35th scale G7107 w/Crew 1.5t 4X4 Cargo Truck w/Metal Body

The second US Army G7107 4x4 1.5 tonne cargo truck from Miniart is on the way next month. We have new information on the kit including the sprues and the four new colour schemes that the truck fares. We add them to the CADs & other kit info in our preview...
New colours & plastic to add to our preview of  the 35th scale G7107 w/Crew 1.5t 4X4 Cargo Truck w/Metal Body
From MiniArt
Kit No #35383
1/35th scale
The kit contains a truck + three figures
Four colour variants are included in this kit
Photo-etch parts are included
Expected in September
The second truck in the new series from MiniArt of the G-506 trucks series from World War II is already announced. It will be the 1/35th scale G7107 1.5t 4X4 Cargo Truck with the metal tray and a crew of three G.I.'s to suit it.

The subject: The U.S. Army G7107 4X4 1,5t Cargo Truck
As part of the G506 series of trucks, the G7107 is well known and widely released in 35th scale model circles, but not so as detailed as this one we think. The G7107 is the basic cargo truck of the G506 series, with a standard 9-foot bed.

A Brazilian Expeditionary Force G7107 4X4 1,5t Cargo Truck in Italy 1945
The G7107 Cargo Truck was produced with cargo beds made of both wood and metal. It was a medium four-wheel-drive truck used by the United States Army and its allies during and after World War II. This series came in standard cargo, as well as many specialist type bodies. They became standard 1.5-ton 4x4 trucks for the US Army and Army Air Corps during World War II.

A series of G7107 at the front of this convoy from the US Army Service 12th Armored Division  7th Army, 1943 
For power, the G506 used a Chevrolet BV-1001-UP, a 235 cu in (3.9 L) overhead valve inline-six-cylinder gasoline engine developing 83 hp (62 kW) at 3,100rpm and 184 lbf⋅ft (249 N⋅m) of torque at 1,000rpm. During World War II, the US military purchased a total of 167,373 four by four 11⁄2-ton trucks, and Chevrolet supplied the great majority of them. About 47,000 of the G7107 and G7117 model trucks were shipped to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program. The Soviet Red Army's logistics/transport capabilities improved dramatically in the spring and summer of 1943 largely as a result of the steady supply of American-made trucks (such as Studebaker US6s and the Chevrolet G506s) for the USSR.

That same layout of the kit with metal frame and wooden sides on the  G7107...
The G506 had a ladder frame with two live beam axles on semi-elliptic leaf springs. GM banjo type axles were used, these axles were also used in later GMC CCKW 2+1⁄2 ton (2,268kg) trucks. There were three wheelbases, 125 in (318 cm) extra short wheelbase used only on the G7128 Bomb servicer, 145 in (368 cm) short wheelbase (a majority of production), and the 175 in (444 cm) long wheelbase. All models had hydraulic brakes with vacuum boost, 7.50-20" tires and dual rear tires.

Germans captured and used these trucks in large numbers from the Soviet lend-lease vehicles, this Chevrolet G7107. Note Notek light on the left fender. Kursk, 1943.
Almost all G-506s had closed Chevrolet cabs, shared with the closed cab versions of the GMC CCKW – except for three models. A panel van version was built for the Army Signal Corps, open cabs were used on bomb servicers and cab over engine types were used for long-bodied cargo trucks. The pilot models had flat top panels of the front fender, but production trucks had arches over at the fender crowns

A restored modern-day G7107
The kit: Miniart's new 35th scale G7107 w/Crew 1.5t 4X4 Cargo Truck w/Metal Body
MiniArt aims to make a whole series of the Chevrolet G-506 trucks, and the second here has the metal welded tray on the G7107 4X4 1.5t cargo truck. This kit has four marking types included in the box, it also includes a driver and two other GI's who are working on the truck. Again with this kit, the renowned author David Doyle is credited with his assistance from MiniArt in this project, and he is a good man to have on a project like this so high hopes abound for this kit...
We have some CAD images of the kit to show you that indicate a lot of the features of this forthcoming kit...

The truck comes with the metal welded tray type with steel railings or without. The two radiator grilles have three ways of assembling them.
The front grille for the front is made from Photo-etch - MiniArt supply tools to bend this in the correct manner
A look at the plastic photo-etch bending tools provided in the kit.
The cab comes in several curved parts that join at seams to make construction easier. The roof itself is a single part.
The full chassis, engine, running gear, suspension and linkages for the truck are included
A spare wheel is of course included. The full engine bay is provided in this boxing.
Passenger doors, the hood and tailgate can be posed open or closed. Also, the bonnet (hood) is of course able to be opened to show off that lovely engine compartment. The steel wire mesh is provided in these photo-etched parts, as are the battery brackets. the rear cargo door can also be posed open.
There are two options for the front fenders that sit above two types of wheels provided in the kit. The rear bumpers are also photo-etched.
The side bracket for the trucks tools is included with photo-etched details.
The rear benches can be posed flat or horizontally
Scale thick photo-etched parts are used for tie-downs on the metal tray.
Spare jerry cans with brackets to hold them are included
We also have the sprues to add to the preview to show you a little of the plastic in the kit
The three GI figures that come with the kit
Hard to see here, this is chain that is included with the kit
Clear parts for the windows and lights are of course included.
There is of course photo etch to add to the kit as we saw in the 3D renders.
Four decal choices are included in the kit.
The four colour schemes in the box...
This kit is due next month. See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...