Introduction
Allied vehicles from the period of World War 2 have been largely ignored by model manufacturers. ICM has tackled soft skinned vehicles of this period more than most. Of recent years they have released a number of Allied trucks from both WW1 and WW2. ICM has now combined their WW2 British truck releases as a single purchase, which should make them affordable for all and give you plenty of scope to include them in your collection as required.
Review
This offering from ICM, arrives in the standard form from ICM of a flip top cardboard box, there is a card lid that goes over the top of this with artwork depicting the possible finishes that can be achieved. The three soft skinned trucks offered in this release are the model W.O.T.6, the model W.O.T.8 and the Leyland retriever general service truck. The three models included are each packaged in their own bags, with my only concern being that with all the sprues packed in individual bags there is the potential for warping to occur. Access to parts generally is good, although care will need to be taken due to the finesse of some parts.
I have no intention of covering these vehicles one at a time, as each of them has already been reviewed previously, and so I will be restricting myself to generalities. These vehicles are offered with multipart chassis’, which means that details on the underside is of a very high standard, and one of the beauties of most ICM soft skinned models is that the modeller can display them destroyed, with very little additional work. Along with a highly detailed chassis you get a well covered engine and gearbox, which again aids the modeller who likes to show damaged vehicles. The modeller will have to add brake line, fuel lines and such but in all other respects you get a very good starting point.
The cabs of the trucks have all the relevant detail, with my only real gripe being the lack of detail on the seats, in the form of wear and tear. Where glazing is present, the clarity if good, and all three of these offerings are unusual in that they include photo etch from ICM. Returning to the oily parts, the axles have good details as does the suspension, but I advise that you take care and your time on cleaning up the leaf springs, as I have found that this can be difficult and easily result in damage. The wheels on all three offerings, have good detail where it matters. The tyres are separate and offer good tread detail, but they are vinyl rubber which I know is unpopular with many. I do wish that it was possible to show the front wheels turned, but this is not possible without the modeller taking on modification of the front axle.
Moving to the cargo beds of the models, each has good wooden deck detail, with one including a moulded canvas cover which is the W.O.T.6. I myself, would prefer to install the frames that are included, and then make my own canvas to attach, as it means you can do a half canvas. Quarter canvas and so on and so forth. My one concern is that the W.O.T.6/8 truck beds, both have the rear wheel arches protruding into the loading bed, and this would make placing storage difficult, and it says to me that this is either wrong, a feature of a different variant or a severe design issues by the company who built them.
Conclusion
This offering from ICM is a welcome release, for the modeller interested in the Allied contribution to WW2. My critique is pretty limited to the lack of wear and tear on the seats, and the inability to show the front wheels turned. A good number of other modellers are likely to take issue with the vinyl rubber tyres. On the plus points, you have an exceptionally well done chassis, engine and gearbox with all oily aspects looking very good to my eye. The modeller, who really wants to make this stand out, need only add electrical cables, brake and fuel pipes. The result of the work by ICM means that the modeller can show a destroyed vehicle with relative ease. Another area that I rather like, is the framework for the canvas covers on the cargo beds, as these look good as they are, but also allows the modeller to add their own canvas which should sag naturally. All told a great release from ICM.