introduction

I rarely venture into the world of 1/72nd scale kits, but now it is my turn to review this little truck. IBG Models is a Polish distributor of scale model kits and also has its own range of 1/72nd scale plastic kits. One of their recent releases is the Diamond T family (cargo, wrecker, dump truck and asphalt tank versions).

The short description of the real vehicle as per the box is as follows:

The Diamond T was an American automobile manufactured in Chicago until 1911 by the Diamond T Motor Car Company. The name of company means: "Diamond" for quality and "T" for Tilt like name of owner Charles A. Tilt. Diamond T 4-tons 6x6 series truck introduced in production in early 1941 with 968/969/970 versions covered cargo truck, heavy wrecker and dump truck. Later chassis of this truck were used as universal platform for some special versions like asphalt tank, water tank, crane or snow plows. All versions of Diamond T trucks served in US Army on almost all theaters of Second World War and later to early 1950's. Some versions of this truck were used by British, Canadian and Polish military units in Second World War too.

the kit

The kit comes in a sturdy box with glossy finish and a nice box art, the size is maybe a bit too big compared to its contents, but most probably this is the standard size used by the company for their 72nd scale kits. Inside we will find three sprues in two sealed bags plus the decals and a piece of thin clear plastic sheet for the windows.

The instruction sheet illustrates the construction with nice 3D drawings through 20 easy to follow steps both in English and Polish. My only slight concern would be the color scheme, as it is a bit too dark, although it should not be a big issue as the vehicles are overall olive drab and the decal placement is clearly visible. The two US options we have are: T 968 from B Company, 15th Engineer Battalion, 9th Infantry Division, First Army (Normandy, 1944) and T 968A from C Battery 27th Field Artillery Battalion, 1sr Armored Division (Italy, 1944).

The difference between T 968 and 968A is the layout of the dashboard.

With my limited experience with 72nd scale kits I’d say the parts quality is superb, the details are sharp and I did not come across any imperfections or ejector pin marks. The number of attachment points on some parts is a bit higher than what I’d prefer to see, cleaning them up involves a bit more of work.

The kit is obviously well broken down – into 124 parts in total. Some modelers might find it too much, I think it is pretty much OK, allowing more detail, the only change I’d be happy to see is a one-piece cab, as this should look spot-on since it is the ”main” part of the truck.

The wheels are well-detailed, including the tiny bolts too, and even the wheel hub’s inner sides have some parts molded on them. We also get a basic engine which is not really visible as the front grille is not cut through due to its small size.

The cab is made up of six parts (plus the interior) and needs careful alignment and some sanding to look spot on. The interior is very basic but that should be fine in this scale. The windows are on a small transparent sheet, all you need to do is follow the lines and cut them – what is missing here (and from the instructions as well) is the window on the rear wall of the cab (there is a hole – I suppose that should be a window). The arms of the rearview mirrors are a bit too thick for my taste.

My biggest issue with this nice little kit is that the screens protecting the headlights are solid plastic parts, ruining the otherwise delicate overall appearance. The inclusion of some PE should be a must at least for these two pieces.

The chassis is very well detailed especially if we compare it to the size of the kit. Made up from 32 parts, it includes a well detailed frame, suspension, transmission and some other bits (plus the engine assembled already).

The truck bed should be an easy build with decent details that even include the nuts and the reflective prisms as well. Canvas roof is not included in the kit. The mud flaps are a bit too thick – again some PE would have been nice here.

conclusions

All in all I’d say this is a nicely detailed little kit that should build into a decent Diamond T 968, however one might find it too complicated for a 72nd scale kit so I’d not recommend it for beginners. The inclusion of some PE screens would be a must in my opinion since it ruins a bit the overall finesse of this otherwise pretty spot-on kit.