introduction

The German Army was often thought to be a highly mechanised army, in fact they relied upon a great deal of horse and horse power. Germany also had a habit of taking over each countries vehicle manufacturing companies and brought those vehicles onto their own inventory. There were a number of advantages and disadvantages to this process, the advantage was that each country continued to build the same vehicles, the disadvantage was that the army had a lot of different vehicles. Renault began designing a series of AH trucks for the French army in 1939 the AHN was a 3.5t capacity vehicle. This vehicle was equipped with a 6 cylinder engine and rear wheel drive, production began in 1941 under German occupation control.

review

ICM have continually released interesting and different vehicles, this release is no exception. The kit arrives in a standard ICM lift top box, the contents are contained in a single bag which although holds the sprues together can mean that they could be damaged in transit. This release comprises of 178 individual parts and inside the box the modeller will find:

• 8x Tan Sprues
• 2x Sets of vinyl tyres
• 1x Clear Sprue
• 1x Decal Sheet
• 1x Instruction Sheet

Construction begins with the detailed chassis and the modeller will have to ensure that this is kept square to ensure that the wheels touch the ground. ICM provide a very detailed engine that is sadly hidden owing to the design of the vehicle. The chassis also receives additional parts including the will hold the spare wheel, on my example one of these frames has been damaged but will be easy to repair. The front axle can only be assembled with the wheels straight ahead, it may be possible to alter this but this task will take some modifications to all the other components. The one possible downside is the vinyl tyres, love them or loathe them they have very fine tread detail and look the part.

Once the chassis is completed the assembly continues with the detailed cab that is complete with separate doors, foot pedals and the drivers and co-drivers seats that look very uncomfortable. The front of the cab receives a nicely moulded radiator grill complete with the Renault badge. I feel that it is the cargo bed that is constructed next is the best part of the model. The AHN 3.5t has a very distinctive cargo bed and ICM have captured this very complex looking section exceptionally well. The underside comprises of a well detailed frame that captures the complex look of the original. The load bed and side panels are well detailed and these side panels feature the detailing seen on the original. The upper canopy rails are quite distinctive as they have a distinctive curved profile. ICM have moulded the curved section as a single piece and to this the modeller adds the support bars. The kit does not include a canopy nor is one mentioned my single reference photograph shows this vehicle without a canopy. The modeller will add the windscreen wipers, door mirror, headlights and as this is a German vehicle the Notek lamp.

painting & finishing

There are four paint schemes offered in the instructions

• Winter 1941 Russian Front, Dark Grey overall
• Summer 1942 Ukraine, Dark Grey Overall
• 1944 France, Dark Yellow with a Dark Green mottle camouflage
• 1943 Italy, Dark Yellow overall

ICM have included four separate decals for the license plate, tactical signs, tyre pressure markings for the front tyres and a decal for the speedometer.

conclusion

ICM have provided a great looking vehicle as this truck saw service in many theatres. This model feature a number of very fine details and these are faithfully captured during construction. The modeller will be spoilt for choice one it is built and painted. The options will be quite endless as this is a cargo vehicle and will lend itself to many different scenarios.

Reference

Piet van Hees AHN Web Site Live links with a big thank you to Frenchy