Ford’s Model T was widely adapted to a variety of roles on the battlefields of World War I. ICM has produced kits of many of these vehicles, including several armed by the Australian Mounted Division and known as Light Car Patrol. These LCPs saw combat in Egypt and Palestine. This version includes a water-cooled Vickers machine gun on a tripod in the bed.
Molded in gray plastic, the kit features a detailed engine, chassis, and running gear. The machine gun for the bed has separate instructions and has been released as a kit itself.
The small decal sheet and a three-view color diagram give markings for a single LCP in Palestine in 1918.
The engine builds from several parts and includes separate belts and radiator hoses. Wiring is all it needs to make it complete. The radiator is molded with the front leaf spring and axle. The arrows in Step 7 to attach the radiator to the chassis is a bit misleading, but the correct position is obvious — the bottom of the radiator matches frame ends between the front fenders. I recommend leaving off the small I-bolts (Part B42) until the hood is fitted in Step 37, so they don’t interfere with the fit.
The rest of the chassis and running gear fit logically but pay attention when attaching the front brace (Part B44) and the steering rack (Part A32) because the locators are small and the parts fragile. I left the wheels off for painting.
The bed fits together easily and has good exterior detail. The interior is a little spartan comprising shallow planking molded on the floor. Superdetailers may want to add structural components.
Fit is nigh on perfect throughout, but I clamped the to the chassis to counter minor warping in the latter.
The assembled cab required a little finagling to fit but once it’s on, the hood pops into place.
I only had one troublesome fit and that was getting the steering column angled correctly and aligned with the steering box. In the end, I focused on getting it looking correct in the cab. Everything is black underneath so it’s easy to hide any mismatches.
I added detail parts to the Vickers gun but left the tripod, water can, and ammo box separate for painting.
I painted the body of the car with Tamiya Light Sand (No. TS-46) spray lacquer decanted to apply with an airbrush. For the early rubber tires, I used Hataka Insignia White (No. C049).
The thin decals went down beautifully over a layer of clear gloss.
Final assembly was straightforward but pay attention to the front wheel — they should toe in at the ground.
ICM’s little Model T is terrific and as a fan of Australian subjects, I’m especially pleased to see it. Anyone with a little experience handling small parts should have no problems building it.