ICM 1/35 Mercedes G4 (1939 Production) Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Mercedes-Benz produced fine motor cars in Germany and many of these cars were adapted for military service as needed. One such adaptation was the Type G4 which was a seven passenger saloon convertible that was based on the commercial model 770. The G4 was initially powered by a 100 horsepower engine that provided power to the twin rear axles under normal operations and the front axles can also be shifted into drive as a full 6x6 drivetrain when needed. Due to the weight of the vehicle, even with the 6x6 power, the G4 was primarily a road car though it can deal with less than ideal roads as needed.

Seventy four of these were delivered to the Wehrmacht and due to their cost, they were limited to senior staff use. Only a handful survived the war with one somewhere in Hollywood where it has appeared in several movies and the series Hogan's Heroes.

ICM has really produced a masterpiece with this Mercedes G4. You'll note that ICM avoided the licensing problems by avoiding the Mercedes-Benz name in their kit. You might think this subject is obscure enough to be a first but you'd be incorrect. Tilt produced this subject in 1/35 scale many years ago and the kit has long-since been in the collector's market. Even so, the details in that kit were very basic in comparison to this ICM kit.

The kit is molded in tan styrene and presented on five parts trees and one tree of clear parts. Unlike the Tilt kit, this model has a very nicely detailed drivetrain and chassis. The in-line eight-cylinder engine is nicely rendered and can be later admired by removing the hood. In fact, let's look at the features of this kit:

• Detailed engine
• Detailed chassis
• Detailed drive train and suspension
• Detailed (and huge) fuel tank
• Positionable side windows
• Choice of open or closed hood
• Nice interior with decals provided for instruments
• Four standing figures

Markings are provided for five examples

• G4, German High Command, Germany, 1939
• G4, German High Command, Poland, 1939
• G4, German Army Staff, Germany, 1939
• G4, Senior German Army Commander, Ukraine, 1941
• G4, Luftwaffe Senior Staff, Germany, 1940

The decals include license plates for the domestic vehicles and tactical markings for the deployed command example. Command flags are also provided though these are politically correct without the swastikas inside the white circles. You'll need to provide your own swastikas if you choose to do one of the polished staff cars.

This is a beautiful model that will provide lots of nice detail to admire and can be given a high quality auto finish or a grimy tactical finish depending on the subject you choose. In any case, this kit will look great on its own or with some figures and a nice display base to create a diorama or vignette.

My sincere thanks to HobbyTerra for this review sample! Note that HobbyTerra has this kit listed at $29.80 USD!