Aoshima 1/32 Isuzu Elf & Mitsubishi Canter By Carl Kietzke

Engine & Transmission:

None. These are curbside kits, so transmission detail is limited to the chassis undersides. The minimal underside detail is the most serious drawback to these kits because the lack of engine detail creates a “see- through” effect under the cabs.

Chassis:

Chassis detail is adequate for the scale and the kits provide one piece frames with all the detail bits as add-ons. The axles are simplified and line up perfectly square and true. The front provides for poseable steering with no slack or wobble. The van bodies have separate sub frames that key to both the chassis frame and the underside panel of the van body. The frames were painted semi-gloss black.

Interior:

Extremely simplified, but adequate for the scale. The interiors and cabs are the only different parts in these kits. The sprues for the cab and interior parts are coded as to which prototype they represent. Even with the simplified design, the cab interiors come out very nice with a little detail painting on some details such as the shift lever and various knobs and buttons. Kit painting instructions were followed to good result, and the decals for the main instrument clusters highlight the interior.

Body:

Firstly the cabs. They are exquisitely molded and are dead on accurate for current model Canters and Elves. The cabs are flash free and displayed no signs of warpage. They are equal to any bodies produced by Fujigawatamiter. The Elf cab was painted using Testor’s Classic White Auto Lacquer, while the van body was painted using Platinum Mist from the same source. The Canter’s cab and van body were both painted in Testor’s Hugger Orange Auto Lacquer. The van bodies are one piece slide-molded boxes with separate floors, subframes, and details. Slight warpage squared up without difficulty once the floor was inserted. The body slotted easily onto the subframe, which had been previously attached to the chassis frame. The separate door lock mechanisms for the cargo van doors provide a much better appearance than those that are relief molded onto the body, as is the usual technique.

Conclusion:

Nice easy to build models of modern medium duty delivery trucks. With some relatively simple modifications both could be built as US spec units. The only weak points of these two kits is, as mentioned previously, the lack of any engine detail or blocking panels to prevent see through under the cabs from left to right.