Hobby Link Red Baron Gun Truck Conversion for AFV Club M54A2

Introduction

When the US jumped feet-first into the Vietnamese civil war in 1965, it didn't just send in ground troops and air support; it created a vast network of ports, bases, airfields, fire bases and other logistical apparatus that required huge quantities of materiel and ways to get the goods into the field where the fighting was going on. While the choppers sent in-theater get most of the press coverage and glory, the business of supplying the troops and their equipment fell mostly to trucks and convoys. Naturally, the Viet Cong quickly figured out they could mess up the American plans easily by ambushing these convoys along Vietnam's narrow, often winding jungle roads and highways like Route 19 or the An Khe Pass from Quy Nhon on the coast inland to Pleiku.

The Communist method was brilliant and simple: blow up the lead vehicle, thereby bottling up the rest of the convoy for piecemeal destruction. The .50 caliber machine guns mounted to the cabs of most heavy trucks were no match for the withering fire from hidden blinds and bunkers. The GIs figured out their best countermeasure was to "up gun" their trucks, since it took time to call in artillery or air strikes. At first, they used the M34 and then later the heavier M54. A whole motor pool of gun trucks was then built, usually by converting whatever was at hand.

There were no blueprints or prototypes, so the men who created these field conversions trucks learned on-the-fly how to protect themselves with whatever they could scrounge. At first, the gun trucks had simple sheet metal "boxes" with two or more machine guns (usually M60 "pigs"). Later on, these were replaced with all sorts of .50 calibers in single, double or quad arrays; mini-guns with their fire hose rate of fire were used whenever available (or when their rightful owner wasn't looking). Ammo cans became floor beds, as well as the way to feed the huge rate of fire of these guns. Even spare tires were added to the protective layer. Eventually even damaged M113 APCs were loaded onto the back of trucks to punch through the relentless VC ambushes.

AFV Club has already released three Vietnam-era gun truck models with a fourth announced for 2025. But Hobby Link has brought out a 3D-printed resin conversion that will turn any ordinary M54A2 kit into the famous "Red Baron" gun truck. GIs mined the cultural icons of the Sixties, and were especially fond of the "Peanuts" comic strip characters. Snoopy and his imaginary opponent, the Red Baron, feature in a number of historical gun trucks.

Contents

Inside the usual Hobby Link brown cardboard box are eight Ziploc baggies with orange or black 3D-printed resin parts, along with a sheet of waterslide decals and B&W printed instructions.

The Review

Modelers might ask why anyone would purchase a resin conversion for a Vietnam-era gun truck when AFV Club already has three gun trucks in their catalog and a new one coming out. For one reason, vanilla M54A2 kits are more numerous, so you can pretty much build your own version. But also because only one of the AFV Club kits is an M54A2 gun truck (the famous "Eve of Destruction"). The others are an M34 .50 array, and one mounting an M113 body. The upcoming "Peace Maker" kit is a converted M51A2 dump truck. David Doyle's Vietnam Gun Trucks - Detail in Action has page after page of different variants on the theme, so modelers are well-served by this conversion that will work for the "Red Baron," and also can be modified easily to one of any number of other versions pretty much by changing the armament.

The 3D printing looks crisp and detailed, though there is some evidence of warping (see photos), a common problem with the process. The warped parts can be dipped in boiling water for 10 seconds, then carefully straightened by hand. Otherwise, Hobby Link stands by its products.

The waterslide decal sheet is acceptable, though I probably will revert to the Archer Transfers version which is quite beautiful and shown below). That's a personal preference, and not a reflection on the kit-supplied markings. The instructions are all visual, and should pose no challenge for anyone familiar with the AFV Club base M54A2 kit.

Conclusion

There were probably as many gun trucks in Vietnam as there were M54s; that's an exaggeration, but the point being that soldiers are endlessly creative when necessity forces them to be. The prevalence of ambushes along Vietnam's jungle roads and highways was always high, and there were no rules or blueprints. These field conversions were often created using whatever the solders could beg, borrow or steal, in many cases from damaged vehicles. The results are a colorful genre of armored vehicles that have captured the imagination of modelers worldwide. And the good news is that Hobby Link offers a kit that will recreate the Red Baron or many other gun trucks, depending on the armament and markings.

Hobby Link models and conversions can be purchased in the US from Wannamaker Hobbies.