Retromodel's 1/72 |  |
History
Opel is well known for its trucks during the Second World War, but for some reason I haven't been able to turn up anything on the 1.5 ton truck that this kit was based on. Even the kit instructions offer no help, as there isn't anything relating to the vehicle other than a small note saying that they were painted tank gray from 1939 to 1943 and in ochre, light olive and red brown from 1943 to 1945. As such I can't comment on the usage or even accuracy of this kit, but it does seem to have that Opel look to the front end.
The Kit
This dimunitive vehicle is beautifully cast in a white resin with all the parts free of any pour gates. There is some minor flash to clean up around the edges, but overall this is a very simple kit to get started on. The instructions are very basic, showing the position of the parts in an exploded diagram. The breakdown of the kit is similar to injection molded kits, with a one-piece upper body, a one piece chassis, separate axles, and a fairly well detailed interior.
The interior is probably the first place you'll want to start on this kit, and while there's plenty given in this kit there will be a couple of additions you'll want to make. The interior is made up of a one-piece floor with the bottom part of the bench seat molded in with it. The rear of the seat is molded onto the rear bulkhead, which also has a small window looking into the rear section. There is flash in this that will need to be cleaned out, as there is in all the window openings, but it is thin and easy to remove. The rest of the interior features an instrument cluster and dashboard and a steering wheel. The firewall is also included, but there is no mention of any pedals or any sign of a gearshift. These items will have to be added, as will seatbelts. The other omission to this kit is the complete lack of any clear parts, which means you'll have to add in some clear acetate for the windscreen and side windows.
Once all of that is done, though, the rest of the building is a snap. With few parts and a simple paint scheme (at least in the overall gray option), this should go together without any problems at all. The only thing that you might want to add would be metal pins for the wheels. The decals are well printed and provide red crosses on white circles to go in the usual locations.
Conclusion
Retromodel is a new name to me, but based on this one kit I'll definitely be picking up the rest of their product line. This is a very high quality resin kit of a lesser known German truck and will look very nice sitting in any 1/72 armor collection.
