DUKW: Italeri vs. I Love Kit

DUKW: Italeri vs. I Love Kit.

I just got the I Kit DUKW (#63539, $69.99, Scalehobbyist.com) and was asked by several members for some sprue shots, and how it compares to the Italeri kit. I’m happy to oblige. So, I went down to the Holy Stash and dug out the Italeri kit and took some photos. Let me just prepare you by saying there is no comparison. Italeri (ITA) is in green, I love kit (ILK) is in tan.
I have the David Doyle DUKW tome for reference.

First thing you notice when you open the boxes is that the ILK kit has a LOT more parts, is more detailed, and more crisply molded. The ITA kit is kind of soft.
The ILK came fully bagged. I removed them for photography. Not so the ITA kit.

The bottom and top hulls. The ITA bottom hull comes in 4 pieces, the ILK comes in 1. Interior decking is smooth on the ITA kit but has engraved wood grain on the ILK kit. The ILK kit is correct.

Comparing side shots of the lower hull, you can see that the detailing on the ILK is superior. The ILK is also dimensionally more accurate. ILK has still included the slit drains, which are a post-war modification and must be filled to portray a WWII DUKW. An easy task.

The following are the full sprue shots for each model. You can see how vastly superior and better detailed the ILK model is. The ITA kit also suffers from undersize wheels/tires and incorrect rear wheel spacing, which the ILK kit gets right.

As seen, the ILK also comes with an amphibious trailer. The only two downsides I have with the ILK model are that it comes with rubber tires,  and it doesn’t include molded rope bumpers. I am sure DEF Model will be along in short order with a great resin wheel set, and I have a set of Thatchweave real rope bumpers squirreled away for this model. Glad I didn’t use them on the ITA model!
I am very favorably impressed with the ILK DUKW and I think the kit is worth the money. It’s going into my “to build” queue, not down in the Stash. The ITA kit is destined for the raffle table at my show.
Hope you enjoyed this side-by-side comparison, and Merry Christmas!