Wehrmacht Studebaker US6, soft-top cab. 1944 Hungary.

I wanted to build this truck since many years as it is very interesting for me.
As we know the Soviet Army was the main user of the Studebaker trucks, they got the largest number of the production under the Lend Lease aid. This US6 is a rare soft-top version, introduced as a development for material saving and easier shipping. But the Soviets asked the continuing of hard-top cab production because the very cold Russian winters. Many of the Studebaker trucks captured by the Wehrmacht and painted the US olivedrab colour over by some German dark yellow patches or lines, like this. I left one of the wheels, as many of this trucks visible on orginal photograps, because tyre shortage.
The original photo made here in Hungary in 1944.

Bronco Opel Olympia, hardtop. Captured by US Army.

Well I finished something at least! I just wanted to practicing and enjoying an easy bulid, so this tiny car seemed to be a good choice for a quick build. Sadly, I can’t say it’s a perfect kit (Is there any?) as it has a few bad points. For example: the real car doesn’t have that inner part of the fenders which the kit has; the doors are a bit  large to fit in. May I’d did a few detailing here and there, but I didn’t want to waste my time too mach…
As I have main interest if the sofskin vehicles of the U. S. Armed Forces I decided to paint this Olympia in O. D. colour as a captured vehicle. The interior of the car remained German Grey. The Wehrmacht used thousands of Opels passanger cars and a lot of them fell into the hand of the Allies. This is one of them. I don’t have any original photo of the exact car, but my idea wasn’t to do that. I just wanted to build one by a mix of my ideas, and I enjoyed it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!

Minimanfactory CUCV. The current status.

I finished the interior and just put together with the chassis. I have had a big fight with the windows as thre are a lot of them – Oh man, I just hated them! I had to build the went wing windows, as the kit doesn’t have it. It was a nightmare to fit the chassis with the body, but a I’ve done at least! I’m not so satisfied with my own work, but I think the overall look is not so bad. Yep, it’s not too bad but far from perfect. The weathering is my last hope…

Christmas treasures

Christmas was cool, we found some kits under the tree! Airplanes for the kids and a Simca 5 for daddy. Petra and Barnus enjoyed the fast completing work, Chupacabra and Dusty builted under an hour. Petra could not stop after the fat airplane, he started an old Italaerei Jimmy immediately! My girl! :)

Opels in colour

The family went away from home for a few days let me alone to do something. Well, I picked up the airbrush and sprayed the Opels.  Anyway, I changed my original idea right before I begun to mix the colours… Both will be a captured car, used by the U.S. Army and Air Corps. I will paint the closed one in German Grey (lightened) overpainted by O. D. The open topped Olympia was used by its original colour, only a white star was  applied by the G.I.’s on the doors. I really love to build these two little cars.

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