Quick & Dirty Builds Vol. I – ICM 1/35 Liberty B Truck
There are so many kits being released by so many manufacturers these days that it’s easy to overlook some interesting subjects and this is one of them- the ICM 1/35 Liberty B Truck. This late-WWI beast was one of the first modern, standardized trucks for the U.S. Army but it really entered the history books as the backbone of the 1919 Army Transcontinental Motor Convoy, an attempt to cross the good old U.S. of A. from coast to coast by road. Sounds fun, right? It was, until the roads ran out and your truck flopped.
In fact, most of the way, from the Midwest to the Sierra Nevada, was completely unpaved. This made a big impression on one of the officers along for the ride- Dwight D. Eisenhower- who later as President during the 1950s pushed through and enacted our modern interstate highway system. So next time you cruise I-40 & I-25, thank Ike- and the Liberty B.
It took me about a month, off and on, of modeling ingenuity to get this kit together, but despite a little problem-solving required at each step of the build, I enjoyed my time on the workbench and was rewarded with a detailed replica of an American truck I previously knew nothing about. The model comes with a representation of the canvas cover for the truck bed or can be built with just the ribs but I kept both for realism. I modified the tilt over the driver’s compartment, based on a photo of one of these trucks, which also served to set the model apart from a standard build. The modification was easy and allowed a view into the cab. The leather straps securing the tilt I added from an old True Details 1/48 PE seatbelt set- it was a perfect fit.
The finished model makes a decent stand-alone replica or can be used as the centerpiece of a diorama, as ICM makes some nice WWI U.S. Army figures, including a driver’s set.
This is a kit I’d recommend and especially one that makes for a good introduction to an array of 1/35 truck kits by Ukrainian company ICM- they are truly King of the Road now in 1/35 military softskins. In fact, I’ll be building several more ICM kits after this one- look for more reviews to follow.
