GMC Airfield Fuel Tanker Type F3 Conversion

Gaso.Line, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

FirstLook

GMC's ubiquitous 2.5 ton truck was adapted for many specialised roles during the Second World War. One of these was airfield fuel tanker.

Gaso.Line has now produced a conversion to the GMC Type F3 Airfield Fuel Tanker designed for Tamiya's gorgeous 1/48 scale Deuce and a Half kit. This conversion will be welcomed by military and aircraft modellers alike, with many possibilities for posing the truck in airfield dioramas or as a stand alone display.

Gaso.Line's 1/48 scale Fuel Tanker conversion comprises 33 parts in cream coloured resin, a length of wire and decals for one vehicle.

The resin parts are very well cast.

The focus of the conversion is the large tanker body. Thi is an impressive large single casting with hatches and other surface features cast in place. The part required very little cleanup before it is ready to use - no heavy casting blocks here.

The underside of the tanker body is ready for installation on Tamiya's metal chassis, with two raised locating lugs corresponding to the positions of the screw holes in the chassis rail.

Additional resin parts include a spare wheel and mount, body fittings, rear steps and a multitude of delicate mounts for the handrails.

0.5mm brass wire is supplied for the rails.

Decals are included for an airfield tanker too. These will be used in combination with the kit decals for the serial number and other smaller markings.

Instructions comprise construction diagrams and reference photos over four pages.

Construction Preview

I received this sample last week and decided to start straight away

The fit is generally very good, but careful preparation and regular test fitting are essential. I can offer the following observations about construction:

1. By far the trickiest part of construction is the hand rail assemblies. The small resin mounts must be drilled out to accommodate the brass wire hand rails. I used a pin vise fitted with a .5mm drill bit for this delicate task. I found that it was easier to do this before cutting the mounts from their resin casting strip. Although this job does look daunting, the resin mounts are quite robust (none broke while I was drilling them), and it can be achieved with patience. The three-dimensional result is well worthwhile too.
   
   The brass wire was threaded through the mounts before they were glued to the body.

I widened and deepened the locating holes in the body before installing the mounts. The balance of construction was very fast and trouble free.

 

2. Test fitting showed that a box cast to Tamiya's metal chassis would interfere with the fit of the resin body. This was cut off using a grinder/cutter attachment on my Dremel motor tool. Take care, as the metal chassis gets very hot during the cutting process!

3. The Tamiya kit was a sheer delight to assemble. Fit was perfect, and no problems were encountered

4. The locating lugs on the bottom of the resin body need to be drilled out to accommodate Tamiya's self-tapping screws. Next time, I would probably just super glue the resin body to the metal chassis rails.

Conclusion

Gaso.Line's 1/48 scale GMC Fuel Tanker conversion is well detailed yet fast and simple to build.

From taking the parts from Gaso.Line's box to completing the resin body took just under an hour and a half (I can prove it too, as my photos are time stamped). Building the Tamiya running gear and cab, and adding the resin body, took an additional two and a half hours.

This is not a bad investment of time in a pretty serious transformation. Paining will take considerably longer!

This conversion will be warmly welcomed by military and aircraft modellers alike.

I look forward to seeing what Gaso.Line has planned next!

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Gaso.Line for the review sample