British Universal Carrier Mk.II
1:48 Scale - Kit No.32516
First Look by Terry Ashley
The is moulded in the familiar olive drab plastic for allied subjects and consists of 103 parts which includes two full figures plus the decal and instruction sheets.
The standard of mounding is typical Tamiya with clean crisp parts with a minimum of pin marks in places that will be seen after assembly with any that are visible are very shallow and easy to deal with.
The detail on the parts is generally very good with very fine bolt head and surface details with the breakdown of parts similar to their 1:35 UC but that is not to say the parts have just been reduced as the breakdown of this simple vehicle is fairly logical and after doing it once, why re-invent the wheel?
The detail on some parts is simplified some what compared to the larger 1:35 parts as you might expect with none more so than with the suspension which we will get to shortly.
The lower hull plate has the two hull sides as separate parts with internal details added and the forward compartment bulkhead and rear plate are trapped between them to form the basic hull structure.
The rear front compartment bulkhead has additional seat backs and Commander’s seat added with the lower seats and gear lever added to the floor as well as two small instrument panels and steering wheel on the front plate to provide the basics detail wise but as is Tamiya’s want, not foot pedals.
Other internal details include separate radios with nice details plus mounting bracket and aerial mounts as well as an additional crew seat, small fire extinguishes and storage box in the rear compartment. There are also some nice weapons to add with two Enfield .303s, a Thompson and two Bren LMGs, one to stow in the rear and one with mount attachment for the front weapons station. The detail on these weapons is really very good especially for this smaller scale and only need thin slings attached to really look the part.
As with the larger 1:35 UC kit the front compartment plate is a fair bit over scale in thickness but probably the best that can be done in this smaller scale and includes crisp details on both sides and just a couple of small pin marks to be removed.
A separate glacis has the two bullet splash strips plus the two front tow shackles included but the rear of the shackles are solid where joined to the plate and lack definition.
The rear engine compartment has the two sides and top panel separate with bevelled edges that form nice clean joins when assembled and this assembly fits snugly into the rear compartment.
At the rear are a two part differential and lower rear plate with separate towing attachment with separate upper rear plate and additional separate exhaust pipes again with a good fit of parts.
The typical rear storage bin and draped canvas cover are nicely done and should look good with careful painting and weathering while at the front are separate two part head light and smaller position lights. The right one is attached to the water can on the fender which is a simplification and there is the spare road wheel and wound up tow cable on the glacis.
The side fenders and crew steps are separate parts with the bottom edges of the forward fenders bevelled for a better scale appearance.
So far it’s been fairly good news but the same can’t be said for the suspension units which have the full track runs, drive sprocket, idler, return roller and road wheels moulded in one piece per side. Added to this are four suspension spring units with this whole assembly then simply attached to the hull sides.
Unfortunately the moulded on tracks don’t bare any resemblance to the real tracks with only half the number of links (or less) and no detail on the links or link faces. Added to this the guide teeth are joined to form solid V sections without any gap between the inner and outer teeth and not to be unkind but from a modeller's viewpoint are quite pitiful.
Aftermarket companies may produce resin replacement tracks but they will also have to provide new drive, idler and road wheels as it is virtually impossible to remove the moulded on track from the kit wheels.
Also included are two full figures, one standing Commander and seated driver
figure wearing typical British khaki battle dress and berets.
The Commander has the full body in one piece with separate arms and head with
the uniform details nicely done for this scale and medium but the left pointing
arm looks a little over sized compared to the right arm but overall is a nice
looking figure.
The seated driver has the upper body/head and lower body/legs separate with
separate arms and due to the confined spaces in the model has quite strange/deformed
looking legs/buttocks. If you are going to use the driver figure you will have
to fit him during assembly as it will be impossible to fit afterwards.
Decals:
These are again typical Tamiya with well printed details with good colour register
and slightly thickish carrier film.
Markings for four Carriers are included with unit and tac signs, vehicle numbers, allied stars and additional items like the red/white/red recognition panels.
Conclusion:
Overall this is a nice little model with fairly simple breakdown, good fit
and details on the parts such as those on the weapons but the tracks are
toy like and let down the final appearance.
But not withstanding this and some simplified details it is bound to be a popular model for 1:48 fans and it’s good to see a British vehicle this early in the series.
Decal sheet
The Sprues
Click on thumbnail for larger view
Detail images
Close new window to return to review
References:
 |
Universal Carrier 1936-48 Good overall coverage of the Universal Carrier. |
 |
Universal Carrier Mk.I/II Includes many images from the technical and workshop manuals to privide excellent external and interior details. |
 |
Ground Power Magazine No.90 11/2001 GALILEO Publishing Co.,Ltd |
 |
Ground
Power Magazine |
Page created 23 July 2005