Review
This release from MiniArt arrives in the normal cardboard tray, with a separate card lid. The contents are packaged in a sealed plastic bag with the photo etch protected in a card sleeve along with the decals. An examination of the mouldings reveals no major concerns with good access to remove parts, small gates between the sprue and the part. There are some ejector pins marks that I feel will need to be dealt with during assembly and there is the ever present risk of breaking some of the finer mouldings during removal from the sprue.
MiniArt has released a number of variations of this vehicle, so I will keep this short. The oily parts and what I class as the engineering parts such as the axles are very nicely detailed throughout, with the purists only needing to add cable and pipe detail for an exceptionally well detailed model. The tyres of the model have been tackled in the pie method, so you have 4 layers which provided clean up is well tackled gives a very nice rendering of the tread detail. The chassis and its components are not a concern as they are moulded in complete parts, but the modeller needs to be aware that there are some very fine photo etched parts that are structural in nature.
This is the pick-up version of the vehicle, and it is the roof and back of the cab that will be most notable for ejector pins marks if present in your model. Cab details meet my expectations, and the grille on the front of the vehicle is again photo etch which makes for a very pleasing appearance alongside the Mercedes symbol on top of the water cap. Engine access is via the lifted side design, and MiniArt has done a very good job of this to enable to modeller to show them open or closed. I also like that the door cards are separate. The pick-up bed is very straightforward, and does have nice detail present.
With this model being indicated as a furniture removal vehicle a few household items are supplied. These are in the form of: a piano with stool, a free standing globe, a wireless set and a desk lamp - obviously other items could be added as desired. The provided finishing options are:
American occupation zone, Bavaria, 1946.
Switzerland 1950s
British Occupation Zone, Niedersachsen, 1950s
Conclusion
This is another very nice release of this vehicle, although I do question how many vehicles of this type will be sought out in the market. Detail is of a very high standard, from front to rear and the items provided for the load are an interesting mix. So you are left with a very highly detailed model, but I wonder if the market is becoming a little flooded.