PMMS
C.G.M Productions C.G.M Productions
C.G.M Productions
Dodge WC21 Weapons Carrier (Kit No.001a)
Dodge WC15 Command Car (Kit No.008a)

Reviews by Terry Ashley

The Dodge 1/2ton WC series of vehicles has long been overlooked by manufacturers with only Italeri producing a couple of the later 3/4ton types (and a re-release of the MAX WC54 Ambulance) and recently Skybow with their superb 3/4ton WC 51,57 & 63 kits, these thankfully will be re-released shortly under the AFV Club label.
There have also been a few resin kits of WC types such as the WC54 Carryall from S-Model and possibly others that escape me but kits of the early 1/2ton WC types have been very thin on the ground.

C.G.M. Productions from France have released a couple of full resin kits of the 1/2ton WC15 Command Car and WC21 Weapons Carriers; these were the precursor to the wartime 3/4ton WC series.

As the two kits share many parts, I will look at both kits together with a rundown of the common and individual parts for the two kits.

Kit No.001a the WC21 Weapons Carrier has 62 resin parts, a small etched fret and a small decal sheet while kit No.008a the WC15 Command Car has 60 resin parts plus a small etched fret and decal sheet.
The etched parts are fairly plain by today’s standards but do provide additional details that would be heavy if included as resin parts while the decals are well printed with thin carrier film and provide markings for one vehicle each.

WC21 Decal sheet and Etched parts
C.G.M Productions
WC15 Decal sheet and Etched parts
C.G.M Productions

The parts are cast in a light cream resin and feature some very small parts as well as the larger body castings. The quality of the resin is okay but the details are a little soft in places and there is cleaning up required with some excess resin on the smaller parts and some mould lines requiring attention but overall there is no warping or air holes. There are some internal sir holes that don’t break the surface so check these before attempting to “fill” them.

When removing the casting blocks take care with some of the smaller parts as it is difficult to tell where the casting blocks end and the parts begin. The details on the parts are quite nice with good tread plate pattern, wood grain effect and details on the smaller parts.

Both kits have a separate chassis with individual components for the suspension and axles as well as a full engine. The engine is very well detailed with separate exhaust manifolds, air cleaner, carburettor, alternator and front fan assembly with the body having a separate hood to show off the engine if you wish, with the hood having louver detail on both sides.

The assembly of the chassis and suspension will require care as some of the location points are not that well defined and as mentioned the detail is a little soft on some parts.

The main body of the Command Car is a single casting with the details on the dashboard and firewall included, the rear luggage compartment is hollowed out with a separate door. The pouring points for the resin are all on the bottom of the casting so as not to spoil the upper details but this does leave a bit of cleaning up around the lower edges of the body.

The front body of the Weapons Carrier also has the dashboard and firewall included with the rear cargo bay in one piece with separate rear flap and is moulded free from any warping with etched tie downs along the side panels.

The front fenders, lower side walls of the engine compartment and engine radiator are included in a single casting which keeps this whole assembly correctly aligned during assembly.

Separate seats are provided for the interior as well as separate gear levers and foot pedals for good definition of the details. The seats in the Command Car also have separate seat frames and supports with the etched parts added smaller details inside and outside of the vehicles, but again some cleanup of the small parts is required. The two rear ‘bumpers’ are provided as etched parts but care will be needed when bending this as no guides are provided.

The instructions provided are a little vague especially with the Weapons Carrier which only has eight photos of the model during construction without any text instructions. This makes assembly tricky unless you have previous experience assembling this type of vehicle.
The instructions with the Command Car are a little better in having small photos of the real vehicle and diagrams showing the assembly of each section of the model, but there is again no text with the instructions.

Conclusion:
These kits are not for the inexperienced modeller, while the resin parts have nice details they do require some cleaning up and the vague instructions make assembly tricky.
Good references will help during assembly as will previous experience in working with resin kits, but with a bit of effort and patience nice models will result.

The Resin Bits
Click for larger view
Common
partsC.G.M Productions
WC21
partsC.G.M Productions
WC15
partsC.G.M Productions
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C.G.M Productions
Route de Bédarieux
34650 LUNAS
SIRET 441 976 487 00013 - APE 295N
FRANCE
Phone/Fax 0033 4 67 237813



Page created 22 June 2003

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