Converting a Matchbox DUKW

Call me cheap, but when I found some Matchbox DUKWs at the local Dollar store I figured I could modify them to fit with my WWII collection. Worth the try especially when compared to $35 a pop for a 1/72 plastic model! I picked up 5 - enough for a platoon of trucks carrying about a company of infantry. Not bad for 5 bucks.

The DUKW was basically an amphibious deuce and a half that saw duty in WWII and Korea, 21,147 built, served in all theaters including 2000 with the Brits and the French in Indochina, 586 with the Russians, 535 with the Aussies, carrying 5000 pounds of stuff or 24 troops. It was first produced in 1942 and they first saw service in Guadalcanal, hit the beach in Sicily with Operation Husky in 1943 and Normandy on D-Day, and crossed the reefs at Saipan and Guam so lots of use in many places for which I have troops. Some have survived as tourist vehicles in various harbors and this is what Matchbox modeled.

The Wikipedia entry has some good basic info and a duckduckgo (appropriate) search turns up lots of pictures to go by.

 

The Matchbox model is billed as 1/64 scale but actually scales out to closer to 1/120 (1/126 by my measurement) so my plan to use it for 1/72 probably won’t work but it will fit with either my 15mm or 10mm figures (and could stretch to 1/72 in a pinch I suppose).

 

The first order of business was to disassemble the piece by drilling out the bottom two rivets. I took care not to destroy the rivet entirely as this will be used to reassemble the modified piece.

 This is what it looks like disassembled. The bottom two parts are plastic, as are the wheels. The only cast metal part is the upper (white) section.

Next I examined various pictures of military DUKWs to see what needed to be modified. None had the fancy top that this civvie model had, so that had to go. I used a pair of heavy duty craft snips to cut the top window frames and a small hack saw to cut the roof behind the front cab and at the rear. The civvie cab is not the same as the military version but for my purpose was close enough.

 

 

The Matchbox model also had some funky gizmo over the rear wheels that I could not find on any military photos, so that was easy to snip off.

 

 This is what the end result of my cutting looked like. I toyed with the idea of cutting out the seats as the military version doesn't seem to have them - I could not find any photos of what the rear deck looked like (other than other models) but I have spent enough time riding in the back of a deuce to know they have benches running down the sides (if you are lucky). On the other 4 models I may try cutting out the seats and inserting some scratch built benches.

I reassembled the pieces and superglued them together. Some olive drab spray paint and a bit of dark brown wash - Et voila! DUKWs ready to hit the beach! All I have left to do is hit it with dull cote, add some decals and perhaps a .50 cal.