Drivers!!
In my researchs on the Internet, I stumbled on this profile, from the famous truck Studebaker US-6, so beloved by the Soviets in WWII. It was enough to stoke my desire for rare things....
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| Studebaker US6 U-3 with snow-plow |
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| Studebaker US-6 U-3 ICM - (#35511) box art kit |
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| Studebaker US6 Corrected Wheels (ICM) - TWS 0060 |
And of course, tons of plastic, sweat and fun ...
History
The Studebaker US6 (M16A) is a class of 2.5-ton trucks manufactured by
Studebaker during World War II, produced in the United States from 1941-1945 and in the Soviet Union beginning in 1942.
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| Studebaker US6 U-3 with American marks |
The US6 had a
Hercules built six-cylinder gasoline engine that produced 94 horsepower (70 kW), with a five-speed transmission plus a two speed transfer case.
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| Hercules engine |
The Soviet Union received almost all of the 105,000 trucks from production model 6x6 as well as most of the 90,000 6x4 produced, becoming the symbol of Law & Lend Lease. In Russia, the Studebakers were known as "Studer". They were extremely popular, due to its robustness, ability to receive loads beyond those provided and the ability to "digest" any type of gasoline.
Large numbers of
Lend-Lease Studebaker trucks were sent into the Soviet Union via the
Persian Corridor. The Soviets found them a good platform for "Stalin Organ"
Katyusha rocket launchers, although it was not their prime use in the Soviet Union.
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| Studebaker US6 with BM-13 Katyusha |
It fulfilled many roles in the Red Army, such as pulling artillery and was renowned for its ruggedness and reliability. The truck came in 13 variations, as 6x6 and 6x4, with short (148in.) and long (162in.) wheelbase, with and w/o winch, as cargo and dump truck and as tractor.
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| Studer towing a 76mm russian gun |
Studebaker US6 trucks were also used in the construction of the
Burma Road as well as the
Alcan Highway in North America.
Specs:
| Studebaker US6 U-3 |
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| Type | 2 1⁄2-ton 6x6 truck |
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| Place of origin | United States of America |
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| Production history |
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| Designer | Studebaker |
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| Manufacturer | Studebaker and REO |
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| Produced | 1941–1945 |
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| No. built | 81.535 (U-3) |
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| Specifications (U-3 Cargo) |
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| Weight | 4,479 kg empty |
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| Length | 8.51 m |
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| Width | 2.24 m |
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| Height | 2.69 m overall |
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| Engine | Hercules JXD- 6 cyl.
5.240cc 86 hp (64 kW)
at 2.400 rpm |
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| Transmission | 5 spd. x 2 range trf. case |
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| Suspension | Beam axles on leaf springs |
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Operational range
| 380 km |
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| Speed | 72 km/h |
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The kit building:
As I said, the kit was this:
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| The initial release of this kit, with the defective treads wheels |
I built the Studer following the instructions until almost the end, replacing the (wrong) wheels kit by the wheels from TWS in resin.
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| Studer US6 - replacing the wheels |
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| Studer US6 - belly view |
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| The TWS correction kit is complete.... |
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| Studer US6 - cargo bed |
To make the snow-plow blade and its accessories, I drew the profile truck in scale 1/35:
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| Studer US6 with snow-plow profile |
I made the blade with plasticard and reinforced the edges with metal wire. This is the thing:
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| The snow blade is growing... |
To adapt the snow device in the Studer´s chassi, I glued the ventral blades in paper on plasticard sheets.
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| Templates of reinforcement blades |
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| Done!! |
Using metal wires and low power weld to make the "fork" of the blade. The alignment is critical...
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| Welding the fork... |
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| Another view... |
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| The complete device under weld... |
With plasticard strips, I connected and reinforced the connection between the fork and the snow blade. Superglue and epoxi !!
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| The snow-blade... |
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| Snow plow: front view |
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| Snow-plow: notice the device bars under the Studer´s chassi |
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| The snow-plow in place... |
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| Front view: notice the forks under the front bumper... |
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| ...and the forks with the reinforcement blades, in the Studer´s chassi |
After building the structure, I started the detailing of the blade. Chains and skis...
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| Chains in the blade and hooks... |
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| ...and the skis. |
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| Side view |
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| Front view |
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| ..and rear view of snow-plow. |
Size comparison with Studer and CCKW:
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| Two bad trucks!!! |
Now, it´s color time; Olive-drab under lend-lease!!!
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| Olive drab in the russky truck. |
I decided to make these arcs in the cargo area, to reinforce the sides of the body:
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| Canvas arcs in the cargo body... |
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| Done...and painted!! |
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| The inspiration for my winter cammo |
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| Starting the cammo: Zebra winter cammo. |
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| masking with paper tape... |
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| Painting with fade white... |
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| Done !! I like it!!! |
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| Studebaker number 2. |
Studebaker US¨U-3 snow-plow number 2, belonging to 2nd Battalion, 181st Tank Brigade, 18th Tank Corps. Russian Front, Winter - 1943.
