Revell AG 1/35 scale MAN 10-ton milgl 8x8 truck

Manufacturer: Revell AG (Germany), Postfach 25 09, D-32226, Bunde, Germany,
www.revell.de
Kit: No. 03044 Scale: 1/35
Price: N/A
Comments: Injection-molded plastic, 243 parts (8 vinyl tires), decals
Pros: Unusual subject, good basic fit, crisp moldings, excellent super-detailing potential
Cons: Vague instructions, soft plastic, lots of ejector-pin marks

The Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg's (MAN) 10-ton truck was issued to the German Army starting in 1976. Its outstanding cross-country mobility is attributed to its all-wheel drive (8x8) and torsion-resistant box-shaped framework. The vehicle is used mostly for troop supply, typically equipped with a loading crane with a one-ton lifting ability. It's powered by a 320-hp, eight-cylinder Diesel BF8 L413F turbocharged and inter-cooled engine.

Revell AG provides modelers with a kit of the MAN truck that has seen service in Somalia and Kosovo. The dark green styrene is molded with little flash, though I was disappointed to find as many ejector-pin marks as I did. The 23-page instruction booklet needs to be read thoroughly in advance, and has several icons that were unfamiliar to me and undefined in the glossary.

Building the undercarriage reveals that the truck rides very high, and Revell added plenty of suspension detail. Be careful in step 5 to align the rails while the glue sets - if they set crooked, you'll be in big trouble later.

The rest of the undercarriage assembly went smoothly, and I thoroughly checked alignment throughout the process. There are a lot of parts, and assembling the chassis and suspension takes up 31 of the 73 steps. Don't panic, though; only two or three parts are added in each step. Read the assembly procedures carefully.

While the overall fit is good, the amount of cleanup required throughout will slow your progress. Be careful when cutting the parts from the sprues and sanding seams, as the soft plastic breaks easily (my sample had several broken pieces in the box). At steps 30 and 31, be careful when seating the strengthening cross-beam, as a misalignment will cause the bed to sit poorly.

Building the cab was a challenge. The windows are installed from the inside, so I decided to paint the majority of the cab's exterior first rather than risk pushing the windows in later during masking. The interior has adequate detail, but plenty of room for extras.

The clear parts were a little frosty, so I dipped them in Future. They fit snugly into recesses and I may not have needed Testor Clear Parts Cement.

The rest of the cab buildup was straightforward. Step 43 has you attach the cab to the undercarriage. Take your time and mate the receiving slots in the rails to the corresponding pieces in the cab's bottom; the cab should be nearly flush with the undercarriage end when seated properly.

Assembly of the payload bed is straightforward; just be sure to let the side panels dry in place before assembling the stacked-plank end in step 49. In step 50, installing the cross-bar supports under the bed requires a lot of attention to the vague instructions. The bars all look similar, but each is specifically designed to be positioned in its own place. Part 89 is shown with four holes in the bar, but there are only two on the part. Part 90 must be installed as indicated, with the protruding tabs facing the front of the bed, not the rear as all of the others do.

The crane assembly went together without a problem, but there is no cable supplied. I made it from sewing thread after painting the crane. The crane operator's seat frame (part No. 62) is delicate and doesn't fit well into its receiving holes. I trimmed off the locating pins and it fit perfectly.

I painted my truck with Tamiya's NATO tri-camouflage colors lightened with white (another option is the all-white UNOSOM paint scheme from Somalia). The decals went on without a hitch, and nestled well after a single application of Micro Sol.

Overall the kit was a lot of fun to build. You should have some building experience before tackling this one, though. Its many subassemblies and fragile parts made it a 30-hour project. This companion to my Leopard 2A5 measures up as a great buy!