Mack AC “Bulldog”

RPM, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

RPM's Mack AC Bulldog is available online from Squadron.com

Now here is a subject you don’t see everyday.

RPM have just released a series of Mack trucks, this one being the AC. The first of these workhorses rolled out in 1915 and after America entered World War 1, thousands of the vehicles were made available for transportation purposes.

The muddy conditions in France meant that many trucks became bogged but the running gear of the AC allowed it get through where others failed. It did its job so well that the British nicknamed it the “bulldog” due to its looks and tenacity.

RPM’s kit contains two sprues with a total of 125 pieces moulded in grey plastic. This is quite a large number of pieces considering the size of the finished product. The detail is very good and as usual in this scale, there is still enough scope for the purist to add and replace items as they see fit.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Not all of the parts are used since the sprues are common to the other issues. Hence there are spare wheels, engine bonnets, etc that can be confined to the spares box.

One area where the parts do need some extra attention is in the eradication of ejection pin and sink marks. Most are easy to eliminate but a few others will require a bit more staying power.

Despite what looks like a complex kit, assembly is in fact quite easy. The instructions are a big help in this regard as is the intelligent construction sequence.

The chassis and running gear is very well detailed giving the whole vehicle a “busy” look.

A nice set of decals is provided and these are both thin and well printed. They are certainly comprehensive, this being because the same sheet is used for a number of different releases.

Considering the large numbers produced, this is an excellent choice of subject from RPM.

Some modellers will give the putty and “wet ‘n dry” paper a workout thanks to the ejection pin blemishes and patience will be needed here.

Despite this, the kit’s detail and trouble free construction should be quite relaxing.

I’m sure there will be many happy diorama builders when they see these.

Recommended.

Thanks to Squadron for the review sample.

Review and Images Copyright © 2005 by Rob Baumgartner
Page Created 25 May, 2005
Last updated 25 May, 2005

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