Review

Introduction

The following introduction is as provided by Gecko Models and is written by Philip Greenwood:

The universal carrier was a light armoured vehicle used by British and Empire armies in WWII up to the 1960s. The universal carrier Mk 1 replaced earlier carrier designs, which could be adapted to many uses. The universal carrier Mk II appeared in November 1942 and addressed several minor issues of the earlier model. The first and most important addition was the Stacy towing hitch, which allowed the 6 pounder anti-tank gun to be towed as well as small trailers. The interior was improved with the battery mover under armour and provision for the No 19 wireless set. The vehicle hull was water proofed, the vehicle lights revised and a spare wheel mounted. Steps were incorporated into the track guards to aide troops entering the vehicle. The various modifications raised the weight from 3.5 to 4 tonnes, but the overall performance was not effected. The universal carrier was built from commercial truck parts and was powered by an 85 BHP Ford V-8 petrol engine. It had a road speed of 52 Km/h and a range of 250 kilometres. The armour was from 7 to 10 millimetres thick for protection against small arms and shell splinters. It was normally armed with 1 or 2 .303 Bren light machine guns, but a variety of other weapons could easily be mounted including mortars and medium machine guns. The universal carrier Mk II did not replace the Mk I, but rather supplemented it. It was primarily used by British Empire Infantry Battalions and it saw action on all front in WWII and was used up until the 1960s. 

Review

The offering from Gecko Models is provided in a robust cardboard tray, with a flip-top lid. An additional card lid is provided with all of the artwork on it. The parts for this release are provided in a huge number of plastic bags, that are a mix of sealed and Ziploc. The decal sheet, cable, photo etch and chain link is packaged in a Ziploc bag together, and provided it is kept on the bottom of the box you should have no issues with damage. An examination of the mouldings revealed no obvious issues, although some of the finer parts are at risk of damage during removal from the sprue - but that is a weakness in us not the model. While looking through the sprues, I found 2 particularly nice identical sprues providing small arms in the required scale. There is a build in progress on the site at present, and so I will keep this review short, as you can get an excellent idea from this build progression as regards the fit of parts and overall view. 

This being an open topped vehicle, a fully interior is a requirement and Gecko Models appear to have stepped up to the challenge. Looking through progression of the build provided by the instruction booklet, there are some nice touches using plastic springs that will compress, providing you with a workable suspension. It needs to be remembered that plastic becomes brittle over time regardless of who the manufacturer is, and so I would recommend setting the suspension in its desired positions rather than showing off the working aspect of it. When you look at the suspension build for this model, you begin to get an idea of how well detailed this model is and the effort Gecko Models have put into it. Thankfully due to the workable suspension, Gecko has provided workable individual track links that uses provided pins to secure them, and so can accurately replicate the tracks on the vehicle regardless of how you set the suspension. 

Looking at the rear and underside of the model details would appear to replicate well details on the real vehicle from my limited knowledge of the universal carrier. When you move into the interior of the model you may be disappointed that a full engine is not provided in the model to be hidden away under the sheet metal surround. However, fear not, as Gecko Models have considered this and has made a full engine for the model for use if required by the modeller and so it is available for those who want it, rather than provided and hidden by those who don’t. The universal carrier is not a vehicle that I would class as comfortable, as I have tried to get in one and at 6’3” it was never going to happen, and if I had managed it I would have needed help and a crane to get out!!!! The interior gives you the distinct feeling of sardines in a tin - but then people tended to be smaller back in WWII!! Despite all of this, it would seem that the universal carrier was quite a popular vehicle depending on the use it was put to. 

When you look at the detail provided in the front crew area of the model, it does give you a good idea of how cramped it is, and how you needed to be good friends with whoever you were sharing it with. Moving to the rear crew area, a very nice replication of a full radio set is supplied and that includes a headset and separate microphone - the only thing you will need to add is the wire that connects them to the radio. The armoured panels that surround the vehicle have been supplied in a flat detailed form, which means that by not having to make angles the detail provided on the surface is of a high quality. It does however, mean that accurate placement of the panels is an absolute must as if you get it wrong it will be very obvious visually. 

A lot of the effort that Gecko has put into this release, concern the parts that come on and off of the vehicle, and to begin with, lets take a look at the small arms: You are provided with 2 Bren Guns, 4 SMLEs, 2 Thompson machine guns and 2 Sten guns. The detail on these small arms is excellent in my humble opinion and will look good both placed in their fighting positions and the stowage locations in the rear of the vehicle. Gecko not being one to miss a trick, has provided photo etch slings for all of the weapons including the Bren guns. Items such as fire extinguishers , which would be brass not red are included in the release which when compared to one we have here looks accurate. A mortar launcher is provided with this model and mounted on a flat plate over the top of the track run next to the machine gunner. It is not a weapon that I know much about, but visually it looks right with what I can see on-line. The only thing I would have liked to have seen in addition is a couple of the actual mortar bombs for use with the mortar, in addition to the stowage bin that is provided. 

The towing hitch for this vehicle is an interesting one, as it consists of a twist wire attached to eyes and then has shackles with a chain attached finally terminating in hooked shackles. Moving back to the positive, I commend Gecko for having included ammunition bins for the small arms, fuel containers and accurate stowage again for the small arms. They have also remembered to include a well detailed mount for the aerial. Gecko Models have provided 2 finishing options for this release:

11th Royal Scots Fusiliers, 146th Infantry Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, Ede, April 1945

5th Duke of Cornwell’s Light Infantry, 214th Infantry Brigade, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, Bedburgh, February 1945

Conclusion

This release from Gecko Models will I believe meet with high praise from all modellers, as it is highly detailed for being 1/16th scale model, which at the same time will not take up excessive amounts of space. As regards what is provided in the vehicle there is nothing that I can see to critique. I suspect that some modellers will bemoan the non inclusion of an engine (Provided separately) and my desire to have seen at least a couple of mortar bombs included. With all of that said, if you want a quirky British WWII vehicle on your model shelf, this offering from Gecko Models should meet all of your needs visually without the requirement to build an extension!!