MishM*A*S*H 40: Revell M*A*S*H Model Kits [Update]

UPDATE (March 4, 2025): Following my original post in January 2025, I received several comments and messages about the availability of a third M*A*S*H model kit from Revell. I did some research, and I was able to buy the “Medical Scene” model kit for the collection. Thank you to everyone who reached out to let me know this model existed!

My love of the show M*A*S*H goes back to my childhood and the memories of watching it with my parents and grandparents. But I have a distinct memory of buying a M*A*S*H model set when I was a kid. My family would take summer trips to Branson, Missouri, and we always stopped at the outlet mall. While my parents liked shopping for things for the house, I couldn’t wait to go to the toy store. One year, the toy store had a Revell model of the Swamp from M*A*S*H. I had to have it! I used some of my “vacation money” to buy it, and I immediately put it together when I got home. I had it for years, but as it happens with the toys of our childhood, they often get lost to time. While these models don’t fit the parameters of my M*A*S*H collection (being released during the show’s original run), I knew I had to add at least the Swamp scene for the sake of nostalgia. When I discovered that Revell also made two other M*A*S*H models, I had to get the set!

Swamp Scene

The Swamp is by far the most recognizable set on M*A*S*H, so when it came to producing models, creating The Swamp scene was a great choice by Revell. This set has more than just the tent, it also includes figures of Hawkeye (with his cowboy hat), Margaret, and Radar (and his teddy bear). The sign post is represented, two chairs, and there is a Jeep. It has everything you need to create a scene outside the Swamp. The detail of the scene on the front of the box looks great. Hawkeye’s robe, Radar and his teddy bear, and the sign post look perfect! But there is a slight catch that 10-year-old me didn’t understand when I bought this set. Since this is a “Skill Level 2” set, the pieces were not painted. They were all olive drab, so to add the details, the builder had to apply the paint. As a kid, I definitely didn’t have the skills to paint the set, and I don’t believe I did. I just put it together and played with it as is.

That’s not a bad thing though. The model’s instructions are well illustrated, and all you needed to build the model aside from the paint was model glue (which I can still smell). The set came with decals that you had to soak in water, apply, and then allow to dry to adhere them to the tiny plastic pieces. I don’t remember whether I was able to successfully apply the decals, but I do know that I have always had trouble with them! This scene had something else that was unique, and that’s a base. The base featured skid marks in front of the Swamp for the Jeep, rocks around the tent, and a place to put the signpost. There were not many model kits that I owned as a kid that were full dioramas like this Swamp set. Although, most of my models as a kid were of cars. Overall, I believe the Swamp model set is a really cool object. I do find it interesting that it was released in 1994, eleven years after the finale aired, but that is a testament to the staying power of M*A*S*H.

Bell H-13H Helicopter

If there is one thing from M*A*S*H that is more iconic than the Swamp, then it has to be the Bell H-13 Sioux from the opening credits. Revell made a detailed model of the helicopter at the same time as they released the Swamp set. I did not own this model as a kid, so I don’t have the building experience, but I do really like the helicopter! The model does not include any extras such as character figures or a base. The model is fairly detailed and includes all the parts you need to build it including the decals for the markings, stretchers for the side, protectives bubbles for the wounded on the stretchers, and a clear plastic bubble for the cockpit. Like the Swamp, this is a “Skill Level 2” set, so in addition to full assembly being required, some painting was as well. Although, there isn’t as much painting on this set as there was for the Swamp since the helicopters were primarily painted olive drab.

Medical Scene

The inclusion of a medical scene in the set of models made by Revell isa great way to round out the collection. In the scene, we see a Klinger (in a nurse’s outfit), Col. Potter, B.J., and a wounded man on a stretcher. The figure of Klinger does look like Klinger, but the figures of B.J. and Col. Potter don’t look as much like their television counterparts. I understand that it can be difficult to make plastic figures look like the characters, and the buyer of the set could paint the characters as they choose. So, Potter’s hair could be painted grey and B.J.s shirt could have been painted pink. Like the Swamp scene, this set comes with a base for the truck and characters to be placed. There are also stickers for the truck along with clear plastic for the windshield. The instructions are well laid out, and as with the other models, the purchaser of the kit would also to assemble and paint the parts to match the show. My only issue with this set is the inclusion of a military 6×6 truck instead of an ambulance. For the “medical scene,” an ambulance would have paired well with the Jeep and Bell helicopter from the other two sets.

I wish I still had the M*A*S*H model I bought in the mid-1990s, but these models take me back to my childhood. The family trips to Branson where I could choose to spend my vacation money on whatever I wanted, even a model of the Swamp and a Jeep from M*A*S*H! Looking back, that would have been my first ever M*A*S*H purchase, and it goes to show that even at the age ten, I was already captivated by the series. I do not plan to ever assemble these models because I want to keep them new in the box for the collection. But if I ever found one of these models at a thrift store, I might buy it and attempt to put it together. It would be interesting to see if my modeling skills have improved over the years. If you’d like to add these models to your collection, used, and often unopened, sets are regularly available online on sites like eBay. They are a unique collectable for a M*A*S*H fan!