Introduction
The following introduction is as supplied by ICM:
The infantry transporter Kfz.70 was one variant of the army vehicle Horch 108 Typ 40. This heavy off-road vehicle was produced by Horch and the German branch of Ford until 1942. Serving as a multifunctional military transport for the Wehrmacht, the vehicle performed a wide range of tasks across various theatres of combat, from France to Stalingrad and from North Africa to Scandinavia. Some of these vehicles could be equipped with different types of armaments, including anti-aircraft guns, Zwillingssockel 36 twin-mount anti-aircraft machine gun installations, or MG 34 machine guns. Vehicles equipped in such a manner were used for anti-aircraft defence, providing fire support, patrolling, and escorting transport convoys.
Review
This offering from ICM arrives in the usual way of a fliptop cardboard tray, with a separate card lid showing the artwork. A single re-sealable plastic bag contains the parts for the model, with the tyres and clear mouldings being in their own plastic bags within the box. An examination of the sprues reveals no errors that would cause me any concern. There are, of course the ejector pin marks that will need to be tackled in some cases, but otherwise everything else appears to be good. My only concern is that I do wish that ICM would consider, not packing everything in 1 bag. The instruction booklet is loose in the box, and ICM packages the decals inside the booklet - As there is no protection against moisture, please consider this when storing the model after purchase.
This release from ICM provides a pre-moulded chassis for the most part, and so removes the concern about it being out of true as assembly progresses. Despite the fact that ICM only provides photo etch very rarely in their releases, the detail on the dirty portions of this model, are of the usual high standards, most often provided from ICM. The beauty of the detail in areas most often never seen is that if you decide to show a model that has been destroyed, most of the detail required is in the box, and is one of the areas of ICM models that I particularly appreciate. A very nicely detailed engine and transmission is also provided in this release, only really requiring that the modeller adds cable and wire for those details not included, which will result in a very highly detailed model if added. One of my bug bares is present in that the front wheels cannot be shown turned, and a bug bare depending on which side of the fence you sit on is the inclusion of vinyl rubber tyres.
Moving to the cab of the vehicle, and something that I have mentioned previously is that the modeller is required to drill a hole - the size of the drill bit has been supplied, but at 2.2mm is not a typical size you would find in your box. The placement of the required hole is also provided in mm, but has no defined point on the model and the location uses 10th of a millimetre - Now I am sure that a hole that is slightly out of position is not going to bother most, but it will upset those that demand accuracy in all details. The console of the model looks good and has decals provided for the instruments. The rear facing bench seat is sure to upset those who suffer from motion sickness. The frame and seats at the front look to be well tackled, if not the most comfortable. Personal rifles storage is provided, but the clamps detail is simplified and would be better with some photo etched mount detail added.
The doors are provided as separate mouldings, with good detail inside and out. But they are not intended to be assembled open, so if you desire to do this you may want to do some work on the hinge detail. The hood of the vehicle has not been designed to be shown open, and so all of that lovely detail within is hidden. What I will commend ICM on is the front grille of the model which is exceptionally well details, with the fine vanes having space in-between them. Provided you do not wish the modify the model as regards how it is displayed, you should not encounter any major issues beyond the measurement concern I stated earlier. The MG34 provided on a spigot mount is equipped with a drum magazine and a chute for spent cartridges - so you do not cover everyone in the vehicle with hot brass!!. I would have liked to have seen an ammunition box provided somewhere In the release for extra ammo for this weapon. ICM has provided 2 finishing options for this release:
Kfz.70 with MG34, Eastern Front, 1942 (probable view)
Kfz.70 with MG34, World War II, After 1943 (Probable view)
Conclusion
This release from ICM has a lot to be said for it. But, there is a lot of room for it to be improved by the modeller. Vinyl rubber tyres often result in complaints from modellers. The work done on the engine bay and underside is not easily displayed, which is a disappointment in my view. So this release would really benefit from the after market products that I am sure will become available. The front grille is worthy of attention as is is a particularly finely moulded part of this release.