We’re adding a new feature to the site covering modeling resources. As part of this we’re adding this section called “FOCUS ON … :” which will look at a particular subject and what is available in the way of kits, after market accessories, etc.

Today the focus is on what plastic kits are available of German WWII trucks and a little about each.

Considering the huge variety of trucks used by the Germans in WWII there is surprisingly little available in 1/35. In fact the view of the German forces as being an armoured one tends to overshadow the fact that they were still heavily dependent on older trucks, and even horses, to move supplies from A to B ( troops could move themselves, supplies couldn’t however walk ).

Also used as the basis for many mobile AA platforms as well as mounting mobile cranes, generators, communications eqipment and ambulance bodies.

For a long time the main German WWII truck available in plastic kit form hs been the venerable 3 ton Opel Blitz ( which actually had a 4 ton max loadweight ). Available in various forms from Italeri and Revell and more recently Tamiya.

Recently however we’ve been able to add to that with the Zvezda Mercedes offerings and now the IBG Einheitsdiesels.

But that sadly is still pretty much it. There are several wonderful versions available in resin kits but we’ll deal with those seperately at a later date.

So here’s what you can expect to end up with if you want to build a WWII German truck.

Italeri Opel Blitz :

I’ll be honest here, this is not the best kit. The mouldings are average ( some heavy ejector marks and mould seams as well as a little flash ) but the detail is seriously sparse. This kit really requires one of the PE aftermarket sets such as the one from Eduard.

Older versions of this kit will have 6-hole wheels ( each wheel having 6 lightening holes ) and later ones having 8-hole. The significance of this being that the 8-hole was introduced in 1939. Trucks with 6-hole wheels are most commonly seen in photos from the invasion of France and the lowlands and in North Africa. This kit also has the single spring suspension found on Opels made up till 1942.

Negatives are the tyres which are both low in detail and a pain to paint and the lack of small details like the inside of the cab, hinges and catches, and engine detail ( there is an engine but it only bears a passing resemblance to the real one ).

Positives are the two crew members ( who to be honest do need a little work ) and a tilt cover ( though advanced modelers will most likely prefer to construct their own ).

With some work and a decent PE set this makes up into quite a good kit. With a lot of work, resin wheels, resin engine, PE and some skill it makes up into an excellent kit.

AM options include a resin engine from Plus Model, PE sets from Lion Roar and Eduard, and resin wheels from a number of manufacturers.

Italeri Opel Mautier :

Essentially the Opel Blitz with  the rear wheels replaced with tracks to handle the muddy conditions in Russia. Italeri’s offering therefore is basically their Opel Blitz with an added sprue to build the tracked rear. As such much of the above also applies here.

The tracks are one piece vinyl tracks but a cheap option to replace these are the Masterbox Pz.Kpfw I individual link tracks which are very good as well as being inexpensive.

Again this kit responds well to a little PE and some modeling TLC.

As well as the Masterbox tracks mentioned above the same AM parts as for the standard Blitz will work with this.

Italeri Opel Blitz Tankwagen :

Again a variation on the basic Opel Blitz, this version replaces the cargo bed with a fuel tanker body used for refueling aircraft.

 

Italeri Opel Blitz – Coal Engine :

Basic Italeri Opel Blitz as above with a new wooden cab and a coal burner added to the front of the truck hooked up to the engine ( still the gas engine of the Opel ).

 

Italeri Opel Blitz Radio Truck :

You guessed it, another variation based on the basic Opel Blitz platform, this time a housebody in place of the cargo bed to turn it into a field radio truck. It comes with no interior and it really cries out for one. Verlinden make a resin set for it and Eduard make a PE set for it. Although these fit it out nicely it actually looks better if you use the housebody as a guide to scratchbuild your own out of wood. Now out of production so might be hard to find.

Tamiya Opel Blitz :

A big improvement over the Italeri kit in terms of the level of detail and cleaness of the moulds. The main difference between the two visually is the Tamiya version having the low sided cargo bed to the Italeri’s high sides. The Tamiya version also has the twin spring suspension of a post ’42 model but again comes with the 6-hole wheels of the earlier model.

This kit also comes with two figures as well as stowage items for the rear in the form of the German Fuel Drum set comprising several fuel drums and jerry cans. Count that as a big plus.

There’s more available for the Tamiya kit in the way of aftermarket accessories but many of these can be adapted to the Italeri version also. These include PE sets from Lion Roar, Griffon and Voyager, the Plus Model engine and various resin wheels. CMK also makes a number of conversions such as an ambulance body.

Revell Mercedes Benz L-701 :

This is a hard one to find as it’s out of production but it is the Italeri Coal Engine Opel Blitz reboxed and without the coal engine parts ( Revell also did the coal engine version but it’s even rarer ).

