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Chevrolet C8A HUW

Decals/Stowage

The HUW was used mainly by anti tank and anti aircraft units of the RA as a communications vehicle. I used a mix of the kit decals and the excellent set from Fingerprint Design to mark the vehicle, as one from No 2 Det RSC, 21st Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery, Guards Armoured Division. The regiment were equipped with towed 17pdr anti tank guns.

One thing that was impossible to find were pictures of this truck in the field, which was a great pity. Whilst the later variant of this truck had a recess for the spare wheel where the unused RHS door wood have been I decided to add a field modification and spare wheel to the rear RHS. I fashioned a mounting bracket and retaining bar from old kit parts and plastic. The I added the spare wheel that comes with the Hussar set. For roof stowage I used a couple of pieces of Plus Model stowage I had left over from a previous build and an ammo box from either Accurate Armour or Resicast. The last thing I added as a small PE fitting to the underside of the rear LHS back end.

Painting and Weathering

I paint as I go and this build was not different. I completed each sub section as I had finished it, and when the whole vehicle was put together blended the paint together using a selection of Mig filters. Some mud mixed with a variety of pigments was added to the underside and wheel arches and wear marks with pencil and pin washes of Burn Umber. The paints used were:

• Tamiya, XF61 Dark green and FX 62 Olive Drab
• Tamiya XF 64 Dark Brown
• Taniya X 10 Gun Metal
• Tamiya XF Metallic Grey
• Tamiya XF1 Matt Black
• Tamiya XF 66 Light Grey
• Tamiya XF 18 Medium Blue
• Tamiya XF 75 Buff
• Tamiya XF 49 Khaki
• Humbrol Matt 70
• Humbrol Metalic 54
• Vallejo Yellow Ochre - 913
• Vallejo Off White - 70820
• Mig pigments Dark Mud P033
• European Dust P028
• Light Dust P027
• and Filter Dark Brown for Green P245
• P402 Brown for Desert Yellow
• P400 Grey for Dark Yellow
• Standard Lead Pencil
• Milliput
• Mr Surface
• Plus Models Lead Wire
• Plastic rod and strip in various sizes
• Maps and documents by Paul Rains

Conclusion

This was a challenging and fun build to do. I Learnt some new skills, revisited some old ones and forgot a few others!! I think I have made an interesting an unusual vehicle, one I’ve not seen modelled in this open form before. It’s not perfect but it’s the best I could do. I can’t despite having enjoyed the build immensely recommend the Plus Models kit to anyone. It is expensive, poor on fit and soft on detail. It would require a lot of work just to build it as a basic box vehicle but it does have one saving grace it allows you to build the HUW, and if like me you build British and Commonwealth vehicles, well it’s the only game in town at the moment, unless you can get a set of plans and scratch your own.

If I have a disappointment with the vehicle it is in dusting the front windows. I have made several attempts at achieving this with little or no success so I left them for now. I think that particular technique is best achieved with a spray gun and that I don’t have. – More practice required!!

Just to reinforce the point about pinning the wheels as it started to take the last pictures the rear LHS wheel was close to dropping off. I took it off, drilled a hole in the axel and wheel and pinned it with wire!! Antenna and figures will come along when I decide on a home.

My thanks to all those who contributed to the blog and made the build possible with their contributions of knowledge, documentation, reference pictures, ideas and support.

Links to reviewed items

C8A HUW Conversion Set