MiniArt Hand Pallet Truck Set (35606) 1:35

[Mike]

Hand Pallet Truck Set (35606)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

Pallets are a great way to store and move goods in modular chunks, and the pallets are cheap, made from ugly but strong wood stapled together so they're almost disposable and frequently find their way onto bonfires.  To move them around they have slots for forklift trucks to slide into, but for small lifting jobs there is the pallet truck, which is a hand operated device with a pull-lever that you also use to pump up or release the hydraulics that lift the forks and allows you to move the heavy pallet with relative ease.

 

This set arrives in a shrink-wrapped figure box, with a painting of the subject on the front and instructions on the rear with painting guide.  Inside are seven sprue of grey styrene and a small decal sheet, the locations for which are given on the back of the box in the painting guide panel.

 

 

Construction is simple, attaching the two sides of the four pallets together, then snipping off the spacers for the lower part once the glue is dry, as these hold the parts in the correct orientation during assembly.  The pallet truck is more complex, having a set of wheels at the tips and two pads at the rear.  The attachment at the rear of the forks is made up to form a triangular assembly where the hydraulics are housed, then the wheels are added at the bottom of the steering axle, with the handle fitted above, which has a moulded-in lever to set the forks up or down when the handle is pumped.

 

 

As a taster, a sprue of large plastic drums are included to begin loading up your four pallets.  These are moulded in halves with separate lids and clip-down handles on the larger of the two.  The are the same as those found in the Plastic Barrels & Cans set we reviewed here, so you know where to go if you need more.

 

Markings

The decals consist of stencils for the pallet-ends, the pallet truck itself with some warnings and guides, plus a few markings for the barrels with a choice of four on the sheet.  Obviously, you can paint the parts any colour you like within reason, but the instructions show a yellow or red truck, while most pallets are left in bare wood, occasionally daubed with a blob of paint for identification.  Your references will serve you well in your final choice of colours.

 

 

The decals are probably printed by DecoGraph, although there isn’t any room on the sheet for their logo.  They have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.  The painting guide provides swatches, Vallejo, Mr Color, AK Real Color, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya and colour names to make finding a match easy.

 

 

Conclusion

Good for your more recent diorama, adding extra realism where needed, even as a background item.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of