Introduction
The following introduction is as provided by ICM:
In 1939 Renault began developing hoodless AH series trucks for the French army. One of them was the AHN with a capacity of 3.5 tonnes. The first prototype was released in February 1940. The car had a fairly simple design with a flat cab without a hood. Its serial production began in March 1941, already under the leadership of the German occupation administration. After the Allies liberated the plant that produced these cars in 1944, truck production resumed. The modification called AHN2 went into the series. The car was used for the military needs of France, but it was also sold to civilians. Production of the truck continued from November 1944 to June 1946. A total of 8,400 units were released.
Review
This offering from ICM arrives in a flip top cardboard tray, with an additional card lid showing the artwork. Inside all of the plastic contents are packaged in a single bag, with an additional bag in there containing the clear parts. The instruction booklet is loose in the box, and has the decals in between the sheets of the booklet for protection. An examination of the parts reveals no major issues, other than some ejector pin marks - this is especially noticeable in the roof of the cab. Civilian vehicles released in 1/35th scale are popular amongst military models makers for telling a story. But the civilian vehicle modeller should really give this scale a look, as the level of detail tends to be greater than the larger scale cars available to them unless taking out a mortgage to buy a kit.
This offering from ICM builds up from a multi-part chassis. By providing the chassis in multiple parts it enables the provision of a kit with better accuracy. But it also means that the kit can be ruined from the off. This is due to the chassis being assembled that isn’t true, turns a kit that should have been a pleasure to one that becomes a nightmare. When tackling this chassis I suggest building it on a cutting mat with a grid upon it, and also starting from the rear of the frame to the front, as there are a couple of pieces at the rear that will help you get the correct alignment. A highlight of ICM offerings is that a large number of their kits provide replication of the engine and gearbox and that is true of this offering.
ICM rarely include photo etch in their offerings, but their mould quality means that the detail is of an acceptable standard, with some scratch work being required to replicate fuel lines and electrical cables. The cooling system is also well tackled, with ICM supplying a nice radiator and water pipes. The exhaust system in this kit will require that the exhaust end is drilled to provide an accurate look to the finish. The suspension for this vehicle will require careful clean of the leaf spring suspension to hide the moulding seams. My main critique for ICM is that they so very rarely give the modeller the option to show the front wheels turned. On the plus side the steering rack and column is correctly represented throughout its various structures.
The cab itself is fairly simplistic, which is not uncommon for this period. The seats are noteworthy, as they sit on pedestals, with a nice support that goes a reasonable height up the back and then comes around the sides, giving the driver a good level of support. The interior console has a decal provided to represent the dial details, and unusually for a vehicle a steering wheel with five struts where there is usually only three to four. Controls inside the vehicle have been well represented, and I see no issues in what is there. The doors are only shown closed, but have reasonable detail on both faces and so with careful planning, showing a door open is not going to be overly difficult. Moving to the exterior of the cab, a particularly nice feature is the grill with a separate Renault embossment added to it. There are some ejector pin marks that will need to be addressed most specifically in the roof of the cab.
Moving to the rear bed of the model, the rib support structure for the bed is made up of a number of parts, where clean up and placement of the parts will be the making or killing of this aspect. The detail present is of a very high standard, and should please all. The truck bed attaches directly to this ribbed base and has good detail on the other face. The framework around the truck bed has quite nice detail, but will not be easy to show one of the panels down. The number plate and rear light cluster, plus the rear mud guards are well represented. The skeletal frame of a canvas support is also provided which is up to you if you use it or not, and if you do you could always make your own canvas to use with it. An aspect that I really like about the model is that is can be assembled from three sub-assemblies of the cab, the cargo bed and the chassis area, after painting has been completed - with the exception of the cab interior.
ICM has provided four finishing options for this model, which are as follows:
AHN2, France, 1945
AHN2, National Gendarmerie, Second half of the 1940s
AHN2, Savoy, France 1954
AHN2, Mondoubleau, France, 2000s
Conclusion
This release from ICM provides a lot of detail and an excellent base for super detailing the model. From my limited knowledge all aspects of the vehicle appear to have been accurately replicated, and so pleasing. The provision of a civilian vehicle is pleasing to see, and something that ICM is well known and respected for.