With the release of the first injection-molded Daimler-Benz L 4500A 4.5-ton cargo truck, Zvezda's quality continues to improve. Wood-grain detail on the cargo bed is excellent, molded on both sides of the parts, and devoid of ejector-pin marks. The fully detailed chassis and engine allow for posing the front wheels and leaving the cab doors open or shut. A small decal sheet includes markings for two vehicles. Also in the box are two figures, a driver and a shirtless mechanic.
I started with the engine. Before assembling the cargo bed, I decided to build the chassis. Despite its many parts, I had no problems keeping it straight and square. Detail is excellent right down to the brake linkages! The cargo bed went together easily, but I left it off the chassis until most of the painting was complete.
Before assembling the cab, I painted all the parts with Tamiya light grey - much easier than painting after the cab was built. Instructions are to paint the chassis flat black, but I could not find any such color combination on the Internet. So, I painted it the same grey as the cab and bed. After the cab was together (minus the roof and doors), I mounted it on the chassis. The cab's location is a bit vague; I suggest you assemble the cab, fenders, and hood in one sitting to ensure proper fits. After the windshield and steering wheel were installed, I added the cab roof and touched up any paint damaged by assembly.
The fit of the cargo bed to the chassis was excellent. An unusual wheel-and-tire assembly has three-part tires for good tread detail and includes the outer wheel rims; the inner hubs of the wheels are attached to the axles. However, I could not find any pictures of vehicles with this type of tread. Clear lenses are provided for the headlights, or you can use a set of blackout headlights. Bows for the cargo-bed cover can be shown in place or stored, but there is no option of a canvas cover. Decals went on perfectly with only a touch of Micro Sol.
It took me about 18 hours to finish the model; it exactly matched dimensions in the Standard Catalog of German Military Vehicles, by David Doyle (Krause). Zvezda has produced an excellent model of an important utility vehicle which was the basis for several other vehicles, including an anti-aircraft gun platform and a Maultier (halftrack). Perhaps we will see some of these variants in the near future.
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