KIT: Italeri 1/24 Volvo VN 670
KIT #: 3827
PRICE: $68.00 MSRP
DECALS: One option
REVIEWER: Scott Van Aken
NOTES:  

HISTORY

Allow me to quote from the instructions on this one: "The new Volvo VN 670 tractor, an evolution of the NH 12 series, is specifically aimed at the American market. The previous version has already proved popular and more than capable of competing with traditional, US built trucks.  Characterized by a spacious drive cab, with sleeping facilities and every other comfort needed for the long haul journeys typical of the US market, the vehicle has been completely restyled and the engine improved to contain fuel consumption and reduce emissions."

Yeah, I know it doesn't tell us much, but that is what it says.

THE KIT

The kit itself is molded in several shades of plastic. There are sprues of black, grey and red. One contains all the chrome plated parts and as usual, to remove the sprue mold lines, you'll have to strip the parts and either repaint them or replate them. It is just the way things go. A rather large and heavy sprue of vinyl or rubber wheels is also provided.  Molding is quite good and though there are the usual ejector pin marks on parts, I saw no problems with flash or sink marks. I'm also thinking that this is probably a pretty new mold as the truck itself is one that I've not seen to much of on the road. It is properly racy looking and quite aerodynamic compared to the boxy Peterbuilts that once used to be so common on  the freeways.

The kit is a curbside without an engine, but it does have a full suspension and all the auxiliary bits and pieces that seem to festoon modern tractors. This is a sleeper cab and Italeri has provided a rather complete rear section that is open at the front and accessed via the main cab, unlike some others that I've seen that seem to be an add-on feature. I'm not really sure how one can be comfortable in these things if they are tall, but a lot of OTR trucks have them so I'm sure they are well used.

Everything looks pretty complete to me and all it is really missing is a trailer, which, of course, Italeri also makes. One thing for sure, it is a very large kit and even without the trailer will take up a lot of shelf space.

The instructions are superbly done with very nicely drawn construction sequences and color information in Model Master and generic references. According to the box art, this one is supposed to be painted red (hence the red plastic for the body bits) and includes a superbly done decal sheet that is incredibly colorful. I have to confess that rarely have I seen a tractor so decorated, but I can also imagine that licensing fees for some of the bigger trucking companies would have pushed up the price of the kit. Though I've not looking into it, I'm wondering if aftermarket decals are available for these rigs. As a final note, I should point out that not all the sprues are in the image. There were just too many so I put out a convincing sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, an incredible kit. I've seen these rigs at shows and have always been impressed with the level of detail that has been incorporated into them. For sure they will make into super models that will look great on your shelf.

January 2006

Thanks to for the review kit. You can find Italeri kits at your favorite hobby shop or on-line at www.testors.com

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