This new kit, the first release designed and produced by the Spanish manufacturer better known for their paint and weathering products, fills an important gap in the post- World War II range of softskin vehicles as no plastic model of this famous pickup truck was available previously. It’s obvious that the FJ43 is the famous Toyota pickup truck, but for copyright reasons the brand name is not included. It is, of course, a civilian truck, used by many armies and militias all over the world. This version represents an open-topped version with the Soviet 12.7mm DShK machine gun (ref. 35002). The hard-topped version is also available (ref. 35001). Both kits feature a variety of marking and camouflage options, but you can do pretty much what you want with it. I decided to base my build on the box art.
1 The kit features two options for the wheels and tyres. They are cleverly designed and well detailed. I opted to use a mixture, and the only addition made was the air valve which is missing due to moulding limitations. There’s also a spare tyre included in the kit.
2 The exhaust pipe was drilled out for more realism. A simple thing but one that really improves the appearance.