ICM has taken the plunge into the 1/48 scale military vehicle market with the SdKfz 222 German armored car. The gray injection-molded parts have good surface detail and are augmented by a small photoetched-metal fret providing a turret screen and a grate for the rear deck.
Decals are provided for four different markings. Sadly, the
balkenkreuz national insignia were out of register on my sheet. The other decals were OK.
Assembly of the kit was fast and easy, taking only a few hours. The one-piece drivetrain (Part B4) ensures all four wheels touch the ground. The position of some parts, such as the front bumper and the front and rear tow hooks, is a bit vague in the instructions.
The major components fit well; no filler was needed. I would suggest installing the rearmost storage box (Part A3) before installing the forward one (A15) to make sure they are properly positioned.
No interior parts are provided for the hull, but even if you modified the kit to open the turret screens, little would be seen.
The turret is a one-piece molding. Besides two seats and a basic gun mount, interior detail is sparse. But, again, little of the interior is visible on the finished kit. The photoetched-metal turret screen is a bit thick; annealing it over the burner on my kitchen stove made it easier to fold.
The decals were delicate and tore easily. A thin coat of Microscale liquid decal film toughened them up.
It was a quick build; I split 7 hours between assembling and painting. While the finished model looks good, I expected more from a kit that cost more than the average Tamiya 1/48 scale armor kit. But, it's a great starter for beginners.
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