Horch 108 Typ 40

Published on
October 10, 2015
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$44.95
Product / Stock #
35505
Company: ICM - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Squadron - Website: Visit Site
Box Art

This is a new, very nice kit from ICM. The parts have very good detail, go together will, and end up with a highly detailed model. Care must be used due to small parts, so the kit may be difficult for beginners.

The kit comes with all the parts in one plastic bag. The five vinyl tires are separately bagged, as are the clear plastic sprue parts. The bulk of the kit is on six dark yellow sprues. The parts have extremely good detail and there are many finely cast pieces. There are lots of small pieces and the kit includes 211 parts overall. The front grill is particularly well cast with openings between the individual grill slats. There is no flash apparent on the parts and mold seams are minimal. The detail on the parts is incredible and this should make for a highly detailed model. The plastic is quite soft so care will need to be taken to avoid gouging the plastic when cleaning up the parts.

A small detail sheet is included with placards for vehicle identification, unit designation, and some gauges for the dashboard. The details appear to be very sharp and in register.

Instructions are included in an 8.25 x 11.5" stapled booklet. Instructions include a brief history and technical specifications of the Horch in Russian and English. They colors are identified by Model Master number and generic color names in Russian and English. There are diagrams of each of the sprues for handy reference. The kit includes 73 assembly steps plus 2 pages of color profiles in the 24-page booklet. The assembly diagrams are exploded view and appear to be very clear. Detail painting instructions are called out on the individual assembly steps. Four marking color options are provided, three in German dark gray, and one in dark yellow.

The engine is a nicely detailed assembly of 13 parts. ICL includes detailed color callouts with each step of the assembly so the subassemblies can be painted during assembly.

Chassis Assembly

Steps 5 through 28 assemble the chassis. There are a lot of steps but they go quickly as there are few parts to be assembled in each step.

Parts A21 and A28 appear to be mislabeled in step number 5 based on the configuration of the parts. A28 is the part with the notch at the left out in the diagram. I had already glued A21 in place when I noticed it, so hopefully it's not a problem.

Step 8 shows part A64 being installed in the most forward notch of the chassis frame. This is not correct as it should be installed in the second set of notches, otherwise the axle, part A77 in step 10 will not fit.

After installing the inner wheel parts E1–3 and E1–4 in step 17, I noticed that all four of the wheels do not touch the ground at the same time. I applied weight to the chassis to hopefully straighten it out.

The torsion bars D1 and D26 installed in steps 18 and 19 are incredibly thin castings. I broke each of them into multiple pieces trying to get them off of the sprue and cleaned up. The engine is installed to the chassis step 20 but I waited until the chassis is complete and painted prior to assembling the engine.

The tires and wheels are assembled in steps for 27 and 28, but I did not install the wheels on the chassis at this point until they're finished. The tires are nice vinyl castings that with a little sanding on the tread and sidewall, and a flat finish, will look good without painting.

Body Assembly

They body parts go together in steps 29 through 36, and the fit of all of the parts is exceptional. Step 39 installs the spare wheel inside the vehicle's cabin. The wheel must be installed at this time, as it will not fit in after part A3 is installed without cutting part A3. The body gets installed to the chassis instep 57, and I had to do some surgery to provide clearance for the rear suspension and rear differential.

The grill is assembled in step 60 and is a marvelous piece of molding with openings between the grill slats. They only option for the top is in a down, stored position. ICM is issuing another version of the Horch 108 with an extended top in the closed position, with side curtain windows.

Steps 66 to 72 install the rearview mirrors, tools, brackets, and headlights on the front fenders. The rearview mirrors are very delicate assemblies.

There are three marking options, three in German gray and one dark yellow. All of the versions are vehicles used in Russia. There are minimal decals for the vehicle ID plaques, some unit designation symbols, tire pressure labels, and decals for the instruments on the dashboard. The details are nicely printed, very thin, and come off of the backing sheet quickly. I pulled one of the details trying to get it into place, so care must be taken due to the thinness of the details. They do react well to MicroSol.

ICM makes some great models and this one is no exception. The assembly gets a little fiddly due to the small size of many parts, but they add nice detail when installed. The fit of the parts is exceptional. Thanks to ICM for producing this fine kit and MMD Squadron for providing the review sample

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