Introduction

Bronco Models can never be accused of sitting on their Loral’s as they keep is going back for more and more models of the Jeep or ¼ ton truck as they title it. This offering is I believe the third rendition of the Jeep and I believe will have great appeal if for no other reason than the figures that accompany this release.

Contents

This model is packaged in what is now the standard Bronco Models style of a cardboard tray and card lid with a very nice artwork printed on it. Inside the box you will find;

• An instruction booklet
• A piece of paper with an instruction correction
• 11 green sprues
• 10 grey sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 jeep body
• 2 photo etched frets
• 2 decal sheets
• A print of the box artwork

Review

I am starting this review with a general overview of the contents; the moulded parts are of the usual very high standards that Bronco Models produces. After a good look at the mouldings I do not see any issues of note, I did not even notice any flow lines in the parts. The parts on the sprues are well laid out and I believe these will be easy to remove while obviously taking care with the very fine moulding of some parts. One aspect I particularly like is that all of the figures have their own sprue which makes life easier for us. So a well done to Bronco Models for getting the basics right and providing us with a good starting point.

Instructions
The instructions are provided in the form of an A4 sized booklet printed on good quality semi gloss paper. The front cover has a reproduction of the box artwork and a short introduction on the product written by Phil Greenwood, the introduction is printed in English, German and Chinese. On the inside the instructions start with the usual icon guide which is worth taking note of. There is also a colour chart which provides a guide for the use of various manufacturers paints and also the colour name should your paint of choice not be listed. The manufacturers covered are;

• Mr Hobby
• Hobby Color
• Humbrol
• Tamiya

The next page provides a sprue and parts breakdown; this being the third edition of the Jeep there are a few pieces listed as not for use but nothing like the half box of spares sometimes left after a Dragon Model is complete. From here you get into the instructions proper with construction of the model covered in 32 stages; the construction stages are nicely laid out with no obvious issues I could see and it uses black and white line drawings to show the way. The last five pages cover the painting of the included British Airborne Troops and the painting and addition of decals to the Jeep. The only downside I can see from the instructions is a personal pet hate; I would have liked to see the painting instructions for the figures to have been images of the assembled figures rather than an artwork.

The ¼ ton Truck
Anyone who has built any of the previous ¼ ton trucks (Jeep) kits from Bronco Models will feel at home with this one from the off. The areas that I feel are worthy of mention are the detailed engine, gearbox and drives, these areas have been well detailed and while they will not be seen in most cases they do create options and do away with the need of aftermarket detail sets. The single piece chassis is detailed while still insuring everything is square. The wheels are nicely detailed with a good representation of the rough terrain tyre tread pattern and written detail on the side walls. Another nice and note worthy item with the wheels is that Bronco Models provides the option of accurately displaying the front wheels turning left or right or straight on.

One area where I would seriously consider an aftermarket product are the lights; please don’t get me wrong the clear lenses supplied by Bronco Models are perfectly adequate for the purpose but I feel the SKP lenses and taillights set will be an improvement. The interior of the vehicle has also been well detailed with the moulded creases in the canvas seats and screen cover being particularly note worthy. The seats look to be accurate to me with the drivers’ seat being placed over the vehicles fuel tank; am I the only that shudders at the thought of entering a war zone in an un-armoured vehicle sat on a fuel tank? The only details missing that I could find is the lubrication chart and its holder which is mounted on the underside of the bonnet on the drivers’ side and the first aid box which is mounted under the dash board on the passengers side.

The tools, weapons and jerry cans supplied with the model look good with the only downside being the barrels needing to be drilled to further improve them in some cases. While on the subject of weapons; there are a number of them listed as not being used but looking through the sprues here is a list of what I found;

• 6 Vickers k machine guns
• 4 Bren guns
• 3 Thompson machine guns
• 3 folding stock Sten guns
• 1 wooden stock Sten gun
• 10 SMLE rifles
• 1 US M1 rifle
• 2 Webley revolvers 1of which is holstered
• 4 holstered 1911 colts

There is also a mix of equipment which can be used or not to make this model your own along with that mix of weapons. The tools do not have moulded on clamp detail which is supplied as photo etched parts which will please many of you reading this. The jerry cans have been seen many times and as is now usual for high quality scale jerry cans Bronco Models has supplied photo etched seam detail for them along with separate lids, handles and a pouring spout.

10 CWT Trailer
The trailer is not the poor cousin in this offering as Bronco Models has gone to town on this area of the model. The trailer has some great detail such as the road tyre tread pattern, the braking system is fully replicated on the underside of the trailer and the wiring loom for the lights. The straps on the inside of the trailer has been replicated with photo etched parts which allows the modeller to add some stowage if desired; perhaps loaded with ammunition for the Airborne 6pdr which is also being released. There are even photo etched hooks supplied for the tie down points for a canvas cover if you wish to add one. All of this means that the modeller has a base kit that is easy to make your own. It should be noted that the correction sheet in the box is for the trailer construction and corrects issues with the suspension construction.

Figures
The eight British Airborne Troops supplied in this set all look good with a nice selection of stances. The breakdown of parts is the same for most of the figure which is;

• 2 arms
• 2 legs
• Upper torso
• Lower torso
• Head
• Head wear

The uniform looks accurate for the period to me, and has nice crease detail and hang of the clothing. The netted helmets with hessian strips look very good but will require careful painting to get the most from them. The facial and hand detail is fair for the most part and I suspect the figure modellers will be chasing after them. My only concerns with the figures is that the soles of the boots are visible for a number of the figures and no sole detail is present, and the chin straps look a little on the thick side.

There are three backpacks included with the figures which can be used if desired but are not required as the figures they are intended for are detailed in the area that will be covered up. One area where Bronco Models are ahead of the field is the inclusion of decals for their figure offerings and that is excluding the fact that they are in the minority when it comes to providing figures with their kits. This I believe is another couple of plus points for Bronco Models.

The last inclusion in this area is a wicker basket which is a welcome if unexpected inclusion, I am not aware of wicker baskets being used with glider troops and so I am at a loss to explain it unless it is item that has been found and utilised by the troops. My only other niggle as mentioned earlier is that the instruction covering assembly and painting of the figures are artwork rather than pictures of the figures; on this occasion the images do not do the provided figures any justice as the actual figures are very good in my opinion and would have looked far superior..

Decals
The decals provided for the jeep are of a good quality with the Pegasus emblem being particularly eye catching and the inclusion of a bridge plate decal also being good to see. The finishing options cover 2 Divisions and 6 Battalions which are;

• 1st Airborne Division
  • 1st Battalion, Border Regt
  • 2nd Battalion, South Stafford Regt
  • 7 Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Border Regt

• 6th Airborne Division
  • 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regt
  • 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
  • 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles

The decals for the figures are also of a high standard and consists of;

• Airborne wings
• 4 pairs of Lance Corporal stripes
• 4 pairs of Corporal stripes
• 2 pairs of Sgt’s strips
• 2 Parachute Regt cap badges

Conclusion

This may be the third outing of a ¼ ton truck from Bronco Models but it has most certainly got a lot of appeal. The vehicle itself is excellent overall as is the trailer, the included British Airborne figures are icing on the cake for what is literally a diorama in a box begging to be built. The photo etched parts which in some cases are very small and will test a number of modellers, me included.

Related links

1942 GPW 1/4 ton 4X4 in-box Review by Russ Amott Live links
WWII US Truck Crew Set review by D Baker Live links
1942 GPW 1/4 ton truck build review by Russ Amott Live links
Lights for Willy's MB Live links