The origin of the M29 Weasel dates back to 1942 when Geoffrey Nathaniel Pike, a british civil inventor, started developing "Operation Plough". This secret project aimed to sabotage the german production of heavy water in Norway using teams of commandos, parachuted behind enemy lines with special snow vehicles. This special commando force was the "First Special Service Force", also called the "Black Devil Brigade", trained in Montana for snow operations. The need for a small vehicle that could be dropped from the bomb bays of a lancaster bomber lead to the construction of nearly 1000 T15/M28 full tracked sabotage vehicle, later replaced by the experimental T24, and it's production evolution, the M29 "Weasel". Operation Plough never became fully active and, after FSSF was rearmed, the weasel was changed to cargo carrier status for difficult terrain and combat zones. This vehicle saw combat duty in both european (starting with Sicily and Normandy invasions) and pacific theaters of operation. Further developments brought to the introduction of the M29C, an improved version for amphibious operations that could be equipped with front/aft tank floaters and outboard motors. Weasels were used also for wounded transportation and mine clearing, and some were armed with recoilless rifles or machine guns.

Paper Model Details:
Over 430 parts on seven pages including parts for two different versions of the M29. Boxed construction, integrated tabs, solid single piece track, 3D track rollers and 2 pages of construction diagrams. Degree of Difficulty: 3/5.

Markings for:
A: M29 - "Pool". Winter camouflaged vehicle used for wounded transportation.
B: M29C - "Barge with a Charge". Gap Assault Team (GAT), 146th Engineer Combat Battalion, Normandy, June 1944. Personal vehicle of Lieutenant Colonel Carl J. Isley (Special Engineer Task Force), who commanded the demolition units at Omaha. Said to be the first vehicle that reached Omaha beach on D-Day.