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Building the Italeri 232 6-Rad

the kit

This kit is available in two versions. The subject of this build is without the resin bits and pieces, but it’s also available with the resin bits and pieces.....at a much higher cost. I’ve seen that one for sale at £34, and had a good look through the box. Get this one if you’re going to build this kit. Doubling the price of the kit is not on for the amount of resin you get in the other one. You would do much better to wait for one of the aftermarket companies to put out a set if you absolutely must have an interior!

Open the box and you’ll find 4 sprues, individually bagged up, of dark grey styrene. I always find Italeri styrene too ‘shiny’. The moulded on detail is soft, some of the very small parts such as hinges are poorly moulded. More on this later. Two of the four sprues are the same, containing wheels and their associated parts. The instructions are typical Italeri, including a parts map, and simple but adequate instructions for painting in Model Master colours.

stage 1

Construction begins with the mating of the upper hull to the lower hull! There is a nice radiator to insert that can just be seen through the radiator louvers when the kit is finished. There are four markings options in this kit, and if you choose ‘German Army, Unknown Unit – Poland 1939’ be aware that you need to paint up the radiator now.....as it has a decal on it, and you won’t be able to get at it later! The other three versions don’t, so if you choose any of these then you can continue with the build.

On the instructions, stage 1 looks to very simple and very quick. It actually took me hours to complete because all the doors and hatches are poorly fitting. Some very careful sanding and dry runs are called for if you are going to get the best from this kit. Be very careful indeed when removing the parts from the sprues, especially the two ‘domed’ structures for the roof. They are very easily ‘nicked’ when removing the attachment points.

The fit of the major parts was very nearly perfect, with just a touch of extra-thin super glue run into the seams, a quick application of accelerator, followed by a light sanding to maintain that ‘sharp’ angle between the upper and lower hulls.