Review
Another soft skin offering for the demanding modeller of the G7117 1.5T 4x4 Repair Truck from MiniArt in 1/35th scale. The model is packed in the usual manner of a cardboard tray and separate card lid. The plastic is packed in a sealed bag with the decals, clear sprue and photo etch inside another bag within the main. This approach with the photo etch and decals could easily lead to damage and while they do get away with it on most occasions it could easily lead to upset modellers. Access for parts removal is very good for the most part and the gates are of a reasonable size and low in number, the biggest risk of this release is the risk of damage when removing some of the very fine mouldings in this release.
This offering is another of MiniArt’s multi-part chassis kits and this is a double edged sword as it provides an exceptionally highly detailed result but at this risk of not getting the chassis correctly aligned. In order to make sure the chassis is square I have moved on from a gridded cutting mat and now use a flat set square. There is a considerable amount of photo etch in this offering with some being very small in size. I do praise MiniArt for providing folding jigs for some of the more complex shapes which really do help.
The oily parts such as the engine, gearbox and axles are another area where MiniArt really goes to town, but this exceptional level of detail does tend to put the model beyond the skill set of many which is a pity. For those comfortable with complex assemblies and fine photo etch it only really needs for items such as brake and fuel lines be added plus the wire detail needed in the engine bay. I will confess to being a little disappointed that the front wheels cannot be orientated as wished by the modeller. The wheels and tyre have used the method of a complete tyre and outer half of the wheel with a separate inner wheel detail.
The cab of the model looks pleasing to me and while I have seen some complaints about accuracy I can’t really see what is being complained about and so I am happy with what is provided. The interior layout looks correct and decals have been supplied for the instrument dials. The doors can be shown open or closed depending on your personal desires. The hood assembly also looks correctly detailed both inside and out and again provides the option of having the hood open or closed. A really nice touch is that vehicles of this period had the unusual offering of opening the windscreen and that detail is another replicated aspect of the model. The metal guard across the front of the hood has been supplied in photo etch for scale realism and jigs are provided for bending as needed; for those modellers that are coming out in hives at the thought of this there are plastic alternatives.
The bed of the truck is another area where MiniArt has gone to town with photo etch detail that will deter some as many of the parts are very small details. These details cover aspects such as tie down loops, brackets and side wall supports. Even details such as locks and padlocks have been covered using photo etch and so you get an idea of just how detailed this kit offering is. The wooden planking detail looks good to me and with careful weathering should be visually appealing. The option of having the canvas roof straps installed or stored is an option as is the option of a moulded canvas with pleasing detail, but if you have purchased this particular offering I would presume you want the tools included on display. There are a good number of storage bins for tools included and a number of the heavy tools provided, but I would have liked to see MiniArt having included the photo etched spanners and such that I know they do and that would look at home on this release.
MiniArt has provided four finishing options for this release which are:
700th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company, 45th Infantry Division. Sicily 1943
U.S. Navy, 1943/1944
825th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 12th Army Group. France. Summer 1944
103rd Engineer Combat Battalion, 28th Infantry Division. France 1944