Picked up a free Academy catalog at a local IPMS show this weekend, and noticed that Academy now lists a M151 1/4 ton truck with the hard top enclosure. It also features the 1/4 ton M416 trailer with the raised plywood panels. These were common sights throughout Germany when I visited there in the late 70's, and sported the unusual USAEUR four-color camouflage (not to be confused with the MERDC pattern).

Has anyone seen one of these kits yet?

Jim Peterson

I built the soft top version and scratch built the doghouse on my trailer. I was one of those clowns who ran around Germany with that configuration. Seeing a hard topped jeep was a rare occurance. In the winter, we added canvas sides and doors, they were snap on

The old Academy kit of soft top M151A2 with a trailer you built is very different kit from their new hard top M151A2. The old kit was a copy of even older Tamiya kit, while the new kit is based on new Academy's own M151A1 kits released recently. It is new tooling and is much better then old Tamiya/Academy kits.

Rgds,
Pawel

All of our Jeeps in Germany had hardtops all year round, and each had the trailer with "dog house". Each tank company had 3 Jeeps (CO, XO, 1SG), and every staff officer had one as well. We turned in the Jeeps for HMMWVs in January 1989.

Only Jeeps I saw without hardtops were the smoke generator operators at the CMTC in Hohenfels. I also saw some National Guard (Texas?) still running around in softtop Jeeps when I returned to Ft. Hood in the 1991-92 time frame.

The only time I saw an M151A1 in service was in my Vermont National Guard engineer company. We had three Jeeps at the armory, all with hardtops. Only one was an A1 though, the others were A2s. The A1 was overall forest green with white stars. I served in this unit from August 1983 to May 1986 and it was still there when I left.

Any word on whether this M151w/trailer is the new M151A1 kit, the old M151A2 kit or a retooled M151A2?

I´m not sure it´s all a new kit.
but check out this link
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/academy/acd13012.htm

they have a review of the kit

Looks like a new tool M151A2 based on their new M151A1. I will have to pick one up to go with my old M60A3TTS kit.