For Rob and all M151 fanatics, Squadron's latest update that came in yesterday has Academy's hardtop M151 for about $13. :-) Up till now, this was only avaliable as a rare resin kit from CMK, IIRC. That wasn't a bad conversion, but it's been out of circulation for some time. I believe the hardtop was also called the Arctic Kit. The Warmachines book on the M151 has a cool comm or forward observer vehicle in three color Euro scheme with an aircraft like blade antenna on the roof. (The basis for my hardtop in the "Pack of MUTTs".) The kit comes with a new trialer that appears to have field mod doghouse cover.

I almost won one on Friday at my club meeting.

i picked up three yesterday at the hobby shop near me..for 11.00 yesterday..neat little kit and it is call an artic kit nice little kit it is...Ray

M151 Heads up,
Yes this is a welcome addition. Couldn't you also use this for he 2 man
litter ambulance carrier. It came as a softtop amd a hardtop I think. You would have to make the hard cover longer ...front to back, but I think it would work.

The only reference I found of the ambulance was in the Warmachines book, a photo and a line drawing. Both showed a soft top. To do that, you'll need to add 18 scale inches to the back, (as I recall, that was a the top of the rear fender )and enclose it with a frame covered with tissue. The two liters were over and under on the passenger side, replacing the passenger seat.

I,m looking forward to getting a couple of these things. Do them like the jeeps we had in our units in Korea and Pennsylvania, red fenders and all.

I have bad memories of riding in the back of the CO's Jeep during my first REFORGER in 1988. He had the XO driving, he was in the passenger seat and us three platoon leaders crammed into the back of the Jeep (hardtop like the kit). The back had no seats, just a board that had the commo equipment on it. You sat too high to be able to see out the side windows, plus your back was to the window. The 1st platoon leader sat on the floor (he was over 6 feet tall), I and the 3rd platoon leader sat on the wheel well tops.

We were "reconning" the various routes in and out of our assembly area, but I really think that our CO was just out cruising the countryside. That was a miserable day and I've hated the Jeep ever since.

My friend and office mate Capt. (ret) Bob loved his days with his M151. In fact, he liked it better thatn the Humvee as it was being introduced.

The M718 !/4 Ton Front Line Ambulance was made as a soft-top only; no hard top kit was made for this model of the M151 series. Units in areas that had need of an artic-style hard top enclosure operated M725 5/4 ton ambulances or the ambulance varient of the M561 Gama Goat. Both of these were adapted to artic enclosures and fuel-fired heaters. A side note on the heaters,,, those that used the hot water of the colling system worked OK most of the time, but the fuel-fired type would usually cook you right out of the vehicle in no time at all! Jesus, C-ration cans would explode if left next to the heater outlet in the crew areas!!

Jim Peterson