Introduction

The following text is the introduction supplied by Revell of Germany on the included instruction booklet:
In 1978 the first of about 12,000 ‘Unimog’s U1300 l’ (UNIversal MOtor-Gerät) were delivered to the Federal German Army, where they were known as the 2t tmilgl truck. This extremely versatile cross country vehicle designed for a load capacity of 2,250kg, it has a permissible total weight of 7,500kg. A 96 kw (130hp) 6 cylinder OM 352 diesel engine gives the vehicle a max speed of 82kmh. It is armed with an MG3 on a rotating mount.

Contents

Inside one of the typical end opening card boxes that Revell of Germany use you will find a single clear plastic bag containing all of the moulded items for the model. The parts content breaks down as follows;
4 green sprues
1 clear sprue
A moulded cab
4 vinyl rubber tyres
A decal sheet
An instruction booklet
An advisory sheet

Review

First impressions
I have looked at quite a few Revell of Germany kits in the last year, and this is the first offering I have looked at from them that left me apprehensive. Revell of Germany does re-release a number of their products, some of which hail from the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, this model is from an unknown period as I cannot find a date stamp on it, but I am going to guess at somewhere in the early/late 1980,s. Why my apprehension, well there is a lot of flash and nasty seam lines present on a lot of the parts, there is even a chunk of plastic scored out of one of the parts that makes up the canvas for the rear. There are plenty of flow lines on the larger mouldings, but no obvious deformities have occurred due to this, I believe. Perhaps most frustratingly there are a number of sink marks in places. On the plus side the sprue gates are a reasonable size and not excessive.
Come on Revell of Germany this is not up to your usual standards.

Engine and Exhaust
The engine supplied with the model is complete and has some nice cam and secondary belt detail, unfortunately there is also a fair amount of flash to tackle which is disappointing. The exhaust has some very heavy flash and seams in places and these will be difficult to clean up and retain the cylindrical look of the part. On the plus side the moulding on detail on the engine is fair and so with work will be presentable. The exhaust as the box has been moulded in two halves does have a hollow opening where needed, once assembled if hollowed out a little more it should look good.
A mixed bag here from Revell of Germany with the seam and flashing on the exhaust perhaps being the most challenging aspect.

The Chassis
The chassis is a single moulding which will please some and at first glance looks reasonable, further investigation finds seam lines and light flashing down the middle outer face of the main chassis frame and a few shallow sink marks down the inner faces.
By this point I am becoming quite concerned about this model and the effort that will be needed to bring it up to standard.

Suspension and Drives
The suspension and axles for the model look quite good, but you again face flash being present on a number of the parts. A big plus for the model is that Revell of Germany have gone to the trouble of providing articulated front wheels, I am aware that taking this approach can result in some inaccuracies, but on the whole it is still a plus.
Other than the flash this area of the model looks well detailed and has some very nice touches.

Wheels and Tyres
The wheels on this model are made rotatable which is a plus for painting. The vinyl rubber tyres supplied in the kit do not match any of the tyre patterns that I found, but that could be down to me being unable to find the right reference, the tyres do have a seam line around their circumference which will need removing. The stud pattern and rim shape also does not match the reference I have, but then again most will not notice that unless told. A plus to this area is that Revell of Germany has made an effort to represent the braking system, which even if it is not up to your standards does give you a starting point.
Another mixed bag in this area of the model.

The Cab Interior
The cab floor has some nice detail present, but also has 4 shrink marks to contend with. On the plus side these shrink mark are on flat surfaces and so should not present to much of an issue. The seats have some good ribbing detail which should look good if a little new. The handbrake, foot pedals, gearstick, steering column and wheel are all well represented with the steering wheel being particularly well shaped and only marred by a shrink mark in the centre. The dashboard is a separate part and has decals to add in a number of areas, the moulded detail is a little on the soft side though. The separate door cards look reasonable and should finish this area off quite well.
One of the better areas of the model.

The Cab
The cab is for the most part a single moulding and that moulding has some issues. There is flash present and poor moulding or the moulding has been stressed on the right window frame where it meets the roof, this will take some effort to get right and make presentable. The doors are separate mouldings and can I believe be depicted in an open position if so desired, this is not shown in the instructions but it is still my belief. One thing that surprises me about the doors is that glazing is only supplied for the quarter panel and I presume that the rest of the glazed area has been wound down inside the door and so no depicting this model in a German winter wonderland. The front grill and bumper look reasonable apart from the ever present flash; the Mercedes badge is well represented on the grill and the clear parts for the lights should look good. A few pieces that I was pleased to see here are the snorkel, separate wiper arms and the wing mirrors. The snorkel will take some cleaning up but otherwise will add a good focal point. The MG and its ring should also add a good focal point on the model, however drilling the muzzle of the MG will improve its look.
It is a shame about the window pillar as this area does have things going for it.

The Truck Bed
The truck bed has some very nice detail on the underside, which if viewed should look realistic. All of the various parts I checked are present, with the jerry cans being the only aspect I would change. The canvas covered rear has some nice crease and tie down detail; however the creases have not been replicated on the inner face, the back of the canvas is open and so in theory this oversight can be seen. It should be pointed out that if you are going to load up the rear, make sure the items chosen fit through the open portion of the canvas and tailgate or painted and fixed in place before the rear portion of this area is added. The sample I received does have what looks like a cut on one side and a dent/scratch on the other side, I do not believe this is the fault of the mould but perhaps one of you can confirm this.
In the belief that the marks on the curtain sides are not mould related, this area should look quite good.

Finishing Options
Revell of Germany has provided four finishing options, which is always a plus in my books. You get the choice of;
4./ Panzerbataillon 383
3./ Wachbatillon. BMVg, Siegburg, 2007
ISAF, Kabul, Afghanistan
Königlich Belgische Armee, 2004

Instructions and Decals
The instruction is the usual loose leafed booklet from Revell of Germany, the method used to guide you through construction are black and white line drawings. Nothing in the instructions jumped out at me as going to trip someone up. I also like the fact that Revell of Germany call out painting instructions as you go through the build. The decals while small should be acceptable to most of use, with the decals of the words ‘ISAF’ being the only ones with a lot of carrier film.

Conclusion

I am sure this can, will be and has been built up into a reasonable looking model, but for me this is not up to the standards I have come to expect of a model from Revell of Germany. This model will in my opinion require a lot more effort than is usual in a model from this manufacturer. That said I do not know of any other Unimog models in this scale and so the extra effort can be justified.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en, @RevellGermany or facebook.com/Revell