The ZIL-131 was one of the main Soviet/Russian trucks for most of the latter part of the 20th century. Production started in 1967 at the Ural Automotive works (AMUR) and continued until 2012, when the company went bankrupt and ceased operations. Several variants were built on the same chassis, including a tractor-trailer and a civilian version, the ZIL-130.
ICM’s ZIL-131 is the first injection-molded kit of the truck in 1/35 scale. Molded in tan plastic, it comprises more than 200 parts. Clear parts, including light lenses, are well molded. Eight tires (only seven are used) are molded in soft vinyl and show excellent tread pattern, only to be marred by a fine but difficult-to-remove mold seam.
Five sets of markings include a white U.N. peacekeeping scheme and seven national insignia for the cab doors. The multicolored decals are slightly out of register. A 20-page instruction booklet provides nearly 100 construction steps, but each step is small and well illustrated.
The frame is a multipiece assembly, but its flat top allowed me to use a squaring jig to ensure alignment. About midway through the chassis assembly, the instructions switch to the engine.
The molding of the motor is a basic, rough approximation of the major components. Step 19 shows the pulley piece, A48, attached to the wrong spot on the engine; if you look at Diagram 24, you’ll see where it belongs. While the lack of engine detail may disappoint some modelers, you can’t really display the hood open without scratchbuilding a set of scissor hinges. Absent is a third air cylinder that goes on the outside of the frame just under the passenger side step. It’s a surprising omission; ICM’s 1/72 scale ZIL-131 has it.
The box art doesn’t show it, but the kit comes with a front winch. However, no cable is provided; you’ll have to find your own.
Engineering of the suspension is a plus: Strong, positive attachment points mean that if you built the frame flat and square, the suspension should wind up with all six wheels firmly on the ground as mine did. I left off all of the wheels until painting and weathering was complete.
Step 58 shows the spare-tire rack attached to the wrong spot; actually it should go farther forward, over the fuel tanks. I left it off until final assembly.
The cab interior has all the basic detail; decals depict the instrument cluster. My decals were out of register, spoiling the effect, but that’s difficult to see with the doors closed. Speaking of doors, they are molded separately but need to be glued shut unless you devise hinges for them; none are provided in the kit. While the driver’s door fit well, the passenger door sat too low. I may have slightly misaligned the windscreen frame, Part B2, but it is hard to see how, as it was a positive placement. I had to cut apart some of the seams and glue the doors to the back of Part B16, lining them up at the top one side at a time. Once the driver’s door was firmly glued, I used rubber bands and clamps to hold the passenger door and back in place until the glue set, eliminating the gap.
My cargo bed was slightly warped. After gluing the underside supports, I placed the bed on a piece of glass and added weights to hold it flat while it dried. Somehow I managed to reverse the two fender pieces (parts C9 and C19) and did not discover my error until the bed was painted. Luckily, I was able to remove the fenders with a fine razor saw and reattach them in the correct position. You can build your bed with the seats either up or down; mine are up.
Looking at dozens of pictures of the ZIL-131, I saw none with the canopy bows stowed as in the kit. I left mine off, filling in their location holes.
I painted the frame, wheels, and spare-tire rack with Tamiya semigloss black. For the bed and cab, I used Tamiya’s dark green 2 (XF-81) as a base. The wood cargo bed looks heavily distressed (especially the inside) in many photos. To achieve that effect, I sprayed the bed with several gray and tan tones and used the hairspray technique to chip the green top coat.
The decals are very thin and fragile but responded well to Microscale Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions. Pigments and oil washes finished the bed.
All in all, it took about 22 hours to build my truck. The finished kit exactly matches dimensions posted on Wikipedia. If you want to add extra detail to your model, I highly recommend the walkaround photos at Prime Portal (www.primeportal.com).
Aside from the quibble about sparse detail in the engine compartment, the fit of the cab, and a few other minor issues (many of my own making), it was an easy build. I really like how my ZIL-131 turned out. It’s great to finally see some models of these important but oft-neglected subjects. If ICM produces any of the other variants, I’d be happy to add them to my collection.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the April 2015 FineScale Modeler.