ICM continues to pump out new and interesting kits despite a war affecting all in the Ukraine, but especially in their home base in Kiev. This present reiteration of the original tooled Studebaker kit from 2007 (#35511) has new parts to make it into the U5 fuel truck specifically. This adds two tandem 375-gallon tanks with racks on the side to store a good number of 5-gallon Jerry cans. Let’s get into it…

What’s Inside the Box

You get six green plastic sprues- the four original sprues present in the earlier versions (A-D) and two copies of sprue E which contain the parts for the fuel tanks and their mounts, and the jerry cans. Sprue F is a clear sprue containing the windows, windshield, and headlight lenses. Decals include options for two nondescript schemes- one with a star and circle on the hood and one sans circle. No indication of where they were stationed but I suppose whenever fuel was needed to power machines of war would be fitting.

Speaking of fitting, this is a pretty good fitting kit with some challenges. Flash and sink marks are minimal but present. Be forewarned on the parts map on the first couple pages- there are orange shaded regions that would seem to indicate parts not used…but that is most definitely NOT the case for all of them- specifically parts A44, A45 and 46, and A64. Luckily I threw them in the spares drawer so I still had them when this realization hit but hopefully this review will give you fair warning.

Construction begins with the chassis frame as it typically does with ICM vehicles. I was very careful to keep everything square to avoid the floating wheel issue. From there, it is the engine which is pretty nice but lacking in some detail. The engine and radiator are added to the frame as well as the exhaust and that brings you to step 20. The rest of the undercarriage including the driveshaft, leaf springs, axles and such are attached. Following this are steps, fuel and stowage tanks for the truck, and the wheels.

Construction shifts to the multi-part truck cab. This is my least favorite part of these builds due to the importance of keeping everything true. Instrument panel decals are not one piece- so you have to place each gauge separately. Steering wheel assembly, pedals, seat, and levers are added before you slide the assembly into the front of the cab. The installation of the front end side panels is not clear at all and needs some fiddling with…don’t forget to add the battery to the left side first. You then slap on the rear side and fenders.They would have you add the clear parts and headlights early on but I waited until closer to completion. Door handles, levers, and window cranks are added before the doors are attached– fit was not perfect here despite my best efforts.

After adding the hood, the cab is attached to the chassis and the spare tire rack is assembled and added. Construction concludes with the rear fuel storage tanks assembly. Stowage boxes and fuel can racks are added to each side as well as the mud flaps and fuel piping. The entire assembly was then added to the chassis to complete assembly along with the wipers, mirror, and tow hooks.

Painting and Finishing

Instructions call for camouflage green for both schemes. I went with the tried and true Tamiya OD and AMMO Rubber Black for the tires. I decided to go with option 1 with the star with no circle. If you are like me and love the decal stage, this one is great. Lots of stencils and placards for the rear side on the tanks. Decals had a tendency to fold up so I took my time and care to get them on there. I kept weathering to a minimum with just some fuel stains around the filler caps and Jerry cans. I chose to paint the red lights instead of using those decals.

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