Thursday, June 8

Preview: Takom's 35th scale Weasel let loose next month...

Normally the artwork for a kit sees the release in the next month or so. Seems like Takom's M29 Weasel isn't far off then! See what we learnt about the kit from the box art in our preview...

Preview: Takom's 35th scale Weasel let loose next month...

M29 Weasel
From Takom
Kit No: 2167
1/35th scale
Driver included
Four marking choices included in this kit
Photo-etch included
Price: $30 USD from Hobbylink Japan
The M29 Weasel:
The M29 Weasel is an WWII era designed all-purpose tracked vehicle used to supply frontline troops over difficult ground when wheeled vehicles were unable to be used. This little vehicle was invented by British inventor Geoffrey Pyke to be used in areas like the artic and flooded areas, and could float and travel on roads at 36 miles an hour.

Driver Morris Fugit in Lieutenant Colonel Carl Isley’s M29 in 1944. The vehicle landed in France on D-Day; Isley supervised obstacle demolition at Omaha Beach.
In 1941, the Allies, planning raids on German heavy water facilities in Norway, needed a fast, manoeuvrable all-purpose vehicle that could scamper quickly over snow. Soon the Studebaker Company in Indiana was producing the M29 Weasel—but not before the Norway plan was scrapped. 

An M29C in an ambulance role on the Rhine.
Luckily, the tracked Weasel could navigate not only snow, but also swamps, mud, and sand, catching the eye of U.S. military brass, who quickly pressed the M29 into action as a frontline cargo carrier, ambulance, mobile command centre, and cable layer for Signal Corps units. Along with its drivability on winter battlefields, the Weasel’s semi-amphibious abilities served it well crossing Europe’s rivers and marshes, as well as in the landings at Sicily and Normandy—though the spry vehicle, designed for arctic conditions, often overheated in more temperate battle zones. All the same, the M29’s adeptness at negotiating sandy beaches made it a critical U.S. asset in the Pacific invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  

The famous picture of the "St, Lo Special" in the Ardennes 1944/5
After the war, most M29s were sold off as surplus, often to winter sports resorts.

The kit: Takom's 1/35th scale M29 Weasel
Only previously available in this scale through the excellent LZ kit. The time for injection moulded plastic Weasel M29 has come. This kit is supplied with a driver, 3D sculpted by Jason studio. It is great to have an open-topped vehicle with at least a driver option for no extra cost!
We know from the boxart a few things:
-This kit is designed by Jason Studios who makes great vehicles and figures
-There are four marking choices for this kit
-Photo-etch and plastic make up the main kit
-As it is a Jason designed kit, there is a driver included to steer him around your workbench!

That is all we have on this kit for now - keep tuned here for more info. You can see more about Takom's kits on their website or on their Facebook page