I continue to be amazed at the capacity of this Ukrainian stalwart company to release new and interesting kits monthly it seems without skipping a beat despite the involvement in a long tedious war. The field kitchen in the kit is identical to the one released in ICM’s recent AHN ‘Gulaschkanone’ kit. Unlike that kit though we get a crew of 4 cooks that would rival anything Gordon Ramsey could cook up.

The German field kitchen, or Feldküche, was a vital part of the German war machine in combat conditions. Various sizes could feed anywhere from 60 to 225 men and were transported either behind tow vehicles or horses. They earned the nickname ‘Gulaschkanone’ for one of the main sources of food for the troops but they served all sorts of different courses. A large kettle with an insulating layer (using glycerin) was used for cooking main dishes. Later models of the kitchens included a separate kettle for frying. Additionally, these kitchens could simultaneously prepare up to 90 liters of coffee. It should be noted that the food ration for Wehrmacht soldiers included a wide variety of products - German soldiers received sausage, cheese, milk, and cocoa. Qualified cooks handled food preparation, assisted by helpers who peeled and chopped vegetables, chopped firewood, fetched water, and performed other tasks.

What’s Inside the Box

Inside the top hinged box are four light gray sprues - one containing parts for the kitchen, two containing food stores and containers and crates, and the last the crew and their accessories. A sheet of decals contain labels for the food crates and sacks and placards and markings for the kitchen. A four page set of instructions provides a parts map, two pages of 24 steps to assemble the kitchen and accessories, color and decal guide for two schemes (dark gray and dark yellow) and for the accessories, and the last page for the crew assembly.

Having built the Gulaschkanone recently, this was a pretty straightforward build for me with no issues. The kit comes with two crates, four flour sacks, a coffee tankard, two pails, six thermoses, two jerry cans, and four metal food containers. The figures represent a chef sharpening his knife to slice up some sausages at his prep table, another filling up the kitchen with some cooking water, another sitting and peeling potatoes, and one last chopping wood for the cook stove.

This kit is great for filling up the spares box if you don’t use all the sacks, sausages, or logs and split wood. While the set is ideal for one vignette or diorama, I chose to photograph each figure separately as I have yet to decide a setting for the contents - possibly a StuG or Panzer tank off the front for some rest and hot food.

Painting and Finishing

Instructions call for either German Grey or Dark Yellow - but there is no information on settings. The kit would fit either Western or Eastern Front just fine. I chose Dark Yellow and all the kit decals applied with no issues. The figures went together quite nicely - the soldier chopping wood has separate fingers for holding the axe - I wish they would have given the other one holding the jerry can the same option as you are forced to glue the can to a closed fist which doesn’t look quite right. Overall though, these dioramas in a box are excellent choices for adding to a tank or vehicle scene and really look quite nice.

My sincere thanks to ICM and IPMS/USA for the review samples.