ICM Model T 1917 Touring WWI Australian Service (35667) & ANZAC Drivers (35707)

[Mike]

Model T 1917 Touring WWI Australian Service (35667)

ANZAC Drivers 1917-19 (35707)

1:35 ICM Via Hannants

 

 

Formed in 1914, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) played a substantial part in WWI often in areas that are seldom given the prominence of the Western Front.  They were a major player in Gallipoli where they were heavily mauled due to the Lions led by Donkeys approach that pervaded at the time.  They also served in Palestine and Egypt, and it was the former where they used the then new Ford Model T to replace the previous vehicles that were suffering due to the poor availability of spares, They used six of them as Light Armoured Cars, often mounting weapons in a manner that became more familiar in WWII in the shape of the LRDG.

 

The Kits

The kits arrive in the usual ICM top-opening box with the captive flap on the lower tray and artwork depicting the contents on the lid.  Whoever puts those lids together certainly makes them tight and difficult to get off even after cutting the tape between the two parts.

 

 

Model T 1917 Touring WWI Australian Service (35667)

 

 

Inside the box are two sprues in grey styrene and one in clear, a tiny decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with painting and decaling guide printed in colour on the rear.  Detail is excellent as we've come to expect from ICM, and the small size of the vehicle is immediately evident as the four mudguards moulded into the vehicle's floor give away the dimensions. 

 

 

Despite being small, this is a full-detail kit and includes a nicely detailed representation of the engine using 11 parts, a two part radiator that is moulded into the front axle and attaches to the front of the body shell along with four eyes inside the engine compartment.  The completed engine is dropped in behind the rad and with the chassis upended the exhaust is put in place linked to the exhaust manifold on the side of the block.  The rear axle of the Model T was suspended on a single lateral leaf-spring, and this is next to be constructed along with the differential and drive shaft assembly.  This is also fitted to the underside with various swing-arms and the steering mechanism, then the four single-part wheels are installed and the model is righted once you've had a few moments to appreciate the detail of the wheels, which even have the valves moulded-in.

 

The vehicle looks a bit odd with no upper body, so with the steering column fitted the crew compartment is made up from front, sides and back which have the doors moulded in and the base of the windscreen mount added as a separate part.  The cylindrical fuel tank is fitted across the cab in a gap in the floor, and additional fuel is glued to the front bulkhead as a row of four jerry cans in a box leaving space for the wheel as this is a right-hand drive vehicle.  The foot pedals and handbrake are added on the right and the bench seats are made up from bottom cushions (literally!), stiff back with additional cushion and armchair-like sides.  Before these are fitted the fuel tank is boxed in and then they can be fixed in place alongside the folded four-part hood and the steering wheel complete with boss and two stalks, one of which was the throttle, surprisingly enough.  The pedals on the floor didn't work exactly as you or I would expect either, so it's probably for the best that few of us will ever get chance to drive one.

 

The windscreen can be found on the clear sprue as you'd expect as can the rear light, the front ancillary light and both of the wing-mounted headlights.  The screen is in two parts with a C-shaped frame attached to the two halves and a pivot to allow them to be folded or opened.  Another pair of fuel cans are attached to the left running board and a spare tyre (no spokes) is found on the right.

 

 

 

Markings

There is only one colour and that is olive green used on both decal options, both of which were used in Palestine in 1918.  Each one has a code on its bonnet/hood and a unit crest on the rear passenger door as you can see below.

 

 

 

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

 

 

ANZAC Drivers 1917-19 (35707)

 

 

Cars won't go anywhere without crew and they help to give a vehicle a sense of human scale.  This set complements the Model T above, which is why it's here.  Inside is one sprue of grey styrene that holds parts for two figures in ANZAC uniforms with their wide-brimmed hats.  They are broken down into head, torso, arms, legs and hats with one of the co-driver's arms split between two parts to allow better adaptation to any weapon he might be tasked with.  The instructions show the location and number of each part and give painting instructions that refer to a table over the page with Revell and Tamiya codes listed.  They do give the gentlemen a slightly sun-burned look through their choice of flesh tone, but that's just a point of amusement to my childish mind and doesn't really matter a jot.

 

 

 

 

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

Review sample courtesy of

[John_W]

Hi.

The crew appear to be designed to go with this kit.