ICM Type G4 Partisanenwagen WWII German Car (35530) 1:35

[Mike]

Type G4 Partisanenwagen WWII German Car (35530)

1:35 ICM via Hannants

 

 

Mercedes aren’t massively keen on being linked to their work on vehicles used by the Nazis during WWII, for obvious reasons.  This huge touring car was developed by them on the W31 platform that was notable not only because of its size, but also the fact that it had a third axle at the rear, with both rear axles driven by a 5 litre V8 engine that could lock out the differential for maximum traction, and used a four-speed gear box, some of which were synchromesh – a luxury feature at the time.  It was complex and expensive to manufacture, so only a small number reached the German military, and these were soon co-opted into use by the SS and senior members of the party.  By 1938 a larger engine was installed, and it was this later model that was used by Adolf Hitler during parades and other such high-profile appearances.  Only 30 of the last variant were made, with production finishing in 1939 as war broke out.

 

They were used throughout the war by the Nazis, and thanks to their cost and cachet, the Wehrmacht never saw sign of them for their use.  Their seven-seat passenger compartment was luxurious by comparison to other vehicles of the era, and the drop-down hood was ideal for their use as a VIP transport, although Hitler’s cars were fitted with additional armour and bullet-resistant glass, further slowing its top speed thanks to the extra weight.  It was capable of driving on all terrain, depending on whether the correct tyres were fitted, but this also limited its top speed to just over 40mph.  How fast the armoured variants were(n’t), you can probably imagine.  The VIP examples had rear-view searchlights installed to blind anyone aggressively chasing the vehicle, and a pair of MG34 machine gun mounts could be installed, although the passengers probably wouldn’t have appreciated the hot brass raining on them in the event of an ambush.  These were used as convoy protection from ambush by Partisans, hence the name.

 

 

The Kit

This is a reboxing with new parts of ICM’s 2011 kit of these six-wheeled monster, which has been reboxed a few times since its original release, and is now with us in the Partisanenwagen guise, complete with a pair of MG34 machine guns mounts in the passenger compartment.  Inside the box are eight sprues in grey styrene, a small sprue of clear parts, a tiny decal sheet containing instrument dials, and the instruction booklet with a page of colour profiles on the glossy back cover in full colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the V8 engine with block, cylinder head, transmission, exhaust manifolds and ancillaries all depicted, which has a short drive-shaft attached at the rear, directing the power toward the back wheels.  The box-section ladder chassis is next with numerous attachments to the outer edges, then cross-braces are fitted along with the big 5 litre engine.  The two sides of the chassis are joined, with other additional parts supporting the central section, a stowage box on the left rail, then the lowest parts of the bodywork is attached to the front of the chassis around the engine, and the steering column is mounted on the left chassis rail.  The front suspension consists of a pair of leaf-springs separating the chassis from the front axle, which has pivots for the front drum-brakes and links to the steering arm, with smaller parts completing the assembly before it is glued into the underside of the front chassis, after which it has dampers fitted on each side.

 

The rear suspension has two inverted leaf-springs per side, one above and below the central pivot, with a pair of axles and their differential housings in between the two sides.  It attaches to the chassis and drive-shaft, which also has another shaft linking the two diffs from above, plus a few control arms, then the exhaust is made up with two ribbed header tubes leading from the manifold into a single wider pipe that has a muffler and the final long exhaust that leads to the rear of the vehicle.  This attaches to the right chassis rail and a linkage between the steering and front axle is dropped into place.  In a rather confusing move, the rear axles are shown as being in place in step 48, but are installed in step 49, along with the steering linkage.  Someone had a little hiccup there, I suspect.

