Introduction
I have to confess, I have a particular soft spot for the IFA trucks. They were everywhere when I grew up during the '80s in Hungary, and these jovial-looking big trucks are still part of the scenery in both urban and rural areas. Between 1967 and 1990, some half a million trucks were built by the Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau (Industrial Association for Vehicle Construction, IFA), in East Germany. This association was responsible for all the vehicle production in the GDR, so it was manufacturing other iconic vehicles like the Barkas, Simson bikes, Wartburg and the paper Jaguar itself, the Trabant.
The W50 was produced in many different versions: flat bed, trash collector, agricultural, tanker, concrete truck, crane-truck, and military, firefighting, and police versions, among others. It was exported to all countries the GDR had economic ties to, and this is the reason it can be found in most continents to this day. It proved itself to be a sturdy truck capable to operate in different climates; it's easy to maintain, and more importantly, cheap (replacement parts are still being manufactured). As the photos clearly demonstrate this particular version of the W50 is still in use in Hungary by the police. (Someone actually voiced his opinion about using old trucks like these in the festival, while I was taking the photos).
The Kit
The model comes in a typical sturdy Armada Hobby box, with the parts placed in ziplock bag, protected by packing peanuts. The artwork is really nice, and serves as a painting reference. There are 24 resin pieces and a PE sheet in the box, along with a decal sheet made by HAD. (My special review sample did not include the decals, as these are supplied by HAD, not Armada Hobby, so I cannot comment on them. Based on previous experience with their products I venture to say that they are quite good quality). The instructions are quite good, and easy to follow. As the kit does not have many pieces, it's quite easy to work out which part goes where.
The model's dimensions measure up to the original quite well, and the details are very good. They were designed so that the resin pouring blocks are relatively easy to remove. The design and the breakdown of the parts make for a relatively easy (in resin terms) build. The details are sharp, and though there is a lot of flash, it's very easy to clean up. Most of the parts were perfectly cast; a few wheels had a bubble or two, but only on the face that will be hidden from view, so it should not be an issue (and it's easy to fill up, anyhow). The chassis and the upper structure fit together quite well. The PE is very delicate with good detail.
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One issue I have with the model is that there was no interior provided. I had the fortune this August that I could peek into an actual vehicle at a festival, but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos. (It was used as a resting area, and there were several policemen sleeping inside. I also have to add that it was my girlfriend who marched up to the police officer standing outside the truck to ask for permission, not me.)
The interior is quite simple: there are two double benches facing the front of the vehicle right behind the door with a walkway between them. The area behind these benches is approximately square-shaped, and the walls are lined with further benches. The benches themselves are quite simple constructions made of metal tubing and (probably) fake leather cushions, just like on a bus or tram. (I didn't see seatbelts, but they might be present.)
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The windows are covered with iron-grey curtains that are folded vertically into a see-saw fold of about 3 inch wide. If you decide not to scratchbuild the interior, the curtains are probably your best bet to cover the empty space inside. You'll also need to fashion windows from transparent sheets, but this really should not be a problem. As you can see from the reference photos the paint on these trucks is not necessarily new, so the exact shade of blue really does not matter –even within one vehicle the shiny, polished parts are mixed with the sun-bleached, faded parts. The other important detail is the "Rendorseg" (police) painted on the sides and back of the truck –both the size and the type of the fonts are different in both trucks.
Conclusion
In conclusion it is a very interesting version of a very ubiquitous vehicle, which have so far not been available in this scale (or any other scale that I know of). Along with the flatbed version offered by Armada Hobby, it fills an important niche on the market.
The review sample was a courtesy of Mr Andras Karacsonyi.
