Introduction

Tankograd Publishing has sent Armorama a copy of their U.S. WW II Dodge WC51-WC52 Weapons Carrier publication, this is the second new addition to the Tankograd Publishing Technical Manual Series.

Review

This Technical Manual from Tankograd Publishing consists of 48 pages that are bound in a glossy card cover. There are the best part of 200 images packed into the 48 pages in the form of period photographs, restored vehicle photographs, technical drawings and prints. The text in the book is all in English unlike a large number of other series from Tankograd Publishing which are duel language. What most would think of as conventional text only covers two pages, but do not let that deter you as each of the images and photographs has excellent descriptive text accompanying them.

The book is laid out in a logical order, making it easy for the reader to find the information they are looking for, or if reading cover to cover keeps the information in an east to follow format. The sections breakdown as follows;

• History and Development
• Driver’s Compartment, Controls and Instruments
• Engine, Power Train and Suspension
• Driver’s Compartment, Body and Equipment
• Air Transport
• Deep Water Fording Equipment
• Dodge ¾ ton, 4x4 Truck (Canadian) General Service, Airportable/Wadeproofed

The technical manuals from Tankograd Publishing are an excellent resource for the modeller in general and an absolute must have for the ultra detailing fraternity in the hobby. The biggest plus of these publications are that they put a great amount of detail at your finger tips for a very affordable price. While the range currently available from Tankograd Publishing in this series is not huge, it is growing at a steady rate. I highly recommend that you check out the available titles when wanting to get a model just so, or are looking for that abstract piece of information, as there is a very good chance that it will be between the covers. I also believe it would be very hard if not impossible to find the wealth of information in this book for a better price.

The period photographs in the book cover use of the Dodge WC51-WC52 Weapons Carrier during World War 2 and the Korean War, despite these images being 60 to 70 years of age, they are very clear and offer a hoist of display and diorama ideas for the modeller. The technical drawings and images cover everything from the complete chassis to the various information plates that were on the vehicle.

Conclusion

When I first looked at a book in the Technical Manual Series I didn’t appreciate what it offered; however once I had a model of a vehicle that had been covered in this series their value becomes obvious. These books are definitely a must have if they have covered a vehicle of which a model of is on your horizon. Since starting to review these titles for Tankograd Publishing on the KitMaker Network I have started to pick up the earlier releases at shows and events I attend, because I never know when that model will appeal to me, and as details and accuracy have become more important to me this series saves me time and frayed nerves.