ICM 1/35 Admiral Saloon Kit First Look

By Dave Manter

First Look

The Admiral Passenger car was the top Opel model of the pre-war range. It had increased comfort and a powerful 6 cylinder, 3.6 liter; 75hp engine with a range of 400 km. Production started in February 1938 and ran until October 1939. About 6400 car were produced, with 3500 produced with the closed saloon body style. At the beginning of the war, most of the cars were requisitioned by senior officers of the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe. The cars were used on both the Eastern and Western fronts up until the end of the war.

The ICM kit consists of 182 tan plastic parts and 17 clear plastic parts. All of the parts are very well molded and flash and knockout marks are minimal. Fit of the main body components is very good. Decals are provided for 4 vehicles. They are:

• Germany 1941, overall Gloss black
• Germany 1942, overall Schwarzgrau
• France 1943, overall Dunkelgelb
• Soviet Army, Germany 1945, overall Gloss Black

The kit has several very nice features such as, a full and very well detailed engine, multi-part tires and a hood that can be built open or closed. The doors can be made to be open, but only after cutting them apart. The parts for the doors are deeply scored to make this very easy. The interior is full detailed as well.

If you are into building the numerous soft skin vehicles pressed into military service during World War II, then ICM will quickly become your favorite model company as they are producing interesting kits at a very rapid pace! And even if you are not into military vehicles, most of these cars can be made as civilian vehicles. The details on these kits as well as the full engines make these very fun to put together.

My sincere thanks to Squadron Mail Order for this review sample!