35th scale Dodge D15

Canadian workhorse

Original: Dodge is famous for the wartime line of all terrain light trucks that was standard equipment for the U.S. Army. 3/4 ton 4x4 up to the 1,5 ton 6 wheeler. The D15 was an earlier variant in the pre-war and early war years. The 1939 T-series was the father of the D15, using a lot of standard pre-war components and design lines. The military use is visible in a lot of ways. They served throughout the war mainly in the Canadian army. This distinct puffed up cloud of a truck is an iconic design.

Model: Wespe "ready to paint", re-boxed Roy modells (1990's master) resin kit.

Build: April 2021 to November 2021. Base coat is a Tamiya olive drab with a splash of deck tan in it, with an under shade of dark grey. Wheels and details are acrylics painted on, decals from the spare's box. A wash with a mixture of blue and brown oil paint and very thin layer of light brown sprayed all over to tone down the colors and buff everything. Many little repairs and changes, tail part of the chassis shortened, headlight repositioned, etc. and the front wheels steerable.

September 4 2021

So, let's get it into it's color. a pre shade and than a paler olive drab. A splash of deck tam into Tamiya's olive drab. And the controle pictures reveal (again) bubles, cast lines and the clean up of Wespe. So, filling, sanding an re-spraying. The pre-shade is almost gone. The decals are from the spare box, a tank unit that was active in the Netherlands. And the 61 is a number I like. Next year I'll be 61 and I was born in 1961.

August 22 2021

Gasoline tanks fitted an repaired. Simply filled with (sanded down) superglue and strips of plastic sheet.

August 15 2021

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August 14 2021

The headlights in the kit are to far up the fender, and to far out. In reality it's quite a dent in the fender, and originally they came with only one. That gives it a distinct pirate like look. Suits this truck well!

August 9-13 2021

Several small details, cargo bay and sparewheel added and fixed, and yes, the box beneath the spare is genuine! It's on a few period pictures. No idea why they made the recessed piece in this storage box. It belongs with the recessed piece to the rear. One of the gasoline tanks got distored in the casting proces.

August 8 2021

The inside of the cab is painted with a mixture of acrylics, drybrushed for extra detail. and the distinct bonnet details highlighted as a test to see if they're intact and correct. Driveline and exhaust fixed. Notice the holes in the cab for the civilian side lights.

May 29 2021

A running chassis with the front wheels steerable. Essential to me. The total picture is to check the overal apperance.

May 6 2021

A cleaned chassis without the warp it had (gone bye a dive in hot water) and a cab in the first stage of cleaning it. The connection to the headlights I sanded of. They seem to be not on this spot and to high up.

April 27 2021

Wel, it's not bad, but it neads a lot of cleaning smal scratches and details. Mayor thing to me: the windows are way to deep. The sturdy cast is logical with a kit this age and is ok with me, but it makes the doors seem like they are as thick as a panther's front glacis. Sanding away that amound of resin can only be done with protective actions. Resin fibers are harmfull. The black shade is to check if it's flat enough and the shape is good enough. All this rough work breakes the steps, but they where to round anyway. This kit is from the early days of resin when even the plastic kits sported massive springs and axles. You don't see a lot of it, but the big blocks conecting the springs to the chassis must come of.

April 24 2021

A friend buys a genuine D15, and I know I have one in my stash. Ow well, why not start another build of this magnificent beast. The Dodge D15 was promised by Airfix in the 80's in 35th scale. They advertised with it, and than it got silent. My first walkaround set of pictures ever sported a rusty derilict surviver in an Autotron sale day somewhere 1978. And o wonder I have not one but 2 resin kits waiting for decades to build my own wonderfully puffed up cloud of a truck. Roy models was re-issued by Wespe. Their box says "ready to paint" so let's see about that.