The M561 Gama Goat was seven years in development until production of the vehicle began in 1968. Its unique name was derived from the creator of its articulated joint, Roger Gamaunt, and its mountain goat-like climbing ability. It was unlike most other military off-road vehicles in that power could go to all 6 wheels of the vehicle, and its aforementioned articulated joint allowed 80˚ pitch and 60˚ roll ranges of the carrier module at the rear.
Its excellent rough-terrain mobility was tempered somewhat by problems with tricky handling and maintenance, as well as it being rather noisy, but the Gama Goat continued in service until it was effectively replaced by the HMMWV in the late 1980s.
Construction Type Assembly kit
Decals Included
Photo-Etch Parts Not included
Scale 1/35
- Length: 170mm, Width: 62mm.
- The articulation joint of the M561 is recreated faithfully
- The joint on the model uses a poly-cap to accurately mimic the movement range of the real vehicle.
- The model features optional front windshield and front-mounted winch parts.
- The complex 6-wheel drive suspension is recreated in a single molded part.
- 1 driver figure is included.
- Comes with 3 marking options.
On this occasion, a Tamiya jewel fell into my hands, something different from the usual thing that we hope to see as tanks or cars, the 6×6 M561 Gamma Goat vehicle. It is an uncommon vehicle but easy mount and can be achieved in a weekend. The version that interests me to mount is one already in civil hands that I saw on the internet in a shade of pale yellow.
This vehicle had the ability to climb mountain areas with incredible ease, thanks to the all-terrain capacity of its six wheels. With this ability in mind, I wanted to create a base worthy of showing those skills. After some study,
I decided on a base with a semi-vertical section made of paper and plasticine. The construction of the model only took a few hours, which advanced the painting work, achieved on this occasion using Mission Models paints for the base yellow color. The wheels and rims were painted in Tamiya colors and the effects of gasoline, soil, and mud were achieved with Mig Jimenez AMMO products. Replace the headlights of the model, with the product of Sticko, Silver round Dots, which gives a bright touch to the lights and create a more striking effect than those brought by the model.
To achieve the pose in the base, I prepared the base with the wet plasticine which covered with clear food wrapping and presses the wheels of the model to ensure its position in the base after drying. After drying, the base was covered with white glue and very fine sand to create the texture. Then the base was painted with Tamiya paint and some bushes were placed as a final touch.
The model is placed on the base in the pre-printed footprints in previous steps fixing it with super glue. The whole process took a weekend only and it was a very fun kit to work with.
Want to make something different and very quick? this is the kit you are looking for, very rewarding kit, and highly recommend for any level of scale modeler.
