ICM 1/35 ZiL-131 Emergency Truck

[JeroenS]

I usually can't resist when I see a kit of a vehicle that's just a little bit different. It was the same in this case. 

 

It's ICM's ZiL 131, with an "emergency" unit on the back which comes with full workshop interior. So you can go somewhere really urgently and fix something. 

 

 

I went and got Balaton Modell's resin wheels for it, which are a huge improvement over the kit wheels which I feel are lacking. The kit tyres have no detail on the sides and a huge mould line down the center. The resin wheels cost me half as much as the kit itself but they were worth it. Otherwise the kit is built OOB, except for the cable I fed into the winch. 

 

It proved to be a very fun build, the kit builds well, no issues with fit. A couple of parts were damaged (not moulded completely), and one or two sprues with smaller parts were a bit misalligned so some cleanup was needed. 

 

You can build two version from the box, the one on the box art and an all yellow version with red doors. I rather liked that one so I went with it. I tried for a "dirty and used but still in one piece" look, with dark mud and such. I kept the roof removable to be able to show the interior, and I left one of the back doors open by modifying the hinges.

 

Here's the WIP: 

 

So, pictures! I was lucky, just when I finished it the sun started shining again following a rainy afternoon so I quickly went outside. I still have only one 1/35 scale backdrop so it will look familiar to some  

 

 

 

 

 

How people actually get into the unit is anyone's guess. The steps help but it's still way up there  

 

 

 

 

 

And some shots of the interior. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full album (yes, there are more pics I'm afraid) here. 

 

Thanks for watching!

 

 

 

[Andy J]

Excellent my friend simply fantastic job The weathering imo is perfect on this, less is more if you get what I mean. The wheels do make a huge difference to the finished build well worth the investment And then there's the interior again superbly done looks very realistic the addition of the tools finishes it off perfectly. Well done mate great build just remember we only have 24 hrs for the next one

[danbuoy]

Great build of an interesting vehicle. Always nice to see something a bit different. Looks like a real truck in your photos. Like the interior too.

[Pouln]

The end result is something to be proud of. Both inside and outside... you nailed it.

[Spiny]

2 hours ago, JeroenS said:

How people actually get into the unit is anyone's guess. The steps help but it's still way up there  

 

Maybe everyone has to carry a set of steps around with them

 

Excellent work as usual and the weathering is spot on, not too heavy but enough to make it look dirty.  One day you'll find a kit car wash to clean them with

 

[JeroenS]

9 minutes ago, Spiny said:

Maybe everyone has to carry a set of steps around with them

Or a trampoline! This thing dwarfs the other 1/35 trucks in my cabinet!

[ModelMonkey]

Great work! Just stumbled across this as I hunted for a base vehicle for a post-apocalyptic dio with a few figures from Masterbox's Desert Battle series (the individual figures: http://www.mbltd.info/figures/1-35-scale/desert-battle.html). Perfect finish on this and I've bookmarked this and the WIP for when I clear the stash enough to buy something else without serious questions being asked.... 

[JeroenS]

14 hours ago, ModelMonkey said:

for when I clear the stash enough to buy something else without serious questions being asked.... 

Yes, there's that  

 

Thanks, good luck with yours when you get around to it, it's a very nice build. 

[ModelMonkey]

5 hours ago, JeroenS said:

Yes, there's that  

 

Thanks, good luck with yours when you get around to it, it's a very nice build. 

Based on current progress that's looking to be sometime in 2023... 

[Homer]

Congratulations on a fantastic piece of work. 

[Torbjörn Hanö]

Great work, makes want to build one. Now!

[klubman01]

Another cracking build.

Trevor