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For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
NEWS
Long Overdue - Merc 4500 in 1/35th
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 04:01 AM UTC
Thanks to alanmac for spotting this one on Missing Lynx... One of the on-line hobby stores is listing, as a future release from Zvezda in the shape of, German Army Mercedes 4.5t Cargo Truck in 1/35th scale (injection-moulded). What there is of this welcome (future) release, can be seen:

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

dispatcher
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Illinois, United States
Joined: November 04, 2007
KitMaker: 396 posts
Armorama: 325 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 04:29 AM UTC
A Mercedes 4.5 ton cargo truck would be a welcome addition to the 1/35th German stable of vehicles. Lets wait and see how this works out. In the future they could do a late war Mercedes 4.5 ton with the maultier suspension.
Joe
jointhepit
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Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Joined: May 14, 2006
KitMaker: 3,829 posts
Armorama: 881 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 11:37 AM UTC
yes, something else then opel blitz/L3000 variants,hopefully the standart isn't what I got to know Zvesda for,but I guess the times have changed,we will have to see...

sgtreef
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Oklahoma, United States
Joined: March 01, 2002
KitMaker: 6,043 posts
Armorama: 4,347 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 11:45 AM UTC
Not about the truck but what happened to 203 MM Russian Mortar.

Truck looks good.
Shadowfax
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Michigan, United States
Joined: November 02, 2006
KitMaker: 389 posts
Armorama: 351 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 01:56 PM UTC
Is this a new tooling, or somebody else's tool? I was REALLY happy with ICM's Studebaker, so if Zvezda can come close to this kind of work, it would be "a good thing".
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 07:52 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Is this a new tooling, or somebody else's tool?



It can ONLY be a new tooling - nobody has ever done one of these in plastic before...
koenele
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Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 4,194 posts
Armorama: 408 posts
Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 08:07 PM UTC
finally!!!!!!
Jmarles
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: November 02, 2008
KitMaker: 1,138 posts
Armorama: 953 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 12:15 PM UTC
The rear bed and toolbox looks suspiciously like the Italeri Blitz/Mercedes L3000 and the cab looks like the Italeri Mercedes L3000. Is it possible it's just a rebox with new cab and chassis parts? Since the Italeri L3000 is an inaccurate representation - it borrows incorrect parts from the Italeri Opel Blitz sprues, there may be some accuracy issues. That being said it's a welcome breath of fresh air as we've all built far too many Blitz trucks in our lifetimes!
acav
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Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: May 09, 2002
KitMaker: 517 posts
Armorama: 290 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 12:28 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The rear bed and toolbox looks suspiciously like the Italeri Blitz/Mercedes L3000 and the cab looks like the Italeri Mercedes L3000.



You can tell this from a low-res and small reproduction of proposed box art?

Or do you have a link to images of the kit that you haven't posted here..?

I think we should put our prejudices against Zvezda behind us and wait until the blinkin' kit arrives before making decisions about it, based on some outdated stereotype of Russian kit manufacturers - yes, they've produced some howlers in the past (which kit manufacturer hasn't..?), but their more recent stuff gets better release on release.

Zvezda are to be congratulated for releasing a kit of the subject, not pilloried because another manufacturer didn't count the rivets properly.

... and relax...

cheers all
acav
Jmarles
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: November 02, 2008
KitMaker: 1,138 posts
Armorama: 953 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 12:38 PM UTC
Who said I have anything against Zvezda? I own a dozen or more of their kits, I am just saying the rear bed looks like Italeri's....you don't high res to see that.
acav
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Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: May 09, 2002
KitMaker: 517 posts
Armorama: 290 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 04:01 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Who said I have anything against Zvezda? I own a dozen or more of their kits, I am just saying the rear bed looks like Italeri's....you don't high res to see that.



Maybe so, but perhaps we should wait until we have the kits in our hands before making assumptions about it's parentage..?
Hohenstaufen
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: December 13, 2004
KitMaker: 2,192 posts
Armorama: 1,615 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 04:48 PM UTC
It's pretty unlikely that this kit owes anything to Italaeri as the Merc 4500 is a bigger vehicle altogether. The clue is in the load rating, 4.5 tonnes is a significantly larger than 3, like 1.5 times the size! The wooden load bay is a standard design of the period. If you compare the two vehicles carefully, I think that the load bay is a "bay" longer than the 3 tonner, i.e. four panels, not three. I can see this being the basis of some great scratch builds, the 4.5 tonners were frequently used as mobile machine shops. Also there may be a box body version perhaps?
Frenchy
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Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 06:22 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I can see this being the basis of some great scratch builds, the 4.5 tonners were frequently used as mobile machine shops. Also there may be a box body version perhaps?



What about the armored Flak truck variants (fitted with a Flak 36, a Flak 41, or a Flakvierling 38) ? They would be cheaper than the available resin kits ?


Frenchy
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 09:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I think we should put our prejudices against Zvezda behind us and wait until the blinkin' kit arrives before making decisions about it, based on some outdated stereotype of Russian kit manufacturers - yes, they've produced some howlers in the past (which kit manufacturer hasn't..?), but their more recent stuff gets better release on release.

Zvezda are to be congratulated for releasing a kit of the subject, not pilloried because another manufacturer didn't count the rivets properly.



Absolutely. Even if the FINAL model isn't up to the standards of Dragon or Tasca a plastic model costing around 30 bucks is going to be a damn sight easier to improve than a $150 Resin one...

Give them credit where credit is due - HOW LONG have we been waiting for these heavier trucks?
SGTJKJ
#041
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Kobenhavn, Denmark
Joined: July 20, 2006
KitMaker: 10,069 posts
Armorama: 4,677 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 09:30 PM UTC
I want one of these. Finally a iszeable truck for the Panzer forces.

Frenchy, great suggestion for a conversion. I might just steal that idea from you.

Thanks for the update, Jim
Frenchy
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Rhone, France
Joined: December 02, 2002
KitMaker: 12,719 posts
Armorama: 12,507 posts
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008 - 09:53 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Frenchy, great suggestion for a conversion. I might just steal that idea from you.



No problemo Jesper
Here's the Flakvierling 38-fitted variant (from Panzernet.net) :



Frenchy
postbusf
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Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Joined: November 15, 2007
KitMaker: 158 posts
Armorama: 154 posts
Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2008 - 03:20 AM UTC
I would love to see the halftrack version of this one, with the wooden driverscab! Just love this truck with panzer II tracks.

Frank.
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