GS is for General Service . . . -Truck, -Wagon, -Lorry

As I've had them all out for the larger articles on Jean and Noreda, I re-shot the Manurba wagons and Airfix 'Duce-', the Airfix post is still in edit, but here's the Manurba comparisons

The Manurba wagon, as stated this morning is a reasonable rendition of the Magirus-Deutz 'Jupiter' 6x6 truck which was the staple truck when I was visiting Germany in the late 70's, by the time I was back there as a serviceman myself in the mid-80's they had mostly been replaced by newer cab-over-engin (COE) designs from MAN in 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8. It also has the lines of the M35 Duce-and-a-half from the US arsenal.

Here we see an earlier toy one in a deep olive-green with grey wheels, and a later issue in a drabber green, with black wheels and wearing a German cross on the bonnet. It is this version which seems to have been sold in the UK as/under the Tallon branding.

Looking at the contemporary rivals alphabetically; we start with Airfix, nominally 'HO/OO' both scale to an approximate 1:76th-1:72nd and are useful additions to an 'old school war-games army, the Airfix being a WWII era type - I'm never sure how you tell a GMC CCKW from a Chevy' from an International or a Studebaker/REO? Except the true REO's seem to have a very different mudguard!

The Airfix model seeming to have GMC/Chevrolet open-cab and mudguards, but the Studebaker's slightly more pointed bonnet/hood and shallower bed, but a lot of it's down to camera-angle and point of view I think - they were all to a common DoD design and meant to be as compatible as possible in workshops?

Both the Jean (here) and Noreda are slightly larger models (I've tagged them 1:64th as well as the other sizes, in all three posts - the US 'HO' slot-racing 'size'), and both are pretty fictional, the Jean having a vague look of the Mercedes 911.

The Noreda effort - like Jean's - fictional, is a 4x4 and has been described as a Berliet truck, but I can't find a match, so it's French Generic Mk1! Again heading toward 1:64th (or 1:70th at a push?) it has the added benefit of a towed trailer - as we saw this morning.

All four stripped-down to open flat-bed for all weather cargo, or miserable, wet troops! Lengthwise they are all much of a muchness, but the two-axle Noreda is clearly a scale or two above, while the Jean is noticeably taller or 'chunkier'.