Hi,

Anybody built this kit?

Is it any good?

Cheers
Digger

Digger,

I built this kit a few years ago. It's easy to build too. Why dun you try Academy new Ford Mutt?

Steve

Hi!
I have built some of these little gem, easy to build and very accurate. But if you want to build a Vietnam era MUTT is must go to Academy new M151A1, because the Tamiya are the MUTT M151A2 (quite diferent), just watch out cos the Academy also carries the M151A2 (a Tamiya copy).
Cheers

Mutt. Any one recall the M151 jeep being refered to as a mutt? Tamiyas instructions state that "it was affectionately called the mutt". By who? Other than that it's a fair representaion of the original. Needs hold down latches for the hood, hinges on the front of the seats, wiper motors and tie downs mounted on the windshield upper frame, the wheel center hubs should have an eyelet cap instead of just a tab and a cover for the fording gear port. The ones I have all have the marine corps fording kit and no cover for the port. Not hard to make yourself but don't understand why it wasn't made as a cutaway option. The only one I ever saw with the fording gear installed was an airforce FAC jeep temporaly assigned to our unit. Now that would be a project for someone. The whole back end was radios clear up to the top. Sucker must have had beefed up suspension and still rode kinda low. UHF, VHF, who knows what else antennas all over it. Painted OD though, not blue. Nice guys to talk to but you couldn't get within a hundred feet of the vehicle unless you had business there.

I built 14 or 15 of the Tamiya and early Academy (the knock off version) in a variety of configurations, including the ambulance. Need some detailing, bu they are quick and easy builds. You need two kits or an accurate set of drills to do the antenna riser since there are holes on both sides of this L shaped piece. You can back date the Tamiya with a bit os sheet stock, and spare parts. To do this you need to repalce the fenders and add bullet shaped turn signals, and replace the molded on rear signals with M-113 style signals. You'll als need to add a piece of strip stock to make the windshield a two section one.

Hi! I guess that MUTT stands for: Military Utility Tactical Truck......and here in Brazil they were called MUTT......but our army only used the M151A1 version received in 1965 during a peace force in San Domingo, along with the 82nd US Paratroop. in UN unit force.
Cheers

I do believe that Armoredsprue is correct in the anacronym.I built the early release from Tamiya,with the trailer and always wanted an engine to put in it.I think that I remember someome saying that the Acadamy version supplies this(on thier own releases,not the copies).the funny thing about these vehicles is,they were viewed as superior because they had independent suspension.Yet,after time and a few trials,after they were in production and delievered to units,that the independent suspension created an unstable vehicle over rough terrain at Certain speeds.This lead the Army to search for a better design.Ford makes great trucks but,thier cars are lacking(look at the new Ford bubble bird{sorry-thunder chicken}which is still better than the Buick Rendevious{spelling is like the car/suv/thing--ugly}).

My old office mate, a 20 year National Guard Captain, talked very fondly of his M151. He said these things could handle just about any terrain if they weren't being pushed to speed.

I always referred and heard it referred to as the "quarter-ton".

It was still a 'jeep' back in my day.... M151A1.

Building the kit is fun, it's not bad at all, but there was some scuttlebutt a few years back that a .020-.030" thick styrene disk should be inserted to lift up the rear suspension a bit. Don't recall if this was needed for the (weight of the) TOW mount.

I know that I added the two disks in the rear when I built my two many years ago.

Gunny?

Thanks,
Kevin Keefe
Mortars in Miniature

Yep - I've always added .020" punched discs to the base of the "spring" part to elevate the rear suspension. It keeps the model kit from having that "sagged butt" look as built normally, with the rear wheels scraping the top of the wheelhouse...



Other than that, the little truck just calls for some fine detailing to make it a looker. Tamiya, Academy, Legend Productions, etc., are quite similiar models, about equal starts for adding your own detail.

Gunnie