Perhaps thinking it's only another Opel Blitz, you may already have passed up ICM's Typ 2.5-32 (1.5-ton) World War II German light truck. However, take a closer look: This is the 1.5-ton truck, a baby brother to all of those others.
The model is crisply molded in dark yellow styrene with clear windows and lenses for the lights and vinyl for the tires. There are several knockout marks and a little flash, but nothing too difficult. The parts fit well with a little cleanup.
Directions are printed in black and red with 40 steps as well as three side views of each marking choice. Detail painting options are called out along the way, with color references for Testors Model Master paints. Markings cover four vehicles: three in France and one from the Russian front.
The engine is well detailed and looks great under a coat of paint and weathering; all it needs is some wiring. Step 3 omits Part A59, but this part is shown in its proper place in Step 4. I left the engine loose of the frame for ease of painting and glued the radiator hose (Part A41) in place once the engine and radiator were mounted.
The frame comprises multiple parts. I skipped Step 8: It was easier to assemble all the major components of the frame first to make sure it was square. Then I glued the cross members from Step 8 to Part A64 and the sides of the frame, which allowed me to ensure they were properly aligned. The muffler is shown glued to two posts on the frame; it’s not a lot to hold it in place, so it’s easy to break off. Remember to drill out the end of the exhaust pipe.
The vinyl tires are the real low point of the model: not much detail and a lot of flash on the sidewalls that is difficult to remove. They are also undersized, especially noticeable in the rear where there is too much space between each tire of the dual rim. There are replacement wheels on the market, designed for 3-ton Blitz models, which would serve this model well.
The cab interior includes all the shift levers, pedals, and door knobs as individual parts. The steering wheel is two parts with an outer ring glued to inner spokes. The latter (Part A32) came to me with one of the three spokes damaged, making it difficult to keep the wheel glued together. Gauges are included as two decals. I left the rear wall (part B11), doors, and seat cushions as subassemblies for easier painting.
I glued the grille to the hood and hood sides instead of the frame as shown in Step 28. Fit was good enough without glue to allow display of the engine. I glued the windows in after painting.
Instructions show the trailer-in-tow marker (Part A51) glued to the center of the roof — but there are two dimples on the inside of Part B14 that show where to drill holes for the pins on the tow marker. I also drilled holes in the headlights and where the spotlight was attached to the cab to strengthen their attachment. I saved the width markers and sideview mirror until after the model was painted.
The rear bed comprises multiple panels. There is no wood grain molded into the wood sides. Three boxes are mounted to the bottom of the bed, but there are mounting tabs for four. Remove the extra set of tabs, but make sure they’re the right ones.
Why four tabs? There is no spare tire included in the kit, and this is where it would be mounted. Pictures show vehicles with and without a mount for a spare tire.
Cross braces A104 and A105 should be reversed in Step 33. Also, there is a little play in the positioning of parts B20 and B22 when they are glued to the bottom of the bed. Once they are in place, set the bed on the truck frame to make sure they are properly aligned. I left the frame, bed, and upper cab components as subassemblies for painting.
After seeing a vehicle painted in panzer gray with a sand camouflage on an Afrika Korps forum, I decided to add a camouflage pattern with markings for the truck in Russia. I primed with Vallejo German panzer gray (No. 603) and used AK Interactive’s panzer gray color modulation set for a faded gray, then overpainted with Vallejo Model Air sand yellow (No. 71028).
The decals were thick, had a lot of carrier film, and were impervious to Solvaset, even over a gloss coat. Silvering appeared after I applied Dullcote. Furthermore, my decals were out of register. I recommend going with an aftermarket product instead.
I weathered with washes and filters from Vallejo and AK Interactive, painted small details with Humbrol paints, and added the clear parts after painting. The windshield and light lenses required only a little glue to hold them in place. The rest of the windows snapped into place.
With no photoetched metal and a relatively small parts count, this was a quick build — only 23 hours, including time to experiment with new paint and weathering techniques. Correcting the kit’s faults and perhaps adding a set of clamps for the tools would add a lot to this unusual German truck.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the July 2014 FineScale Modeler.