MiniArt German Cargo Truck L1500S

[Shar2]

German Cargo Truck L1500S

MiniArt 1:35

 

The Mercedes-Benz L1500S is a rear wheeled drive light truck built for the Wehrmacht between 1941 and 1944. A total of 1500 were built and used throughout the various theatres of operations. After the war, many were taken up by civilian companies as they were reliable and could carry a decent payload.

 

The Model

The model is contained within a very attractive, bright and colourful box that MiniArt upgraded to using recently. Inside, there are eleven sprues, and a separate cab, in mustard coloured styrene. There are also, twelve in grey styrene, three of clear green, three of clear red, seven of clear, as well as two sheets of etch brass and a well filled decal sheet. There are really three kits in one, as the bottles and barrels have been released separately.

 

 

 

 

Before building the truck, the instructions take you through the assembly of the crates, barrels and bottle carriers. There are six crates for beer, six crates for milk, two crates for wine, two milk churns, two small barrels, two large barrels and two carriers for milk. The truck build starts with the nicely detailed engine with the block and gearbox halves glued together followed by the addition of the rocker cover, starter motor, alternator, front engine mounts, cooling fan, air filter, cooling pipes, gear stick and other sundry items.  The instructions then move on to the chassis rails with the addition of six cross members and rear chassis end piece, to which the towing eye, cover and pin are added. To the front of the chassis, there is a four piece sub frame, to which the two front engine mounts are attached. The four piece exhaust, which includes the silence box is the attached to the left hand rail.

 

 

 

 

 

The front and rear leaf springs are fitted along with the front, (fourteen parts), and rear axle, (thirteen parts), assemblies. The engine assembly is mounted onto its supports and the radiator, which is attached to the four piece front bumper is glued into position. The two driveshafts are then be added, as is the exhaust pipe between the engine and the silencer. After fitting the four piece steering rack and four piece id plate/headlight assembly, it’s onto the wheels, these come as single piece tyres with outer hubs moulded onto them, the inner hub is attached and the inner section of the wheel is fitted with a PE ring, which will need to be carefully rolled, before being glued into place. There are seven provided, singles for the front, doubles for the rear and a spare which fits on the chassis behind the cab and under the bed. There are two PE plates fitted to the outer sections of the front bumper and two steps, one on either side of the chassis.

 

 

 

The building of the cab begins with the fitting of several items to the front of the bulkhead. These include an oil can, air filter, linkages and brackets. On the cabin side of the bulkhead, the pedals, steering column, steering wheel are attached.  The seat support and cushion is fitted to the floor, along with the handbrake, gear stick, and a complex heater assembly, made from nine plastic and PE parts. The windscreen, rear window, and instrument panel are fitted to the cab body, as are the indicators, wing mirrors, roof mounted ID triangle and inner wings.  Onto the rear panel of the cab the seat back is attached, while the outer wings, each with two piece headlights and edge markers. The next assembly for the cab is the bonnet, which is made up of left and right hand parts, bonnet, radiator grille and centre mounted beam.  The completed bonnet has been made to be posed either open, or closed. To finish off the front, the doors, which are made of the external panels, door cards, clear parts, map boxes and door handles.

 

 

 

The last assembly is the truck bed, with the bed itself being fitted with the side, rear, and front plank sections. On the underside, four lateral strengthening beams are fitted. To complete the build the windscreen wipers, spotlight, bonnet clamps, three piece rear mudguards and a chain for the rear towing hitch are fitted.

 

Decals

The decal sheet gives the modeller no less than eight options. The decals are beautifully printed, are clear and in good register with a slightly matt finish. Not only are the names of the different companies included, as well as their respective registration plates and insignia, but also the different coloured bottle tops. The options:-

 

 

•  L1500S, Milk truck, of Alpen-Milch, Saarbrucken, Germany in the 1950’s  in overall white body with a black chassis and wheels.
•  L1500S, Milk truck, West Berlin in the 1950’s in overall white body with blue chassis and wheels.
•  L1500S, Reichpost, (Imperial Post, Germany, 1941-1945 in overall red body, with black chassis and wheels.
•  L1500S, Deutsche Post, (Postal Service), Germany in the 1950’s. In overall yellow body with black chassis and wheels.
•  L1500S, Beer Truck, of Dressler Bier, American occupation zone, Bremen, 1947-1949. Blue cab and bonnet, yellow wheel arches, truck bed and sides, black chassis and red wheels.
•  L1500S, Beer Truck of Engelhardt, West Berlin, 1950’s. Overall green body, with red chassis, wheel arches and wheels.
•  L1500S, Laundry Service, Grobwascherai, Province og Brandenburg, Germany, 1941-1945. Overall Ochre body, with green chassis, wheel arches and wheels.
•  L1500S, Cargo transportation, Karl Ostermann company, Britishoccupation zone, Hansestadt Hamburg, 1947-1949. In overall dark turquoise, with red wheel arches, black chassis and wheels.

 

 

Conclusion

This is superb truck kit from MiniArt on its own, but with the additional details you can build a beautiful civilian vehicle straight from the box. Yet, there is plenty of scope to add extra detail, particularly to the engine and the cargo bed, if you’re not using the supplied accoutrements. Once built and weathered this truck will make a nice component to a multi-item diorama, or on its own with a bit of imagination and some figures, which MiniArt are releasing civilian packs separately. There doesn’t appear to be anything that would trouble anyone other than complete beginners, although some of the parts are very small, and the front axle assembly could be a little tricky. It’s great to see this and other civilian kits being released as they bring another dynamic to 1:35 modelling.

 

 

 

Review sample courtesy of Miniart - Distibuted in the UK By Creative Models