Unimog S404 German Military Radio Truck
[Also in a Dutch version]
ModelFan

First impression
ICM
Nr. 35137
1/35
Injection moulded, 6 frames, one with clear frames, 5 rubber tires.
314 parts
Price: 39,50 euro

The Unimog 404, also known as the Unimog S and Unimog 404S, was developed by Mercedes Benz from 1955 to 1980. Unimog (from UNIversal Motor Gerät, or universal power unit) is a small, capable 1.5-tonne off-road truck that reached a production number of 36,000 for the German army during the Cold War. The Unimog 404 could be driven in both 2x4 and 4x4 modes, outdoors or cruising up to 60 km/h on paved surfaces Despite its German origin, the first Unimog 404s were produced for the French army, which wanted the spare wheel to be moved from the cargo bed to a place on a newly designed downward-curved frame to provide more space for troops and cargo. The versatile Unimog 404 has a folding canvas roof with frame and comes with different cargo box options: canvas cover (or not) for the cargo space and container boxes (radio, ambulance, etc.) for different military functions. In total, more than 62,000 S404s were made during the long production run, many of which are still on and off the road to this day due to their robust engineering.

ICM is the first manufacturer to market the Unimog 404S (referred to by ICM as the Unimog S 404) to scale in an injection moulded model. This versatile and robust vehicle was used by both the Bundeswehr and the Luftwaffe. What many may not know is that the Dutch armed forces, including the Guided Weapons Group (GGW) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, also used the type. I haven't been able to find too much about that. More on that at the end of this review.

When opening the lid, there is the well-known reinforced white inner box that protects the six plastic injection molded frames, a frame for all the "glass" and five rubber tires of the model, well. The 28-page manual includes 123 steps, broken down into large sections of the ladder chassis (proper building and following instructions ensure the truck is on all four wheels), the cab and the enclosed radio superstructure.
The plastic that ICM uses is easy to work with and is a joy to assemble. The quality of the  frames has reached a very high level. Unfortunately, the radio container has no interior. The engine is fairly complete with regard to all parts. The frame of the vehicle consists of many individual parts. Working well and accurately is important here. The interior of the cabin is well detailed. That's how model building is fun. Too bad about the five vinyl wheels in the set. When used, there is a possibility that they will decay in the future. I would choose an aftermarket option here. Everything is of very good quality and in the right "scale thickness".


The front of the Unimog is particularly impressive. This is thanks to the good fine grid structure, the correctly reproduced logo of the manufacturer (yes, even though the logo is not in the image on the box it is definitely there) and the light bulbs in the recesses of the headlights. ICM's Unimog series is, in my opinion, the first model where this detail has been thought of - kudos to Kiev! The protective grilles of the headlights have become quite fine for injection molded parts. You may still encounter flash here, but that is easy to fix.
Nice option: You can choose between an early and a late version of the exterior mirrors. The characteristic dipsticks of the S404 are not included in the set, but are fairly easy to make yourself with stretched sprue and a little white glue for the bulb. They are depicted on the drawing of the model on the box. They are now also available as an aftermarket product.

Since the rims of the S404 differ on the front axle and the rear axle, as for example on the Willy Jeep, ICM actually implements this detail on the model. The ring is nice to see as an entry aid on the front rim
Really new in this kit is the frame "H", which then contains the special parts of the radio housing, such as:
1.    Adapted roof
2.    Left side of the case
3.    Antennes
Some caution is advised when removing the antennas from the sprue. Under certain circumstances, it may therefore be a good idea to replace the antennas with wire and only take the antenna base from the kit.

The first frame of the clear parts provides the Unimog model with headlight lenses, a windscreen and a rear window. Now included are the windows of the side doors. By the way, if I have seen it correctly, these side windows consist of canvas and plastic. ICM displays them as glass, which does not seem correct to me given the above. Still tinker with clear foil yourself if you want to be correct. For both frames G and G1, the parts have no scratches or streaks and are cast very brightly.
The tires of the Unimog S404 are made of soft rubber. That's a shame, because ICM has included polystyrene tires in some new truck models, such as the Chevrolet G506 series. On the other hand, the profile is quite nice, even though the middle seam still needs to be sanded. I would, however,  choose an aftermarket set of tires myself. They are now available!

