Jim Rae takes a look at one of ICM's recent releases, the Admiral Cabriolet WWII German Staff Car, and finds out just how far the company has come in its development.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

I'm still looking forward to getting my hands on one of these. Hopefully I don't have to worry about damage from it being in a flimsy box.

Jeremy, no, I wouldn't worry about damage to the model itself.

More than anything, a model of this quality should get the best possible presentation imaginable. Frankly, the quality of the moulding and design is as good as ANYONE's (and I mean anyone ). Many people, as I mentioned, get their first contact with models like this in the Hobby-Store, it's easy to get carried away, but they DON't read Reviews either in Print Magazines or Sites like this. Yes, it's hard to imagine, but that IS the reality...

I suppose so, it's just hard to imagine that with the amount of easy to access information out there these days. I do agree with your point on the box art. If this was the first thing that someone saw it could easily be a turn off. It highlights the staff car well, but as you said it looks overly atmospheric. ICM probably would have been better off using box art that displayed portrayed it in a "normal" service setting, perhaps with some kind of AFV in the background and at least one member of the command staff looking at a map or some chart with someone. I'll make sure that my lhs orders one of these if they haven't done so already.

Can I assume this was also a civilian car? And If so can it be built as a civialian car out of the box, or does it need any mods? Also, was Admiral a Ford or Chevy branch, ie; would it be possible to see a similar North American built model during the same period?

There wouldn't be any modifications that I could think of whatsoever.¨What might require modification would be the front headlamps as i'd assume that during the war, they would have had masks on them (and on the military versions as well) to reduce the glare and therefore not break blackout regulations?

The box art depicts the car as 'civilian', even though it has WH plates, with chrome bumbers, grill, and trim. None of the parts are chrome plated in the kit. Is this another instance of corporate mis-representation? If I wanted to build this car as civilian I would have to use Bare Metal foil for all the chrome parts - a process better left to car builders. Way too tedious for me! It would be much easier to paint over chrome parts for a mititary vehicle than to Bare Metal plain parts to make a civilian vehicle. I think the argument of the "added cost" of chroming parts doesn't hold water. 1/25 scale car kits are still among the least expensive kits in the modeling world and they all come with chromed parts.

You can use Alclad instead of bmf, it's much easier IMHO. I never really liked working with bmf myself.

Ola Biggles

Civilian vehicles were very often be commandeered by the Wehrmacht and often regarding to which department they went were not painted over. They just received WH numberplates and some form of blackout lights. When they went to the front they were painted over in the colors needed for that theater. This usually also included painting over the Chrome.Allthough this is not always the case. Check out this Beauty of a Peugeot 202 which I photographed some weeks ago. Original color. original markings and they left the chrome parts untouched. Got a whole walkaround of this car.


As for painting the plastic parts chrome... there is always Alclad

Regarding the license plates, officers of the intelligence service, Gestapo, diplomatic office, etc would often drive cars with civilian plates for obvious reasons. I have also seen photos of civilian cars commandeered that have civilian plates but "WH" painted on the fenders, etc. I kind of like the box art.

The Admiral was built by Opel (GM German subsidiary). It was available as a 4-door saloon or cabriolet. The production of the Admiral (introduced in 1937) was cancelled in 1939 when the Opel factory started producing war material. I believe it was a 100 % German design...


Frenchy

You mention 36 parts for figures. What are they?

Anyone got any good links ~ for images of Opel Admiral Cabriolets ? ~ WW2 photos or nowdays walk around images or Videos please ~ I wanna have a go at a 'semi' or half folded roof/hood ~ Cheers

You mean something like this ?





H.P.

Yeah !! - Cheers Frenchy - and Sorry for the belated 'Cheers' - Ive only just now seen your reply !!

Better late than never

H.P.

Beautiful restoration. Would love to take that to one of our local Car shows