cifenet Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 (edited) Hi all, I wasn't supposed to build this kit, but as luck would have it, I ended up spending a good week to finish this one. I made NO attempts to "enhance" nor "add" details to the kit and it allowed me to complete it rather quickly. I saw this one being offered for sale online quite cheap and decided to buy it as a practice kit to hone my skill. The kit had all kinds of problems though, the seller mentioned that it went through some water damage having molds on parts. 🤮 The box art looks good and the box itself survived the water damage, but that is where the good things end. The decals were damaged quite bad and I tried using Microscale decal fluid to revive them, but they just crumpled into pieces. Only license decals were used. I simply cut license plates and glue them with backing paper still intact. And the instructions had funny smell too. I allowed sun to bake it for an entire day thinking would kill any toxic molds. I am not sure if it helped or not, but I felt safe touching the instructions. And I found the front windshield cracked in the middle, so I made a replacement with a thin plastic sheet. I then washed the entire parts in soapy water and allowed them to dry in sun as well. The worst part was that many parts were warped quite bad, I wasn't sure if I could actually finish building it! At the end though, I actually enjoyed building the kit. Just like AMT truck kits, I think Italeri truck kits have their own charm for sure. The build wasn't easy for me, there were many areas where I was so frustrated, I thought about trashing it. What I liked: the subject of a European truck is cool to me especially this one coming from 80s and 90s era. a good amount of details straight out of box. I was able to complete the multi-piece cab assembly prior to painting (by inserting the cabin interior into the cab through the bottom opening). I bought it cheap. What I did not liked: molds in this kit due to water damage! warped/broken parts. Is this because Italeri pack trees tightly into the box? crude construction/assembly methods used on various areas. vague attachment points for exhaust piping, aero parts, and various frame components. I think I wrote too much, here are photos of the the final build: Edited March 2 by cifenet 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Looks great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Super nice build, well done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeSchumacher Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Nice save! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grodudulle77 Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Very nice work !! 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Great looking Mercedes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutzie Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Great looking build! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 You didn't write too much at all, great account of the build, would have been an interesting WIP. You've done a great job on the model, looks really sharp. I think I've only ever built one Italeri kit and that was decades ago but I recall not liking it the experience, I think it was the Western Star kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1hobby1 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Amazing work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronzekeg Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 great job!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jürgen M. Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Nice strudel-machine! Looks immaculate especially concerning the damage the moisture had done! Wouldn't have noticed If you hadn't said anything! I think the new Italeri kits aren't that bad. The old ones were a real pain in the ...! The plastic tires that had to be put together were just a no-go! I built a few of them but came back to the Revell and Amt kits soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Gore Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Very nice finish. The front glass looks flawless with the replacement clear part. Your painting skills are off the hook! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah H. Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 That's a great looking build. Really sharp looking engine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stavanzer Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Great Build. Just the right amount of written content. Your Paint job is Flawless! Good Show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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