The Gama Goat was an off-road military vehicle developed by the US Army. Its unique design enabled it to traverse rough and muddy terrain easily, yet its complex maintenance required special driver training courses and licenses for operation.
This Tamiya kit comprises 104 parts molded from green styrene for easy assembly. Choose between overall OD or winter verdant MERDC finishes!
It is a six-wheeled amphibious vehicle.
The Gama Goat was an articulated vehicle specifically designed to navigate jungle terrain. Although it resembles a four-wheel drive truck pulling a two-wheel trailer, its six wheels combine as one unit. Both front and rear segments could steer independently for better terrain navigation; its front part also allowed it to easily cross waterways without difficulty due to lack of propeller limiting swimming capabilities. Unfortunately, its noisy nature made handling challenging; over 15,000 Gama Goats were produced before production ended in 1965 when the HMMWV replaced its production.
Though the Gama Goat showed great promise during testing, its development was plagued with issues that ultimately led to its demise. It was designed by Roger Gamaunt for Chance Vought and was meant as a high mobility transport for cargo transporting purposes but was eventually more used as support roles instead.
Tamiya has produced an excellent kit based on the M561 Gama Goat produced from 1962-1964 for use in Vietnam, featuring features like its perfect recoilless rifle mount on its driver’s rear fender and pintle mount for an M60 machine gun. Decals depict unit and tactical markings and warning labels reminding drivers to wear hearing protection due to its loud diesel engine.
It is a military vehicle.
The military vehicle known as a gama goat was created explicitly for Vietnam’s jungle terrain and became legendary for reaching locations beyond the reach of other US cargo trucks. But its reputation included difficulty driving on public roads and loud enough noise that drivers were advised to wear hearing protection. Its complex articulated design proved challenging to keep up with and maintain.
The Gama Goat was developed when the Army sought to revolutionize its tactical vehicles fleet. Although agile testing revealed promise for this design, production proved less successful. Still, its creation had an enormously beneficial effect on future vehicle designs.
The Gama Goat kit contains all of the pieces needed to build one, though some elements must be added by you, such as the brake pedal (part B26) and accelerator (part D10), plus turn signal stalks and turn signal decals; its instructions also require you to add decals, warning/indicator placards and decals as well as decals/warning/indicator placards and decals/warning placards/decals etc. Additionally, its cab can accommodate three stretchers plus one medic or even fitted with a radio communications shelter or light observation telescope for even further customization options!
It is a truck.
The Gama Goat truck was explicitly designed for Vietnam’s jungles. Equipped with six wheels and articulated to move quickly over rugged terrain, the partially amphibious capability allows travel through water, mud, and cargo capacity (it can carry three stretchers).
Roger Gamaunt first conceptualized this design concept in 1947. Later, it was adopted by Chance Vought of LTV Aerospace of Dallas, Texas – best known for their aircraft designs at that time – who later called their project Gama Goat because of its mountain goat-like climbing capabilities.
The design of the M561 Gama Goat showed great promise, featuring steerable axles at each end and an adaptable connection between its two-part body halves that enabled agile testing. Unfortunately, the production of M561 Gama Goats failed to live up to these promises, leading to an investigation from Congress regarding cost overruns and poor vehicle performance.
Gama Goats remain popularly used by military units worldwide for logistical support, including transporting patients to hospitals. Although quite noisy when in use, drivers must wear hearing protection. A bilge pump is installed within each Gama Goat to keep it from sinking.
It is a vehicle for transporting people.
The Gama goat was an unusual vehicle used during the Vietnam War that featured exceptional capabilities that allowed it to access places other cars could not. Being partially amphibious allowed it to cross rivers and streams easily, making this unique vehicle invaluable in jungle environments. Nowadays, it remains popular with collectors of military vehicles, as can be found in various museums worldwide.
The M561 Gama goat is a six-wheel drive 6X6 vehicle comprising two connected modules – a tractor unit and a cargo unit – connected via their axles. It can accommodate eight soldiers or when converted to ambulance mode, three stretchers and one medic. Furthermore, it could carry weapons such as an M60 machine gun and a 106mm recoilless rifle – although these weren’t frequently mounted onto this model.
Gama goats are semi-amphibious machines designed for use on rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. Propulsion in the water comes from six rotating wheels reminiscent of paddle steamer propulsion; this makes driving over its surface easy while it has limited swimming abilities due to a small freeboard. Should it get stuck in mud or other contaminants, however, Gama goats come equipped with bilge pumps in case any dirty water enters their body.
Gama goats offer numerous uses yet are challenging to operate and maintain. Not only are repairs costly, but they require special training in their operation and produce loud engine noise that requires hearing protection for drivers.