In the past few years Value Gear Details, makers of fine generic and universal accessories for the modeling community, I believe has propelled itself into the forefront of cast resin aftermarket parts. To this point, I have had the opportunity to use many different offerings from Value Gear on several projects and I have always been pleased with both the quality, service and price of these miniature add-on accessories. Most recently I have been fortunate to receive one of the newest sets from this manufacturer ; LRDG Truck Load & Bits #3

LRDG Truck Load & Bits #3

The LRDG Truck Load & Bits #3 is a fourteen pieces solid cast resin stowage set in 1/35 scale designed for use with Tamiya’s Chevy 30 CWT LRDG Truck kit; however, this is not limited to this one kit as the most of Value Gear's offerings are of the generic nature and can fit in many different capacities. The set is sold in the standard Value Gear packaging consisting of a large Ziploc type baggie in the peg-board display configuration.

As you will see, this set is not light on detailing. The first thing you will notice upon picking up the set is the weight of the pieces. Being that the parts are cast in resin the bulkiest item, the large stowage insert is solidly cast in one-piece. The part itself is designed to slide into the bed of the Tamiya 30 CWT effortlessly and is a collection of integrated ammo boxes, tires, tarps and rolls. The underside of this large stowage piece has been created to fit directly over the wheel wells in the bed of the model. All of the moldings are superbly mastered and encompass all of the detailing that you would expect to see on the real stowage items. From the subtle wood grain of the ammunition boxes, to the slight cloth-like appearance of the tarps and rolls including the two spare tire moldings contained within, all of the components have been sculpted and subsequently cast crisply and show little to no flash and/or seam lines into the surface detailing.

Included in this set are two slightly smaller castings with tarp rolls and boxes designed to be possibly placed at the back end of the truck bed. Again, these pieces have been sculpted beautifully and show fine detailing in both the simulation of wood and cloth materials giving this piece a sense of realism. In addition to these two parts, there are three smaller combinations including boxes, tarps and even a set of three gas cans molded together with a folded tarp on top. The only flash I witness on these pieces was a small amount on the bottom side of the gas cans. This is easily removed with a light sanding.

Moving on, there is a single gas can with a small folded tarp on top of it. All of the gas can that can be seen have the same indented markings seen on the original cans. The set also include a stowed tent piece with tent poles and a long tarp looking section which would be the tent. Finally, there is one single canvas duffel, a set of small boxes molded to some rolls, a pair of stacked wood planks and two wooden posts. As with the other parts described herein, these parts are cleanly cast and have excellent detailing.

Conclusion

Value Gear keeps hitting the mark of the Gold Standard when it comes to cast resin accessories and with the LRDG Truck Load & Bits #3 fit right into this standard. The sculpting and production of parts which simulate stowage in the bed of the 30 CWT LRDG Truck model is top notch. The additional extra pieces given in this set only compliment the main bulk stowage insert if so chosen to use. There is no set way to use this accessory…all or just a portion can be added, basically to your personal taste of what you are looking to do. The shipping service provide from Value Gear is impeccable as they ship any orders quickly and direct. Finally, the “value” in Value Gear hold true with the pricing of this set. Twenty dollars ($20 US) is a more than reasonable cost for what you get for with quality of detailing and size of this set. I highly recommend this set to anyone building Tamiya’s Chevy 30 CWT LRDG Truck kit or even if you could find use for the pieces in some fashion other than in the back of the truck but in a diorama or vignette setting.

Highly Recommended!