As noted in the title, the kit upon arrival proved to be a Zvezda rather than the Dragon kit it was listed as. I haven't built any Zvezda kits although I do have a few in my stash. I avoided them because they didn't exactly have a stellar reputation. I do have a few model builder friends who are superb builders who have built this kit. They have told me it's a good kit and goes together without major problems and nothing that isn't in the usual requirements for the hobby. I bought it based on their recommendations and the fact nobody else makes this truck. Inspecting the sprues, it appears to be relatively flash free. Details are clear. This kit is definitely a departure from Zvezda's reputation. There is a nearly complete, very detailed engine, sans the fuel lines to the injectors which is an easy scratch build, so it would be a shame to hide it. You don't have to because the engine covers can be removed. There are scored lines to remove the sides, but I believe there is more to this on the real truck than just tossing off the panels. If you build to a degree of accuracy I strongly suggest doing some research into what this entailed and what remained after the sides were taken off. The kit doesn't have a battery, but again an easy fabrication. There's no reference on where it mounts in the instructions so it may be hidden and that's why it isn't included. More research! Regardless, such a detailed engine under the hood and some extra engine compartment detail will set this model off! Tire tread patterns are almost always suspect in wheeled military models. I'm sure there are questions with these, but the after market is always quick to release them in proper form. Wood grain texture on the bed and other wooden items is surprisingly good and non-repetitive. Best of all, there are NO pin marks to ruin them! Speaking of the bed, too bad the kit didn't include the tie-downs for the canvas cover! Again, the aftermarket will likely come to the rescue here or more scratching is in order. The kit, as pictured, has all the frames for the canvas top mounted forward behind the cab in the stowed position. There is no retracted or full cover included. Once again, those who would want one can wait and hope for the after market or scratch one. The chassis is amazingly well detailed and is made up of lots of parts. What really put a smile on my face was the absence of seam lines on the springs! I hate cleaning those up because it's hard to work around all the other details without damaging them. The brake stuff is fairly complete as are the other under frame systems. But, while there is all that detail in other areas, interior detail is lacking. There are no instrumentation details, just the circles denoting their location and no decals for them. Are you listening Archer Fine Transfers? The seat surface is too smooth, but that's remedied easy enough. There are some ejector pin marks on the floor panel, but they are fixable. I think the clear parts for the windows are too thick, but that's another par for the course with many models. I use clear from ultra thin plastic sheets I buy from hobby shops for kits with the thick clear widows, especially if I make an open window, a trick I learned from my years building car models. This kit has a pair of figures which look pretty good. I'm no expert on uniforms, etc. so I can't comment more on them. The decals aren't the best in that the selection is limited. That's also a problem with many kits for which I depend on Archer Fine Transfers to solve, especially for unit type and specific divisional markings, aircraft ID flags and banners, and uniform markings. Having Italeri's Opel Blitz Maultier and another wheeled Blitz, this kit blows them away with the detail and potential to modify it. Add weapons or cargo and go for it! Just plain, right out of the box, it is a great build. I hope this is an indication that Zvezda is stepping up quality and this is a new standard they are building to. So often, the more unusual or underrepresented vehicles and other subjects are released by companies with quality and accuracy issues. I hope Zvezda breaks from that pack especially if they are going to do more like this truck. To summarize, in spite of the Zvezda name, this is a very good kit. Nobody else currently makes this truck. Used as it is or modified into something else, something weaponized, or as a tow vehicle, the potential to expand on this kit is enormous. It's worth getting!