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| Great 181st Tank brigade!!! By Motherland!!! |
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| Cutting paper tape to protect the canvas from metal arcs... |
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| The paper tape will be here... using cyanoacrilate!!! |
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| In position... |
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| Canvas made with tracing-paper and PVA glue... |
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| Still wet... |
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| After the PVA glue dried, the "canvas" in position |
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| Rear view... |
Placing some
Value Gear details.
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| Choosing the accessories... |
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| Painted and put in position... |
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| Mooring the canvas... |
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| Done... |
Well, after a discret weathering, let's see the Studebaker US6 U-3 6x6 snow-plow number 2, in duty with 2nd Battalion, 181st Tank Brigade, 18th Tank Corps. Russian Front, Winter - 1943.
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Studebaker US6 U-3 6x6 snow-plow number 2 - 2nd Battalion
181st Tank Brigade - 18th Tank Corps. Russian Front, Winter - 1943. |
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Studebaker US6 U-3 6x6 snow-plow number 2 - 2nd Battalion
181st Tank Brigade - 18th Tank Corps. Russian Front, Winter - 1943. |
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Studebaker US6 U-3 6x6 snow-plow with Kojak and
Rover, the dog. |
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Studebaker US6 U-3 6x6 snow-plow number 2 - 2nd Battalion
181st Tank Brigade - 18th Tank Corps. Russian Front, Winter - 1943. |
what a great scratch !!! fantastic original and very well built, congrats
ResponderExcluirhubert
Thanks, Hubert !!!
ResponderExcluirThanks for your incentive!!!!
Big hugs.
Perfect work and great finish !
ResponderExcluirThanks, Przemo !!!
ResponderExcluirall the best !!!
Very interesting idea. Do you still have links to the original photos or story you saw that inspired you to make this model?
ResponderExcluirIt looks like this is something you could replicate with an actual truck, but I think it would work with the plow able to move up and down slightly, pivoting at that rear plate and the plow lifted and lowered with a mechanism connected to a PTO. It only needs to lift up a small amount to clear the road when traveling and as for when it's lowered, you could add weights on the plow blade to keep it from bouncing off the road when plowing. A definite, no hydraulics, low tech operation. It would be interesting to see if it would work in real life.
ResponderExcluirThanks, Leo.
About the font of the work, was a book in russian, with the drawings only...No pics or profiles...only the 3 view drawing that i reproduce in my post.
indeed, the only adjustment of the blade are their own weight and the joint on the truck chassis. Skates help distribute the weight ...
More primitive or Spartan impossible !!! But I think it would be functional ...
Dear Sir,
ResponderExcluirMay I kindly ask a tutorial of how to use tracing paper and PVA glue to produce the canvas covers of the trucks? Very appreciated for your help.
Hi, my friend!!
ExcluirYou can see more details about this technique here, on Bunker.
Go to the article about the Ford G917T double cabin, for more pictures...
But I will describe the steps, for you.
Material used: tracing paper, water-based PVA glue, a flat, wide and soft brush, plastic soda caps.
Method for making a tarpaulin over a vehicle bed:
- cut the tracing paper to the desired size, for your use
- put a quantity of pure PVA glue in the plastic soda cap, in another cap, some clean water and in another cap a solution of 50% water and 50% PVA glue.
- with the brush, apply the 50% glue+water solution to one side of the tracing paper. You will notice that the paper will start to wrinkle and soften...
- while the paper is damp, apply pure glue to the surface that will be covered, generally the arches that support the canvas. If the surface to be covered is very large, apply pure glue only to the edges of the surface, to allow the paper to "deform" more freely.
- apply the tracing paper over the bucket arches, with the wet side of the glue-water solution facing downwards, in contact with the arches
- with your fingers moistened with water, carefully smooth and press the tracing paper over the arches, avoiding tearing the paper (which is softened by the glue+water solution.)
- don't worry about small folds and wrinkles that may appear: when the paper dries, it contracts, smoothing out these details a little... but it's these wrinkles that give the process a real appearance...
- at the same time as you "smooth" the paper over the arches, you can apply a layer of glue+water on the side that has not yet received the tracing paper glue... use the brush to model the wrinkles and folds...
- with the paper already "wet" (both sides), fold the canvas, completely or partially closing the bucket. At this stage you will give the final shapes to your canvas.
- Watch the paper dry...You will notice that the canvas stretches and contracts. Therefore, it is important not to apply the canvas too tightly when it is still wet...
The process may seem complicated, but it is not. I suggest testing on a prototype, until you master the technique more instinctively...
You can also use this method to make canvas rolls, cargo covers, etc. I suggest you take a look at the various articles here at Bunker, especially those about trucks, to see more examples...
Hope this helps. Your idea was noted...I'll try to make a video about it soon. A big hug and if you have any questions, get back to me. A big hug and good modeling!!!