Hasegawa IJA Gas Truck (OOB)

[Faust]

I’m only relatively new to the world of armour modelling, and most of what I’ve got is old Matchbox and Fujimi 1/76 kits. These are fun little gems that largely build well, fast and simply. I am not into the armour for the superdetailing of it all; I just pick designs that are cool-looking, unusual or funky (or a Matchbox).  I don’t really care if it’s a truck, tank, SP gun or command/recon car, if it arouses my interest, I’ll give it a shot.

That’s why I surprised myself when I picked up my newest armour acquisition, the old Hasegawa 1/72 Isuzu TX-40 fuel truck. I mean, it’s not all that elegant or unusual; it’s just a gas truck. However, something about it called out to me and I’m glad it did. This kit is sometimes bundled with Hasegawa’s 1/72 Japanese aircraft, in order to create a diorama set. It’s certainly a good choice for it.

However, I didn’t buy it for a diorama. I just bought it because it seems to me that everyone forgets the important role that simple little trucks have in wartime, whether it was in WWII or even now. I wanted to have a little display piece that would remind everyone, including me, that there was more to ground combat than tanks and mobile guns.  I wanted to immortalize the oft-disregarded vehicles toiling behind the scenes.

Check out this little old kit at the link below. Sure, it’s simple, but I think it’ll be fun!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/hasegawa-172-isuzu-tx-40-fuel-truck-out-of-box/
 

[ChrisBcritter]

Nice surprise to see this little truck again!

Hasegawa produced this truck much earlier than the 1987 copyright; I bought one in the late 1970s to kitbash into this:

'36 Ford bus in U.S. Army colors. I used the front clip and wheels from the fuel truck and modified the grille to taper like a Ford; the rest was a widened and heightened Mini-Lindy school bus body. It was intended to be a background miniature for my Pearl Harbor movie project that never got made other than the models.

No real detail underneath but you can see how it was done:

The truck itself is a nice little kit; you could scratchbuild a cab and make other conversions with it.

[Faust]

Man, that's a great kitbash! I love the recontouring of the grille - nicely done!

I can't believe you got it to work so seamlessly!

I do so wish they'd reissue the mini-Lindys too...