¹⁄35

The Universal Carrier – Life in the Old Dog Yet!

Vehicle 6

The sixth of the carrier builds was the Universal Carrier Mk I which features in its own complete build story here:


Universal Carrier Mk I Live links
It was a full resin build, which was a natural progression after the Tamiya/Resicast conversions.

Conclusion

Whether building a basic OOB model with minimal replacement parts or uping the level to a full conversion there is life in the old Tamiya kit yet. Resicast's new and upgraded stowage and conversion sets have given this rather old kit a completely new lease of life. Yes, we would all like to see a new replacement kit, but I’d much prefer a new model of the Loyd Carrier and it variants as a plastic 1/35 scale kit of that particular workhorse doesn’t currently exist although Accurate Armour do a super set of 4 variants, the cost tends to be prohibitive for many even though the kits represent excellent value for money.

Will I build some more, simple answer is yes, I still have the AOP Carrier and the 3inch Mortar version to complete and I recently purchased the early Scout Carrier. I just need more hours in the day, but I am very much looking forward to all the builds. There are so many possibilities with this basic vehicle I doubt I shall ever build them all.

If you have an interest in this vehicle and all its variants of which there are many then I highly recommend Universal Carriers Volume 1 and 2 by Nigel Watson, which are both terrific reference books for Military Vehicle Restorers and Model Makers alike.

The various sets used in the conversions have been reviewed either by myself or Pat McGrath here on site and the links can be found below for reference.

Mark 1 Carrier Stowage Live links

Universal Carrier Stowage Set Live links

Universal Carrier Wading Set Live links

Medium Machine Gun Carrier Conversion Live links

Universal Carrier Mk I Live links

UK Wireless Sets Live links

Compo Boxes and Biscuit Tins Live links