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Gulaschkanone WWII Mobile Field Kitchen LKW AHN (35415) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The original AHX truck design by Renault could carry a load of 2 tonnes, and when Germany conquered France they ordered more into production along with the larger AHN, which was capable of carrying 4 tonnes, but was designated 3.5 tonnes by the Wehrmacht, probably as a safety feature. The AHN was equipped with a 4L straight-six petrol engine coupled to a four speed gearbox. From introduction in 1941 to the end of WWII they served in all theatres, and around 4,000 were built in various forms. One option was a field kitchen, carrying a wooden carriage-style 2-wheeled kitchen unit in the load bed, which contained various ovens and hot-plates to serve food to the German troops in all sorts of places in active service. It drafted the smoke from combustion away through a tall chimney, which could be folded down for transit, giving rise to the nickname ‘Gulaschkanone’, due to the folded chimney vaguely resembling the barrel of an artillery piece. The Kit Stemming from a new tool in 2014, this is a reboxing with the addition of a Field Kitchen and some accessories, plus a set of load bed sides with diamond patterned stiffening shapes along their length. Inside the box are nine sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a bag of seven flexible plastic tyres, decal sheet and instruction booklet with profiles printed on the rear pages. Starting with the truck, this is a full detail kit, and construction starts with the chassis, which is built from rails and cross-members, into which you install the engine when it has been assembled from nineteen parts that results in good detail. The two-part radiator slots into the front, and then two C-shaped box-sections with a single cross rail are fitted underneath, adding suspension in the front and rear using leaf springs, which are then fixed to axles after the exhaust has been glued to the chassis rails. Steering linkages are fitted into the left side of the engine, joining up with the front axle's steering rack and steering column, following which the wheels are added, made up from the flexible tyres slipped over the two-part styrene hubs. The rear wheels are mounted in pairs for weight distribution, so have twin hubs joined together with a crenellated mating surface. Fuel tank, spare wheel, drive-shaft to the rear axle and towing hitches are then installed to finish off the lower of the vehicle. The slope-nosed cab is next to be fabricated, and this begins with the stepped floor, which has two-part crew steps added to the underside, and then has the sides with clear quarter-lights put in place, with the front completed in the same manner, adding the windscreen panels. Inside the cab an air filter box, instruments (with decal), windscreen wiper actuators on the top of the windscreen, driver controls and comfy-looking barrel-backed seats are all glued in place after painting, and the rear panel with small rear-view window on the left finishes off the framework. The crew doors with handles and winders have glazing added and are attached to the front edge of their aperture in open or closed positions as you see fit, while the roof goes on as a single part, and has a couple of ejector-pin marks to square away if you think they will be seen. Outer door handles and indicator parts are fitted to the sides of the cab, then at the front is a distinctive radiator grille, which has an emblem design applied over the front, and is fitted to the hole in the nose, plus a filler cap above it. The truck bed has an arrangement of six lateral supports underneath, which are slotted together on two central rails and surrounded by side frames and another frame, so the floor can be dropped on top and the diamond-patterned sides added, including a wooden headboard and tail-gate, both with a separate frame placed over the wood effect parts. A placard is fixed on the left side of the tail-gate, and a numberplate holder with Notek convoy light is made from two parts to be fitted under the tail-gate in the next step. The rear mudguards underneath the bed are attached via a pair of supports that mate with small location blocks under the bed and ridges on the semi-cylindrical guards themselves. Both the bed and cab are fixed to their slots in the tops of the chassis rails, and set aside while the Field Kitchen is made, as it must be placed inside the load bed before the tilt framework can be glued in place. The body of the kitchen has a large circular cooking area for mixing and keeping the Goulash warm, which is first evidenced by a circular depression in the floor, fitting the rear of the box to it, then adding the sides, and an internal divide, finishing off with the front of the body. The top has a raised edge to a circular cut-out, and this has a large pan with curved bottom edges glued underneath before it too is fitted to the top of the body, creating two raised areas by doing so, which have their own tops that have bases of other storage areas, adding the lids to each one and the central circular lid to keep the goulash warm. The chimney is made from two halves, with a rib around the lower end that shows where it folds, but it is moulded as one length for this boxing at least. It mates to the top of the kitchen on a raised circle, then work begins on the kitchen’s chassis, which is more akin to that of a horse drawn coach, which is appropriate, as it was sometimes pulled by horses. The axle is fitted to the leaf-springs moulded into the curved chassis rails, adding a cross-brace and triangular web toward the towing eye. The finished frame is then glued under the body of the kitchen, fitting three covers to vents under the fireboxes, one having a folded-up ladder that could be folded down to add extra working space, or to hang cloths to dry next to the warm ovens. Two one-piece cart wheels are fitted to the ends of the axle, fixing a front rail under the kitchen, which has a V-shaped support to add strength. The final part is a support pole that is used to keep the kitchen level when unhitched, stopping the whole thing from pitching forward due to the weight of the A-frame, or back due to the weight of the goulash. Going back to the truck, the headlights with clear lenses, windscreen wipers, convoy light, and wing mirror are all attached to the sloping front and sides of the cab. Before the kitchen is put into the back of the truck, there are several accessories to be made up that can be glued into position on the bed once everything is painted and weathered. This includes a metal jug with sloped top; two jerry cans with prototypical triple handles; two buckets with separate handles; two wooden crates made from six parts each; four large sacks and six smaller sacks of ingredients, and four oval metal storage containers with separate lids. After adding the kitchen and any accessories from the kit or your own supplies into the load area, the framework of the foul-weather tilt can optionally be placed over the contents. The roof frame is moulded as a longitudinal spine with six ribs moulded-in, adding four bracing strips along its length, then gluing the vertical frames in place on the sides of the load area, mating the roof to the tops on a stepped joint to add strength. Markings There are two colour options as you might already expect, either early war Panzer Grey, or later war Dark Yellow (Dunkelgelb). The decals include stencils for the kitchen, the accessories and the wagon, plus battalion markings, and on the grey option, a little nose art on the sides of the kitchen. From the box you can build one of the following: Pre-1943 Colour Scheme Post-1943 Colour Scheme Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The LKW AHN is an interesting subject in itself, but with a gulaschkanone in the back with a truck-load of accessories, it becomes even more unusual. Detail is excellent throughout, and the inclusion of the main food preparation area gives options for faking your own meal, although it might mean pulling it out of the truck for a diorama, as who makes a meal under a close-fitting tilt frame? Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of