The Fiat 508 Balilla was the most popular car produced in Italy in the 1930s. The Fiat 508 CM Coloniale was a military version of the Balilla. Equipped with a 32-horsepower engine, the two-wheel-drive car could achieve 55 mph off-road. Italy and Germany used it on both the African and Eastern fronts during World War II.

Reboxing the 2012 release, Italeri’s 1/35 scale Fiat 508 Coloniale contains the same A and B sprues, except for the roof parts. This version of the kit provides parts for only the top-down position—the original allowed you to build the car with its top up or down. On the other hand, Italeri added two driver figure options: one Italian and one German driver, depending on the marking option you choose.

Construction is a breeze. The low part count and well-engineered parts breakdown make for a fast and fun build. With fine accurate elements, the crisp and well-detailed parts continue to impress with their quality.

The kit provides three marking options: two Italian markings for either Athens 1943 or the Eastern Front 1942 and one German option for a Luftwaffe Fiat 508 Coloniale in Italy 1944. I chose Athens, which is also shown on the box art. I used Tamiya acrylics to paint the two-tone camouflage and artist oil paints for weathering.

Due to the ease of construction and number of location options, this kit would be great for anyone looking to add a small, soft-skin military vehicle to their armor collection or new to modeling 1/35 scale kits. The very well-sculpted figures also make it a good option for dioramas.