Kit: No. 489701
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: FM Detail Sets, distributed by Precision Parts, 800 Proctor Ave., Ogdensburg, NY 13669, 613-224-9071
Price: $59.99
Comments: Mixed media, 87 parts (60 resin, 24 photoetched, 2 wire, 1 vacuum-formed plastic).
The Opel Blitz truck was a jack-of-all-trades for the World War II German military. Whether it was carrying cargo or converted into a rocket-firing armored half-track, it could be found on all fronts. In this version it provided the essential service of airfield refueling.
FM’s kit features a one-piece resin frame, detailed cab, and fueling control compartment. Flash was attached to most of the small parts, and the edges of the large parts were marred by air bubbles and excess resin. However, surface detail is excellent. No decals are provided.
Construction starts with the chassis, engine, and drive train. Adding the engine was a mystery as there were no prominent mounting points. Thin brass rod is provided for both the drive shaft and exhaust. I substituted beefier plastic rod for the drive shaft.
The single-page instruction sheet provides exploded diagrams for each step, but it was difficult to determine exact placement of many of the small parts.
I had difficulty removing the running boards from the resin pour stubs. I saved the vertical sides and added them to sheet-styrene bottoms.
The addition of the tank to the chassis went well as there is a cutout for placement. Use the rear wheels as a guide for front-to-back alignment. When it came time to add the cab I found there were no positive attachment points to the chassis. I added a 1/8″ cross member to bring the cab in line with the tank.
True up the sides of the windshield opening when removing the flash, otherwise you will have problems installing the clear part. A clear plastic sheet is given to cut out an appropriately sized windshield.
Unfortunately no dimensions are provided. The circular supports/connectors (parts No. 43) for the fueling hose were difficult to clean up and drill out. I replaced them with plastic tubing.
I followed the paint scheme on the instructions, but used Polly Scale instead of the recommended Tamiya paints. I couldn’t find photos or dimensions on the Opel Blitz fuel truck, but an episode of Discovery Channel’s “Wings” on the Me 262 was useful as it included a clip of a jet being refueled by an Opel Blitz! From this the FM kit looks convincing.
Though it seemed longer due to some of the problem areas, my Opel took only 12 hours to complete. It’s an attractive model, but I recommend this kit only to experienced builders.
– Jim Zeske