1:35 Unimog S 404 with Drehringlafette Ring Mount

Unimog S 404 with the Drehringlafette rotating mount, 1:35 (ICM, part number ICM 35139)

An injection-molded plastic kit of the German military truck Unimog S 404 in the version with the Drehringlafette rotating ring mount and an MG3 machine gun. The Ukrainian manufacturer ICM supplies the mount and the machine gun as 3D printed parts, while the rest of the kit is injection-molded plastic.

The real subject

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404 S was built at Gaggenau from 1955 to 1980 and, with more than 64 thousand units, it is the most numerous Unimog of all. The Bundeswehr took over around 36 thousand of them. It is powered by an inline six-cylinder gasoline engine of 2.2 liters, the vehicle has portal axles with hub reduction, selectable all-wheel drive, differential locks, a ground clearance of 400 mm and a payload of 1500 kg. Some of the vehicles received a machine gun on a rotating ring for their own defense, and that is what is called the Drehringlafette in German.

Building and painting tips

Paint the cab and the instrument panel before you close the cab up. Cut the 3D printed parts away from the supports carefully, sand back the marks left by the supports, wash the parts and lay down a base coat; without it the paint holds poorly on printing resin. The machine gun looks more convincing in a gun metal shade than in pure black.

Who the model is for

• collectors of Bundeswehr machines in 1:35
• modelers of wheeled and light truck vehicles
• building a scene with a patrol or escort vehicle
• anyone interested in combining injection-molded plastic with 3D printing

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.