April 21, 2026

Preview: 1/35th scale German 3T Cargo Truck w/ MG151/20 Drilling from MiniArt.

MiniArt's latest 35th scale "Blitz" truck features a "Drilling" setup of anti-aircraft guns. We look at sprues, colours, decals & etch in our preview....


Preview: 1/35th scale German 3T Cargo Truck w/ MG151/20 Drilling from MiniArt.

German 3T Cargo Truck w/ MG151/20 Drilling.
From MiniArt
1/35th scale
Kit No. 53055
Two marking choices are included in the box.
The Subject: Opel Blitz 3.6-36s
From 1939, the Blitz 3.6t, a three-tonne version, was used in large numbers by the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) throughout World War II. Variants included an elongated version and the four-wheel drive Blitz A. To cope with the bad road conditions and the rasputitsa mud seasons on the Eastern Front, a half-tracked Maultier ("mule") Sd.Kfz. 3 version was built using tracks and suspension based on the British Universal Carrier. Among others, these were used as service vehicles for the Messerschmitt Me 323 military transport aircraft.

We have a photo of one of these in service in the streets in Europe during WWII.
The light basic model was manufactured as the Blitz 2.5 in Rüsselsheim until 1942 and again from 1946, equipped with the 55 hp (41 kW) Opel Super 6 engine. On 6 August 1944, the Opelwerk Brandenburg was devastated by an RAF air raid. Until the end of the war, about 2,500 Blitz 3.6 trucks were built by order of Minister of Armaments Albert Speer at the Mannheim plant of the rival Daimler-Benz company, while production of its own Mercedes-Benz L3000 model had to be discontinued.

After the war, the facilities in Brandenburg were completely dismantled at the behest of the Soviet military administration, while Daimler-Benz in Mannheim resumed building the Blitz 3.6 under the designation L 701 until 1949. The last 467 medium trucks were again assembled by Opel in Rüsselsheim until production finally discontinued in 1954 without a successor.

The Kit:
We have some nice CADs of the sprue layout, providing some details of the makeup of the model, including:
-You have the full engine and chassis without the cab and tray. The fuel tank, thick tyres & radiator here. Just add some wiring to the engine and you are good.
-The naked tray with spare wheel and spare Jerry can is shown here. This will be for the first of MANY trays attached to this truck; we are sure of it.
-MiniArt has given us the whole engine and bay with a bonnet (hood) able to be removed if that is your wish.
-The wooden tray with metal carriage work looks like you can use the plastic or photo-etch tie-ons...
-Some tie-on latches are replaced by etch (as an option shown here), along with some other last-minute additional details. Leave them until last, guys!
-I was surprised by the restraint of photo-etch used in this. Only the thinnest parts of the model would need to be supplanted with photo-etch.
-The full open tray will be filled with the MG151/20 Drilling set up.
A photo-etch sheet is also included in the kit
There are marking choices for two different machines.
Decals are, of course, included for both vehicles and the data stencils & interior dials.

This kit from MiniArt will soon be available – until then, keep an eye on MiniArt's website or just look in here for more info on MiniArt’s new stuff.