Italeri 1/24th American Cargo Trailer By Vic Mattes

Introduction

Not much introduction needed here as you see these trailers whizzing by you on the highways and byways of the United States on a daily basis. They are the bloodline of the American economy, moving cargo throughout the nation.

Construction

The kit comes in a large colorful box with a good representation of the finished trailer on the cover. The 122 parts come on 7 sprues, 4 of which contain the sides, top and bottom of the trailer. The bulk of the parts are for the suspension/wheel assembly as well as the forward support. The parts, including the tires, were flash free. The instructions are laid out well on a 4-section foldout. With simplicity of the build, each step is well diagrammed to aid the modeler in assembling the pieces.

I built the kit straight out of the box. The first four steps assemble the suspension/wheel unit. Nothing complicated but I do recommend holding off on attaching the wheels until the painting is finished. The trailer box is built in steps 5 and 6. I thought I had been careful in joining the wall sections but did end up with a slight disconnect on the roof. The joining does require some attention to ensure the joints are smooth. The next step built the forward support in a rather straightforward manner. Again, recommend holding off attaching it to the trailer until it is painted. The final step attaches guards and the spare wheel carrier. It is an easy build, requiring minimal skill.

As with all models, something will provide a challenge or learning point. For me and this trailer, it was painting. First off, selection of color. The instructions indicate it should be painted a gloss insignia white. If you look at most trailers on the roads, they are white. This trailer, however, is part of a wrestling event and so I thought it should be an eye-catching color. Being in Nebraska, red, of course, came to mind. I should have looked closer at the decals as, while the bulk is multicolor, the edges are white to blend in with the trailer body. C’est la vie! I tried first to airbrush the trailer but had bad luck with that and got a terrible cover. Due to the size of the trailer, I moved on to a spray can. First though, I covered the bad paint job with the new spray version of Mr. Surfacer 1200. It worked very well with one caveat. As with any spray can, when used for ‘prolonged’ periods, the can gets cold. When this happens, the Mr. Surfacer 1200 starts to spew. Recommend using it in short bursts so the can doesn’t get too cold. With a good primer cover, I had no problems spraying the trailer its red color.

Final detailing consisted of applying the decals and some detail painting. The decals were remarkable in the ease with which they went on and settled. I used Solvaset to help settle the decals over the side ribbing. There are minimal areas of bubbling. I wish all decals settled that well. Detail painting involved highlighting the hinges and opening system in a metallic color.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the build. As I said it is not very difficult and can be completed in an evening. As I indicated above, I built the trailer out of the box to include use of the decals. A challenge for an artist with the airbrush would be to come up with an original art design for the sides. There are two large blank canvases awaiting you (one per side)! Enjoy!