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German Staff Car "G4" - 1:72 Revell


Paul A H

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German Staff Car "G4"

1:72 Revell

 

car1.jpg

 

The Mercedes Benz W31 type G4 was a large, three-axle car designed specifically for use as a staff car by the Wehrmacht. Powered by an eight-cylinder inline engine, the cars weight an impressive 3.7 tonnes. Maximum speed was limited to 42mph as a result of the chunky all-terrain tyres. Just 57 cars of the seven-seater cars were produced, of which at least three exist in their original state. One is located in Hollywood and is regularly used for war films. The vehcle is, of course, most famous for being used by Adolf Hilter during parades and inspections. The front passenger seat could be folded in order to allow the front passenger to stand during such events. 

 

Inside the surprisingly large end-opening box is one large frame of grey plastic, a much smaller frame of the same, a small clear frame, three steel rods which are used as axles and a set of soft rubber tyres. A small decal sheet is also included. I had wondered whether this was a brand new kit from Revell, but on closer inspection it's clear that this is the ICM kit which was released in 2015 and marketed as a snap-fit model. This is no bad thing however, as the ICM kit is well-regarded and nicely detailed. Surface detail is clean and crisp, and first impressions are very favourable.

 

car2.jpg

 

car3.jpg

 

The instruction omit any mention of snap-fit assembly, so presumably you need to crack open the glue before carrying on. Assembly begins with the interior and body. The rear seat and door trim is painted gloss black to represent a leather finish, and the reat seat itself, as well as the wind screen, are integral parts that join the sides of the body together. Once the body has been joined to the floorpan, the bonnet, instrument panel and radiator cover can be fitted in place. At this point the model can be flipped over and all of the mechanical detail can be added. The eight-cylinder engine is pretty good, although not the most detailed I've seen in this scale. The ladder chassis is moulded with the front wings in place, and the engine mounts into this part from the top. After this, the chassis can be glued to the body, with the engine sandwiched between the two. Now that the substantive part of the car is complete, the exhaust and the wheels can be added. As mentioned above, the axles are made from steel rod and will allow free movement of the wheels if fitted correctly. Presumably the tolerances will be tight enough to make supergluing these parts superfluous. 

 

car4.jpg

 

If you're wondering why Revell supply eight tyres with the kit, it's because two of them are for the spare wheels that fit either side of the bonnet. finishing details include fitted luggage and the folding roof (in folded position; ICM released a separate version of the kit with the roof up). Small flag poles and nicely detailed headlights are also included. Two different options are provides for on the decal sheet. The first is for a Wehrmacht staff car based in Berlin in 1942. It is finished in the light grey and black scheme featured on the box artwork. The second option is for a vehicle located in France in 1941. As you might expect for a vehicle used in occupied territory, it is finished in a more sombre dark grey finish. The decal sheet is small but nicely printed, however the swastikas have been omitted from the flags for the usual legal reasons. 

 

Conclusion

 

This was a great kit when it was first released and nothing much has changed since. It's strange that Revell don't mention the snap-fit origins of this kit as kits of this nature can be virtually impossible to test fit prior to assembly (at least without a high risk of breaking the parts when trying to separate them again) but overall this should be a nice kit to build. Highly recommended.

 

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

 

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