1:35 M-151 FAV conversion set

M-151 FAV in 1:35 from Black Dog

This item is not a vehicle kit but an add-on conversion set for modelers who want to build the American M151 light cross-country car in the form of a lightened fast attack vehicle. It is added to a model of the base vehicle in 1:35 and moves its appearance toward the equipment these vehicles carried in the field.

The real subject

The M151, known by the nickname MUTT, was an American light cross-country car with all-wheel drive that replaced the older types derived from the Jeep from the end of the 1950s. Against them it had a unit-body hull and independent suspension on all four wheels, so it was faster and more agile off road. It served for decades with American units and with a number of allied armies and became the basis of a whole family of modifications, from signals vehicles to carriers for recoilless rifles and anti-tank missiles. Light open vehicles of this kind were favored by units that needed to move fast with fire support of their own. It was from exactly that practice that the fast attack conversions came, in which everything surplus was stripped off the vehicle and mounts for weapons, ammunition and kit were added instead.

What the set is suited to

A vehicle in this configuration is a rewarding subject for a diorama from desert and from modern operations, because it tells a story in itself: a low silhouette, an open space for the crew and kit strapped down everywhere. The set is therefore of particular interest to modelers building a scene with a crew who want the vehicle not to look empty. It combines well with figures in 1:35 and with accessories such as jerrycans, crates or baggage.

Who the set is for

• Modelers interested in American light vehicles after the Second World War
• Builders of dioramas from desert and modern operations
• More experienced modelers who combine accessories with a base model of the vehicle
• Collectors of Black Dog accessories in 1:35