Review

MiniArt has combined its German field kitchen release with an AHN truck. An examination of the contents reveals no moulding issues to catch you out, there are some ejector pins marks which is not unusual. The model arrives in a cardboard tray with a fliptop lid, and a card lid. The model kit is all packaged together in a single plastic bag, and there are 2 further bags inside, and these bags contain the vinyl rubber tyres, and the clear sprue. 

The chassis in this release is one of ICM’s multi-part releases. On the plus side, it does mean that you get better detail throughout, but the possible downside is that it is easy to get the alignment of the chassis wrong which will really destroy your model - so take your time, have your parts ready to be placed and take it steady. I am sure that you will not be surprised to learn that a full engine and gearbox is included in this release, and the detail as far as I am concerned is acceptable. However, you will need some cable and pipe detail added to lift it up to a higher level. Most of the cooling system has been well replicated. 

The leaf spring suspension and axles plus the requiste driveshafts all look the part. However, on the disappointment side, the front wheels cannot be placed as desired and so it is dead ahead only. The silencer on the exhaust system have been well replicated and all you really need to worry about is seam clean-up. The fuel tank and filler pipe are another nice addition to the kit, but you will need to think about how the fuel gets to the engine. The tyres being vinyl rubber are one of those things that you love or hate. However the detail on them is pleasing. 

Moving to the cab, and the glazing is of a pleasing thickness and all of the required details in the cab are present. Some decals are included for the instruments of the vehicle, and the seats as I think of being unique have the nice oval detail with the curled back support. The doors of this release have nice detail inside and out,   with separate winders and handles. Access to see all of that detail in the engine bay is not really present as the interior cover is moulded as part of the cab floor. The other access point being the grille at the front, but obnviously you have the radiator behind this. I have seen other reviews where people have critiqued various measurement details, however I look at the cab and I can tell what the vehicle is, so I am happy enough with how it stands. One of the beauties of this model is that the mechanicals, the cab and the bed of the truck all comes together in the end and so this will make painting an easier tasks than it would have been. The bed of the truck has its own well designed frame, which the floor of the bed mounts To the side walls of the rear cargo bed cannot be shown down as designed but if you want  to put the effort in you could make them fold down. Then the 3 sub-assemblies come together to finish the model. 

This finishing options for this release, are not detailed beyond the fact that one is post and the other pre 1943.

Some of the gates are a little on the large side, making clean up and removal that much more difficult. The 4 figures provided in the set consist of 1 that is very clearly the cook, with his chef’s hat and is an aspect that I don’t believe would have been seen in the field. You have 1 member peeling spuds, 1 cutting wood for the cooker and 1 shown preparing to pour water into the main pan on the top of the cooker. Uniform is basically shirt, trousers with braces. One is wearing a jacket, but it is not a military style jacket and the Chef has an apron. Other than the chef the figures are wearing the peaked field caps. 

Hand detail on these figures is of an exceptionally high standard, and the faces are acceptable to me. The figure peeling the potatoes has clearly one is his hand with a knife in the other, and has been provided with an open sack of spuds, which shows forward thinking on the part of ICM. The male cutting the wood has been equipped with an axe, which due to the stance would possibly been better with a hatchet. Chopped wood, as in split logs along with a block and uncut logs has been provided with this figure and so setting the scene well. The chef appears to be sharpening a knife with a steel, he is a more portly figure and has been supplied with a table, a bowl, a chopping block and 6 ring sausages. The last figure shown to be ready to pour water into the cooking vessel I feel is good but could have utilised performing a more interesting task. 

The field cooker meets my expectations with regards to external detail. There are a number of decals that have been supplied for it, and is something that is often forgotten or neglected. The main cooking vessel inside the cooker has been provided and would have contained a goulash/stew. However the rest of the internal detail would appear to be missing which is a shame considering the effort that ICM has put into the rest of the offering. This lack of detail internally by no means detracts from the set as a whole, but it does reduce your options when it comes to display. Ancillary items provided with this release are jerry cans clearly marked with a painted white cross, which is the sign for water, so that you did not mix fuel with water specific jerry cans. You have buckets, bags of spuds, wooden boxes. The vessel used to transport food to a small cadre of men and the only thing not in this set that I would have liked to have seen is bread, as it tended to be a common food type which was dunked into the stew when eaten.