Christopher C Tew

There are photos of the vehicles serving with JG 51 and 11 PD, but ICM has made no effort to match the specifics of those vehicles to the generic model offered. In all of ICM's markings choices for these Kfz. 1 kits, when photos are available, the license plate numbers are usually only in the neighborhood of those in the photos. This goes for most of the markings offered in both series of kits. In the Kfz. 4 kit, the use of yellow rather than white for the 11 PD. ghost is questionable, whether it is a "real" vehicle or not. Everyone, it seems, has their favorite gripe about ICM's way of doing things. Mine is their repeated refusal or inability to hollow out any of the cooling vents in most too thick engine hood panels. For all the time and effort that went into offering detailed wheel hubs with separate hub caps, the naked wheel hubs belong to the last series of vehicles that had doors with horizontal strengthening ribs, as for the most part does the U-shaped radiator protector. On the plus side, these four new Kfz. 1 releases have all been based on new molds - would love to know how/why the decision was made to scrap the old molds. Compared to the older two kits, several problematic assemblies have been simplified, there are none of the enormous KO pin marks that marred the interior body panels of the old versions (the small ones that remain are a piddling concern and relatively simple fix, IMHO), and the instructions are a vast improvement in clarity and "doability."

The good folks at MR Modellbau make a very nice update set for the ICM/Revell 251 that adds some bits to improve the bench seats and correct the interior detailing. It should be noted that the hull's visor layout is a late version not seen as commonly as vehicles with flat visor plates (soft steel hull) and peaked (hard armored, as supplied), in both cases with the driver and assistant driver's visors installed in a noticeably lower position. The MR Modellbau instructions show how to fix this. The MG with shield was a later modification - the usual early-war Ausf A did not have the shield and complex mount - and most early-war vehicles did not have a radio - notice that Revell has provided markings for vehicles from the mid-to-late-war period, survivors well past their prime. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the radio is a real bonus, as it has the usually omitted loud speaker used in subsequent versions that were equipped with radios.