1/35 Oshkosh M978 HEMTT Fuel Servicing Truck Italeri #6554 Factory Sealed MISB

Description

I need to clear some space on my shelves, so I need to part with some of my collection. The Oshkosh HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck) is the current Heavy Tactical Truck for the US military and others around the world. This kit represents the M978 Fuel Servicing Truck variant that carries up to 9500 liters (2500 gallons) of flammable cargo. These have been around since the early 80’s and are just now having their replacement designed. Oshkosh Defense has built over 35,000 of these eight-wheel drive trucks over the decades.
I found about a dozen listings for this kit on eBay (about half from overseas) but
as a Top Rated Plus US Seller, I have this in stock and can reliably ship this kit to you very quickly.
Here is what I have found online about this awesome kit:
The Italeri site shows the contents of the kit with 10 photos of the parts, decals and painting guide, along with the following write up of the subject:
UPGRADED MOULDS - COLOR  INSTRUCTIONS SHEET - NEW RIMS AND RUBBER TYRES
The acronym HEMTT (Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck) identifies a range of eight-wheel drive off-road capable heavy truck, produced from the mid-80s for the United States Army. Thanks to its features, the HEMTT is able to guarantee a great off-road mobility and significant transportation performance. It has become the real “workhorse” of the Army capable of carrying ammunition and equipment in a very effective way. The outfitted versions, as the M978 Tanker, has been designed to perform, in a very precise and effective way, the different military logistic needs. Thanks to the loading capacity of over 9,500 liters, the tank installed on the vehicle is able to transport a significant quantity of fuel. The M978 has been effectively used by the U.S. Army in various severe operational areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Scalemates.com confirms that this is a 2018 release based on the 1996 new tooling of the HEMTT. It also has links to reviews and resources that might help you with your build.
Adam Norenberg did a lengthy In-Box Review on themodellingnews.com that has an extensive history of the HEMTT family of vehicles. He makes comparisons of this kit to earlier Italeri releases and to HEMTT kits from Trumpeter and Dragon. We get photos of the entire Instruction Sheet and Painting Guide, as well as each sprue, the rubber tires, Cartograf decals and clear parts. He compares many critical kit parts to photos of the actual parts from real vehicles. He was pretty happy overall and his summary included: “
this is a model that will not take a lot to bring up to a great standard with a few improvements
”.
Yoshi did a photo-heavy First Look Review on the German-language modellbauseite.at site. He points out the parts that he felt were outstanding from the original kit (ITL #0292). Then he shows the “new and improved” parts added for this release. The new tires and Cartograf decals were his favorite parts of this great kit. His final words were: “
The new tires enhance this kit incredibly! The M978 can certainly be built by modelers with some experience.
”
This kit is in a sturdy box about 14.5” x 9.5” x 2.25”. As you can see from the pictures, the package is pristine and still has the original two large tape disks, so it is
factory sealed and absolutely gift-ready.
This item contains one complete injection molded plastic model kit with light grey and clear plastic parts, nine rubber tires, a fantastic set of
Cartograf
decals and a 10-page instruction manual. It requires cement and paint to complete as shown. I use eBay Managed Payments, but I no longer ship internationally. Auction winner pays winning bid plus, for a limited time, I am offering this large kit with
Flat Rate Shipping in the US!
No reserve and a low starting bid. Check out my other great auctions and listings for combined shipping. Good luck!
Those familiar with my listings can tell that I really enjoy these products and the modeling hobby. I like to provide more than just the bare facts about the items, trying to lead you into discovering more about the subjects and optimizing your builds (if that is your goal). I started out picking up models that I was interested in, with the eye toward building them when I had time. Always a bargain-hunter, I accumulated many more than I can build, so I found myself in a Collector status (sounds nicer than a hoarder).
As I am sure you have noticed, my items are almost always sealed and in mint condition (I call them Gift-Ready), since I only open them when I am ready to build them. Now I enjoy making these products available to my fellow modelers; both Builders and Collectors. For the Builders, there are probably better (at least cheaper) ways to add to your project lists than buying from me, but you know you are getting top quality. For Collectors, my goal is to save you a few bucks over the competition for the same item in factory sealed and collectible (or resellable) condition.