Roden's 1/72 German Opel Maultier Truck By Kent Kirkpatrick

Opel Maultier

This workhorse of a truck was a hybrid of the venerable Opel Blitz with the exception that it had tracked suspension that of a light tank. This allowed for better cross-country travel off of roads but this 'tank' suspension required more maintenance than your pneumatic tires. This was a drawback for the Opel Maultier. The tracked suspension was based on the British Carden-Lloyd Universal Carrier. The Maultier was depended on to carry all sorts of cargo, weapons and troops during World War II for the German Army. Especially on the Russian Front, where paved roads were sometimes none existent. They were used on all theaters of operation during this great war.

The Kit

The boxart shows a rendering of an Opel Maultier in action. There is a color plate on the side of the box that will assist you in painting you model. Inside the box you will see the kit is well-packaged with multiple sealed bags. Inside the bags contain five part sprues molded in a soft light gray styrene. There is also a sprue of two black vinyl one-piece tracks. Visual inspection shows that there are no sink marks or flash. The ejector pin marks are found on the sprue racks instead of the parts. Part detail is very crisp and to scale. There is also a decal sheet. The eight page instruction booklet (Ukrainian/German/English) is very well illustrated. To assist in assembly there is a symbol legend for gluing, painting, drilling, etc. including a numbered parts location diagram. Overall, this is an exceptionally detailed model kit in this scale.



The twelve-step assembly begins with the engine in steps 1 and 2. The 14-piece engine is nicely detailed. Step 3 begin chassis assembly including leaf springs, suspension arms and supports. The interior for your Opel Maultier is performed in step 4 which is a no-brainer at this point. It has more detail than most truck kits of this scale including clutch, brake and gas pedals. The one-piece black vinyl tracks are very delicate and well details inside and out. In step 5 you join them end to end using what I assume is super glue. I wouldn't advise using a heat source otherwise you will ruin these little tracks. Cargo bed assembly is completed in steps 6 and 7. Here you have the option to use the somewhat bulky injection molded canvas cover and seating for troops if you wish to do so. In steps 8 through 12 the cab of the Maultier is assembled including the use of acetate templates for the window glass but my sample kit did not include them. The radiator grill is very well detailed for dry brushing. At this point you need to consider how to display the neat engine without covering it up with the engine bonnet and sides. It would be a shame not to display the engine somehow. Use a rounded dental bit and Dremel tool to ground out the molded head lights and replace them with MV lenses from your train department at your local hobby shop. The half-track assembly is done in steps 13 and 14. Steps 15 and 16 have you completing the front suspension and final drive system. The chassis is completed in step 17 by mating the front suspension, final drive, idler wheels and engine to the chassis Finally, in step 18 you complete your Opel Maultier by mating the complete cab and cargo box to the completed chassis as well as the tracks to the rear suspension.

At this point you should be ready for paint, decals and weathering. The decals are thin and well-printed. There are markings for 3 Opel Maultiers from the Western and Eastern fronts. All three versions have different multicolor camo-schemes to choose from. The painting reference helps when choosing what Humbrol colors to use to paint your Opel Maultier. The only thing this kit needs is a full troop or cargo compliment to finish this kit.

Conclusion

Roden has continued to make finely detailed vehicle kits in 1/72 scale and this Opel Maultier is not exception. Along with their earlier released Opel Blitz a modeler can add to his soft skin vehicle collection or enhance a diorama with this unique German truck. I highly recommend this kit to an experienced modeler due to the number of small parts. I would like to thank Roden for the review kit.