KIT PREVIEW
ICM 1:35 Packard Twelve (Model 1936) WWII Soviet Leaders Car • Kit No. 35535
ICM has been busy with some new 1:35 scale WWII cars lately. Andy King examines Stalin’s Packard Twelve limousine.
UNCLE JOE’S RIDE T
he Packard Twelve was a top of the range luxury car built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. First appearing in 1932 as the Packard Twin Six it was renamed the Packard Twelve until the end of its production run in 1939. As well as being a popular choice for US government officials (and quite probably famous gangsters of the time), according to the info on the side of the box several of these cars were purchased by the Soviet Special Purpose Garage to transport government officials and ‘Uncle Joe’ himself around and about The Motherland of Russia during WWII. The contents of the box include four sprues moulded in a tan styrene, one clear sprue, a small decal sheet plus a set of five figures from the ICM set ‘Stalin and Co’, in which Stalin features as well as Nikita Khrushchev (Political Commissar then Soviet leader from 19551964), Lavrenty Beria (that nice chap who was head of the NKVD), Vyacheslav Molotov (diplomat and First Deputy Premier in Stalin’s cabinet); and General Nikolai Vlasik (Head of Stalin’s personal security). All parts are well moulded with only minor bits of flash here and
Guess who?
there. Pin marks are confined to interior parts and the undersides of fenders and the only sink mark I could find was a shallow one on the front left fender. A reasonably detailed V-12 engine is included although some chopping of the bonnet side panels will be required to see it. The same goes for the main body interior as the doors are moulded closed. The body is moulded in two halves and I can see problems trying to eliminate a seam that goes across the front, roof and rear. Obviously ICM has their reasons for doing it this way but a one piece body would have been preferable as getting rid of a joint line on a part that needs a flawless paint finish will be tricky, especially as the gluing surfaces are small and most likely very prone to flexing. The tyres are made up of five parts each and care will be needed to not get any glue oozing out from between them as removing it will destroy the very fine tread pattern. The clear parts for the windows are good and free from any blemishes (and fortunately packed in a separate bag) but as the car was armoured I’d be tempted to tint them with a hint of blue-green as I’d bet the glass was armoured on the real vehicle. The Packard Swan emblem or
The front grille is solid but should look convincing when painted.
hood ornament that sits on the radiator is also on the clear sprue and is a nice detail, although the wings are moulded in one piece and you need to cut them in two before attachment. The five figures are well moulded and detail is good although the uniform insignia will be tricky to paint. ICM have done well to capture the likeness of the characters involved facially and to depict Stalin’s withered left arm (in case you were wondering why one arm was a bit shorter than the other). The figures are all posed either standing or walking so putting them in a diorama with the car may prove interesting and ideally you’d need them to put some context to the vehicle. Painting Stalin’s Packard is, as you might imagine, limited to black with a brown interior and a few areas of chrome thrown in and of course those white-walled tyres. The car would have been kept spotless too so no going berserk with weathering powders and washes either. Regarding the chrome trim possibly the best solution would be paint from the Alclad range rather than the Model Master Chrome Silver recommended in the instructions, as it would be highly polished. The only other solution would be to ask around on model car forums for advice. If you are into ‘Dictator Stars and Their Cars’ then this is an ideal model to place alongside Hitler’s six-wheeled Mercedes that you may have on your shelf. Actually, it makes an interesting subject in the fact that it may be a challenge to pull off a finish that is glossy but realistically in scale, and of course without the aid of weathering products. ■
The lower body part incorporates the wheel arches.
The body is split lengthwise in half – an interesting moulding decision!
Doors are moulded separately and may be posed open.
Nice upholstery detail.
The wheels are made up from five parts each.
Side engine cover detail.
Thanks to ICM for the review sample www.icm.com.ua The kit-supplies decal sheet.
32 Model Military International - December 2013
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17/10/2013 18:33