The decal sheet looks good. A very nice detail is the representation of the individual yellow, early, bridge classification signs. In the case of license plates of Bundeswehr vehicles, you can often tell from the flag that the colors are not correctly positioned in the grid and that the different color bars sometimes appear "indented". Not so with ICM's current decal set.

As usual, the building instructions are well structured and clear. Of course, the color specifications are only indicated in the ICM color system. In fact, ICM has issued a set with the colors of "Bundeswehr" vehicles (no. 3017) especially for this purpose. I will definitely come back on the ICM paint.

A total of 4 variants are possible, two of which are in RAL6014 and two in NATO camouflage. There's something for everyone,
The following vehicles can be build:
1.    Unimog S404 5th Signal Battalion, 5th Tank Division, Dietz, early 1970s
2.    Unimog S404 74th Fighter Squadron, Germany, 1970s
3.    Unimog S404 77th Artillery Regiment, 7th Armoured Division, exercise Trutzige Sachsen, Northern Germany, 1985
4.    Unimog S404 12th Air Defence Regiment, Hardheim, 1991

The Dutch variant
As mentioned before, the Royal Netherlands Air Force had this (S) 404 in service as a radio car. The Marine Corps also used the 404, especially in New Guinea, but not this version. The Royal Netherlands Army has had the radio version in service as a vehicle for the EOV (Electronic Warfare) at the 102 EOV Electronic Warfare, in Holterbroek. The vehicles were borrowed from the Germans in anticipation of delivery of the Fuchs (1988-1991). They have also been employed by the various armed forces such as troop transport, field kitchen, ambulance and fire brigade.
I have found little information about this radio version, photos are also scarce. At the NIMH (Netherlands Institute of Military History) I was able to find a few, but from afar. Some Googling on GGW (group Guided Weapons) and Unimog also yielded something.
It is clear that they were used by the GGWs (Guided Weapons Group) of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. I have not been able to find how many and license plates. What I did conclude is that they are different from the ICM version of the Bundeswehr. The main difference is the "hardtop" of the cabin compared to the standard canvas of the German version and therefore also the side window of the door is different. Made of glass and with an intermediate bar. The windows are also larger and extend to the rear wall of the cabin. During the radio container I came across photos with the covered turnips, as in the drawing of the model, but also with ordinary windows without covers. Why the Air Force had hardtops, I have no idea. What comes to mind could be that existing hardtop Unimogs have simply been given a radio container construction. A 404 hardtop version is indeed available.
The Army Unimog's are identical to this model of ICM except that on top of the roof of the suitcase body there is a kind of antenna with an iron bracket around it and a square box. The windows are not covered and they had the late external mirror version. They were camouflaged in contrast to those of the Air Force which were uniformly green. Ergo, building a Dutch 404 is possible, but requires some effort. The hardtop of the Air Force radio car, the antenna superstructure and box on the roof of the Army sounding trucks and the complete lack of information about license plates and markings are in the way.

Conclusion
Before I want to come to the actual conclusion, hats off to ICM for the fact that it had the courage in Kiev to bring this series of models to the market in 1/35 because there are already four. The research, design and creation of the molds is still an expensive affair that entails business risks if the model does not meet the taste of the market. For this reason alone, I would probably be excited about the model, even if it had obvious weaknesses - but it doesn't. The detailing is very well done by ICM, I have not been able to see any obvious errors compared to the original, the injection moulding is top level and the 4 variants are also very varied.  In short: A large selection of role models excellently implemented - from the bottom of my heart: Absolutely recommended.

Thanks to ICM for providing a review copy.