Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3813 M20 Armored Utility Car unknown unit, Ardennes Forest, December 1944

True 1/72 scale.

Professionally painted.

Great attention to detail.

All markings are Tampoed (pad applied).

Extremely heavy metal with a minimum of plastic.

Highly collectable.

The M20 Armored Utility Car was built by Ford and served mostly as a command and control vehicle. The M8 turret was removed and had a .50 cal heavy machine mounted on a ring that was lower than a turret. The open top allowed for more room inside and held long range radios and a bazooka as well as some small arms. Land mines were carried on the outside and could be quickly deployed. The M20 lighter and faster than the M8 and was sometimes used as an APC. Ford manufactured 3,680 M20s.

The M20 Armored Utility Car was also known as an M20 Scout Car. It was a converted M8 without the revolving turret and meant there was an open top but it did provide a certain amount of protection for the crew from small arms fire or shrapnel. The M20 had a top speed of 90 km/h and was quite agile which made it well suited for forward reconnaissance work. It is estimated that along with heavy Sherman and Stuart losses hundreds of M8s and M20s were lost in the Ardennes.

Specifications Ford M20 6X6 Armored Utility Car Country of origin - USA Crew - 2 + 4 passengers Performance Engine - Hercules JXD 6 cyl, gasoline / 86 hp Speed - 56 mph Range - 250 miles Fording depth - 2ft 8in Weight - 12,250 lbs Dimensions Length - 16 ft, 5 in Width - 8 ft, 4 in Height - 7 ft 6 in Armament 1 X 0.50 caliber M2 machine gun 1 X Bazooka