So what you do get is a rebadged Opel Blitz with a wooden cab as this was an Opel built under licence by Mercedes.

As far as I can tell there are limited AM options though being essentially an Opel Blitz many of the above should apply.

Italeri Mercedes L3000 :

The major drawback to this kit is that all Italeri did was take their Opel Blitz and put a new cab on it and call it an L3000. As the Opel Blitz was built under licence as the L-701 it’s conceivable that there were simlarities but there are enough small differences that Italeri completely missed. So the running gear, chassis, engine etc are all wrong though they are passable.  If you can live with that then everything that applies to the Italeri Opel Blitz applies here with the exception that you no longer get the two crew members.

Tamiya Mercedes Benz L3000 :

Reboxed Italeri kit with fuel drums and jerry cans added for stowage.

Not worth the premium price for the Tamiya logo.

 

Zvezda Mercedes Benz L4500 :

A newer kit and a very nice one at that.

It includes a very nicely detailed engine, well detailed wheels done in plastic slices and also comes with two figures.

Resin wheels are available for this, though not really needed. Other than that as it is new there aren’t yet a lot of AM parts available but it builds into a very nice kit without them.

This kit is a real winner and if you’re looking for a good model of a German truck then put this on your list.

Zvezda Mercedes Benz L4500 Maultier :

As above but with the tracked rear drive in place of wheels.

Again being a kit from Eastern Europe there doesn’t seem to be the level of after market upgrades that the main players like Tamiya and Dragon get but hopefully we’ll eventually get a PE upgrade that at least replaces the small fine details.

IBG Einheitsdiesel Kfz. 61 Fernsprechbetriebskraftwagen :

A new kit only just hitting the shelves but initial reports are that this is a very nice kit that could use a little improvement on some of the fine detailing.

A multimedia upgrade kit is on the way for the interior comprising resin, photo-etch and laser-cut wood parts ( see post below for image ). No word yet on any PE sets for the exterior.

IBG Einheitsdiesel Pritschenwagen :

Cargo version of the above having a metal tray with wood inside. Again there’s not a lot of info available on this kit just yet but it’s out there and it looks promising.

Because both of the IBG trucks are new there’s no other AM for them yet but if they’re popular enough hopefully we’ll see resin wheels and PE detailing sets.

In Conclusion :

And that sums it all up. Not really a lot to chose from but a big improvement over the days when the Italeri Opel Blitz and L3000 were it. My pick of the lot ( prior to seeing the IBG kits in the flesh ) are the Zvezda L4500 followed by the Tamiya Opel Blitz.

Other Allied trucks can be used in German service of course, especially in North Africa where captured British trucks were frequently used by their new owners. Kits like the Italeri Bedfords qualify here.

Also trucks used by the Russians were captured and used by the Germans. Kits like the Zvezda GAZ range and the ICM Studebaker ( supplied under lend-lease to the russians by the USA ) qualify here.

But it would still be nice to see a good quality plastic kit of the Henschell 33 D1, the MAN 4500 and any of the Krupps.

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German WWII Truck, IBG Einheitsdiesel, ICM Studebaker, Italeri L3000, Italeri Maultier, Italeri Opel Blitz, Italeri Opel Coal Engine, Italeri Opel Tankwagen, Revell Mercedes Benz L-701, Tamiya 3 Ton Truck, Tamiya Mercedes L3000, Tamiya Opel Blitz, Zvezda GAZ, Zvezda L4500

As mentioned in an early post about the current availability of the IBG Models Einheitsdiesel Kfz. 61 Fernsprechbetriebskraftwagen here is a look at the forthcoming interior which is indeed resin with a bit of photo-etch and laser cut wood thrown in.

This one definitely goes on my must have list.

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Einheitsdiesel Telephone Truck, IBG Einheitsdiesel, IBG Models, IBG Radio Truck

First seen at the 2010 Nuremburg Toy Fair these new trucks from IBG Models are now on the shelves ( though as far as I know not yet here in NZ ) – The Einheitsdiesel Kfz. 61 Fernsprechbetriebskraftwagen ( Heavy Telephone Exchange Van ) and Einheitsdiesel Pritschenwagen. Both 1/35 scale plastic kits from this Polish manufacurer better known for their 1/72 scale British trucks. There is also an interior in the pipeline for the Fernsprechbetriebskraftwagen but that appears from first reports to be a resin upgrade kit ( we’ll update once we know for certain ).

Initial reviews are good and we plan to get our hands on them so we’ll also add our own review once we do.

It’s certainly nice to see some new and interesting 1/35 trucks in plastic.

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Einheistdiesel Fernsprechbetriebskraftwagen, Einheitsdiesel Pritschenwagen, IBG Einheitsdiesel, IBG German trucks, IBG Models