Of all the types of gun trucks fielded for convoy escort duties in the Vietnam War, my modeling favorites are the Quad Fifty armed Deuces and Five-Ton Cargo Trucks. Hence, when I started a second gun truck miniature after 1995's "Babs", an obvious choice was "Nancy". My original miniature was based on photos in Squadron Signal's Armor in the Vietnam War. None were in color, and I had limited views in which to work with, but I pressed on in building the miniature. Several years later, I obtained new photos of "Nancy" - and in color too!

The photo below is a 1968 shot of "Nancy". This one photo was worth the three I had used previously, and pointed out some detail errors and omissions in my first miniature. The color plate below depicts the configuration I modeled in 1996 - except for the details and colors of her logo on the Fighting Compartment Shields. It does not depict the colors used in the flower, nor the armor plating behind the gunner in the Maxim Turret, as reflected in the color photos of the actual gun truck from the Vietnam War immediately above. In my restoration and rebuilding of my original miniature - I'd stick to the 1968 photos as reference.

Mistakes Along The Way - My Original Miniature:

Below are four digital images taken by Rodney Williams in March 2001 before I gutted this miniature and rebuilt it. Incorrect here is my covering the floor of the Fighting Compartment with .50cal ammo cans as a form of supplemental armor. A logical supposition at the time I built the miniature, "Nancy" was more likely equipped differently - like other Deuces converted into the anti-aircraft role by Artillery units. The configuration of the modicum of flank armor plating, M60 machine gun and mount, and other vehicle fittings are accurate, and I'd re-do them in the restoration of this miniature. Often damaged and repaired after a convoy run, I selected to keep my mix of rearview mirrors on "Nancy" too - as shown in the photos in Squadron's reference book. One 'west coast' styled mirror contributes to the uniqueness of this miniature.

The Maxim Turret ammo can fittings and details are essentially correct too, except that the one fitted to "Nancy" was more likely the entire M55 Quad AA Trailer that's mounted in the Fighting Compartment and not the Quad AA Pedestal as mounted in the M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage that I modeled originally. Also missing from my first model is additional armor plating behind the gunner as shown in the 1968 photos of "Nancy" and the steel box that the M55 Quad sat in inside the cargo bed. Over time, the "eyebrows" on the gunner's shield have faded - they were done with a white oil pencil originally. This detail would be restored with new artwork I generated with my iMac too.

Overall, the original miniature was a good first effort and most of the detailing was correct enough to allow me a quick rebuild and upgrade like I did for my other gun truck "Babs". In restoring and retrofitting the miniature, I would break the whole model back down into three subassemblies and strip off all the details where required to replace it with new detail. Then, naturally, I'd refinish the entire miniature - below, the near-finished miniature...

Chassis/Frame: When I broke the model down into its individual subassemblies (chassis, cab, and cargo bed) and stripped them of all details and marking - I sanded down the paint where applicable - but didn't need to go in to a total chemical paint stripping process. My original coat was thin enough. Interestingly, I found no damage whatsoever when I pulled the rubber AFV Club tires off the rims for repainting. My original coat of Tamiya Flat Black paint was still there and there was no evidence of the tires attacking the plastic underneath. They looked the same as they did when I first painted them in 1996. Pulling all those ammo cans off the floor of the cargo bed was easy, as I only used a tiny drop of white glue to hold them in place the first time around. I popped them out with the point of an X-Acto blade and sanded the floor down again for repainting. Probably didn't have to be so finicky as I'd insert the steel box here for the M55 Quad Turret anyway.

"Nancy's" bumper codes are made from Railroad Scenics #DT507 dry-transfers, rubbed down on clear decal trim film, and applied like a traditional water slide decal. Archer dry-transfers are used on the Battery Box and Fuel Tank - applied the same way as the Railroad Scenics dry-transfers. The two National Insignia are Verlinden dry-transfers, again, applied like the rest. I added grab handles, Winch Control Lever, and a new Spare Tire Bracket Lever made out of .015" brass wire. The Brake and Fuel/Electrical lines are Detail Master #DM1101 .0075" black wire. The Chain on the end of the winch cable comes from Builders in Scale and the Hook is taken from a Hudson & Allen Tow Chain. The Bumper Marker Poles are .010" brass wire too, inserted into a .020" styrene rod holder glued to the ends of the Bumper. Air Valve Stems in the tires are .010" brass wire.

I pulled my scratchbuilt muffler/exhaust line off the frame so that I could paint and "rust" it anew. This was one of the principal parts needed to backdate the AFV Club M35A2 to A1 configuration. Delete the Tail Light Support Brackets (Parts #B17) and the modern 'NATO-style' integrated turn signal markers. These are appropriate for the A2 variant, but the M35 and M35A1 used the old style blackout markers. I swiped mine from an Italeri M-113 APC kit - to be relocated in the Cargo Bed/Fighting Compartment subassembly.

While you're at it, drill a hole in the centers of the rear bumperettes, Parts #A17 & A18. The front bumper is missing bolt detail too - which I added with a punch & die set. Other than replacing Parts #A44 (Grab Rings) provided in the AFV Club model kit with staple-shaped Handles (plus two more behind the Winch, no other major visual improvements are called for to backdate this subassembly to the A1 standard.

Do not mount the rear lights on the "flying" extensions from the frame rails as in the AFV Club instructions. This is correct for the A2, but not the A1 or M35. You'll be mounting new parts under the cargo bed later on.