 

The six wheels are of two types, and four are made for the rear, with the front hub, tyre and contact surface moulded into one part, and the rear wall a separate part, as is the centre of the hub and drum brake housing.  The front wheels don’t have a centre part, as this is already on the front axle.  The vehicle can now stand on its wheels for the first time, while you attach the running boards and front wheel arch to the chassis, and the L-brackets that were fitted earlier.  The firewall is made from three sections, with the windscreen and wiper arms moulded-in, that has the clear windscreen part added from inside.  The dash panel with two supports is also inserted from behind, and has decals for each of the dials in the centre binnacle, with a horn and fluid pot on the engine side of the firewall.  The floorpan is a single panel, but it needs a single 2mm hole drilling in the rear of the forward section, with a scrap diagram showing the correct location of the hole to help you get it in the correct place.  A trio of foot pedals are glued to the angled front of the pan, then the firewall is joined to the front along with the rear section that is made from two side sections and the rear.  Flipping over the bodyshell allows you to put the two double arches in place, which both have a foot-hold and stowage box hidden in the fairing between the two cut-outs, and rear light clusters attached.  The boot is a trunk that is attached to the rear of the body on pegs, which has two main parts plus brackets and handles added before it is glued in place.  The fuel tank and three-part armoured surround are built next, with filler tube, tie-down lugs and rear searchlight added before it is glued in under the back seats, then a pair of lower body panels under the front doors are joined while the body is upside down.

 

Flipping the body back over, the rear bench seat is made from six parts and includes a pair of luxurious arms, plus generous cushions to keep the passengers comfortable on even the roughest terrain.  The centre seats are individual units, with grab-handles on the rear, and “proper” arm on the outer side, plus a smaller tubular arm with comfort pad on the inner side.  These are dropped into the bodywork and located on a couple of pegs each along with their door handles on both sides.  The front seats have separate bases, but a bench rear, and while these also have grab handles for the passengers behind, they’re the only ones without arms due to the proximity of their sides to the door.  A pair of B-pillars are added to the sides of the bench backs, then the two doors per side are each made up as a single unit, having glazing added to the front along with handles, winders, décor strip, and a pistol holster on both of them.  These are glued into the frames on the body, and a rear glazing panel that includes the window for the rear door and the fixed quarter light in one part per side.  Now the body can be joined to the chassis and I’ll be totally honest here, a weird-looking two-part pistol-shaped “box” is glued together and attached to an oval hole under the chassis.  If anyone can tell me what this is, they’ll get a Tufty badge.

 

There is a spare tyre on each side of the engine compartment, resting in a dished area in the front arches, and attached via a twist-on nut with handle.  The tyres are made up from two parts in the same manner as the front wheels, and they are dropped into place along with the prototypical Mercedes grille, complete with three-star logo.  You ain’t seen this, right?  The side panels have six moulded-in vent-doors on both sides, while the right side has cut-outs for the down-pipes from the manifold, and both have latches and a central grab-handle, then they are topped off with the cowling top, with moulded-in vents and piano-hinge where the cowling folds up for maintenance.  Headlights are added on a bar with convoy light in the middle, sidelights and number plate board are inserted between the two front fenders, with latches, handles, searchlights and short flag poles either side of the grille are all dotted around the front and sides of the vehicle, and strangely the gear lever and handbrake are installed in the front of the cab at this late stage, to be joined by the two-part steering wheel, rear-view mirror and two flip-down sun visors that fit on the top of the windscreen frame.  The folded-down hood is appropriate for this vehicle, as the MG mount would baulk its closing, so the folded hood is made from two parts representing the fabric, and two additional parts for the visible parts of the framework on either side.  These fit into two holes in the outer lip of the body at the rear, and can be glued in place for safety’s sake.

 

The two MG34s are on separate mounts, and each one has a separate breech top, folded bipod and drum mag, then each one is clamped between a two-part perforated bracket and have a corrugated guide fitted to direct the spent brass downward and away from the passengers as far as possible.  The longer mount installs in the hole in the floor you drilled earlier, and the shorter mount is fitted to the rear on the left by drilling another 1.4mm hole just inside the hood.

 

 

Markings

There is only one option offered for this kit, and that is panzer grey.  It’s not going to light any fires, but that’s the colour they were, unless you wanted to do something fanciful.  From the box you can build this big lump:

 

 

 

Decals are up to ICM’s usual standards, and the tiny sheet contains just one decal for the vehicle’s instruments.

 

 

Conclusion

A welcome rerelease of a brute of a car that was used extensively by the Nazis.  If you get a few, you could depict a convoy of them on their way to or from an arm-lifting engagement with Mr Hitler sat in one of them.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

Review sample courtesy of