I don't include any scans of the kits parts in this article, because you can see them in the excellent Preview written by Francesco Giovagnorio several years ago. In that article, Francesco provides close-up images of the highly-detailed parts from this kit, and also evaluates the kit's accuracy. My intention was to build this model out-of-the-box, without any extra detailing, so that viewers can see what exactly you can produce with what's in the box. I shared this 2-kit boxed set with a friend, so I don't have the second kit. If I had, I would build it with a few modifications to accurately portray a Vietnam-era vehicle, which would be fairly simply to do.

I took these two shots immediately after construction:

The kit went together very easily, though I did manage to mess up the front left track a bit, so that the links are not perfectly aligned. Perhaps I did not have the same attention to detail back then as I do now. Or... more likely, I had one too many martinis while building it. Unlike many of S-Model's kits, this one has separate road wheels, and the tracks are fully detailed inside and out. I recall having to spend an inordinate amount of time sanding off mold seams from many of the smaller parts, however.

Here are some shots of the completed model:

I was ALMOST able to keep with my goal of building it entirely OOB, with the exception being the .50cal machinegun. I lost the gun that came in the kit, and had to use a replacement; a 3D-printed piece from MIG. If I was going to do this kit over again, I would replace the etched brass headlight guards with wire bent to shape, because the brass is simply too flat. I would likely replace the ammo and fuel cans for more highly detailed after market parts. But just adding some attachment straps and buckles would go a long way to improving the kit parts if one chose to stick with those. I believe that these are the weakest aspects of the kit. Other than that, it really was a joy to build, and especially paint. With all the rivets and other gorgeous details, it is a dry-brusher's dream. I couldn't find the kit decals so I left it unmarked, but in retrospect, I should have found a spare set of white stars for the hull sides, as that would have livened up the final appearance quite a bit. Lesson learned.