ICM has been releasing quality kits, figure sets, and recently paints to support their vast library of releases. This one is a mouthful - the G917T Truppenluftschutzwagen, a 3-ton truck with a 2cm Flak 38 in the bed. This was an effective weapon for closeup air defense but could also target lightly armored ground threats as well.

What’s Inside the Box

You get essentially two kits in one with six light gray and one clear sprue for the truck and 5 light gray sprues for the flak 38. The truck sprues should look familiar as they share a lineage with kit # 35413 from 2013. Details are pretty crisp, although there are ejector sink marks on the bottom surface of the truck bed and inside some of the cab details. There are two decal sheets - one for the flak 38 and one for the two schemes for the truck.

As is typical with ICM vehicle kits, construction begins with the lower frame and engine. Step 6 has a mistake in labeling with the center support beams F8 and F18 being switched around. The first 8 steps out of 56 are for the frame and I managed to get everything true and all wheels touching which was a win! The next tricky part was the multi-piece cab assembly. The rear cab and roof are attached together first - then the five part engine compartment and hood. The driver’s seat and controls are then sandwiched between these subassemblies - and if you aren’t careful, there will be fit issues, which you will find out when you go to attach the doors and fenders. I had some things to adjust to get everything to fit.

I left off all the small bits attached to the cab until later - things like headlights, mirror, handles, tools, and jerry can and rack. Just too easy to knock off - so I waited until I had the bed assembled and added onto the frame with the cab. However, I did end up losing the small triangle placard that goes over the windshield, so maybe waiting was a bad idea. The bed assembly was straightforward with no issues - although placement of the two toolboxes was guesswork. By step 24, the truck is assembled and ready for the gun.

The flak gun is not so detailed - with no slide molding for the barrel. I used some new hand drills I bought to drill out the barrel. This is the most challenging part of the build - with nearly 50 small parts over 24 steps to assemble the gun. You can choose to have the gun angled at either 20 degrees or 45 degrees so pay attention as there are different parts for each angle. The frame for the base to install the gun on the truck bed was trouble-free and the gun fit perfectly onto it.

There are two scheme options - a North African DAK scheme in dark yellow or an Eastern Front version in German Grey. I love the DAK schemes- and decals on the gun and truck settled in nicely.

Conclusion

Overall, a great kit from ICM - and it looks pretty slick with the Flak 38 on the back. Care should be taken on assembling the lower frame and cab assembly to avoid issues later when joining everything together - but in the end, the care pays off with a great looking model.

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