1:24 SCALE ITALERI CARGO TRAILER: MATCHES RECENT IVECO STRALIS TRACTOR KIT

Much of Europe’s freight is hauled by efficient highway haulers like the Italeri Iveco Stralis we reported on last week. And now here’s a matching semi-trailer from Italeri, designed to match that kit.


A key point of the 580mm (22.8in) long semi-trailer is that Italeri supplies decals for the Mon Jean (‘My John’) company of France, one of two liveries also supplied with the Iveco tractor kit. So if the two are used together, you’ll have a fine (and large) 1:24 scale rig, ready for the road.

Diorama possibility
Don't forget that Italeri also makes same-scale highway sections, providing plenty of opportunities to make big (really big) diorama displays. You can have a look at this here.

Father and son
The other decal scheme in the kit is for the somewhat funereal Dussol Pere et Fils design. Funereal or not, the markings will look good applied over glossy airbrushed black, even better when oversprayed with satin varnish and given just a little careful weathering, especially round the triple-axle roadwheel assembly.

About semi-trailers
The latest-generation semi-trailer featured in this kit is a typical Euro-haul standard-size container. The real thing has its own brakes and lights, with side impact protection built in. Normal loads top out at the 40-tonne mark, and there at a dozen or more independent trailer manufacturers, turning out a thousand-and-one custom variations for individual hauliers.

Components
It may be 'only' a trailer kit, but there are plenty of finely-moulded parts to assemble, making a result good enough for a standalone display piece. We'd recommend having a load on show in this case, either inside with the rear doors open, or even better, partly unloaded with a couple of 1:24 scale figures to give a sense of scale and set off the model well.

Summation
Nifty kit for truck fans; will look good behind the 1:24 scale Iveco Stralis kit, also by Italeri.

Italeri truck kits here and here.

1:24 SCALE IVECO STRALIS HIGHWAY HAULER FROM ITALERI

Trucking fans get a chance to build the pride of Italy’s highway haulers with this new-tool Iveco Stralis tractor unit.

The kit comes with a choice of two marking schemes, plus a whole range of number plates - there are 16 in all, plus matching country badges.

Marking options
The supplied markings include an unbranded swirling grey graphic scheme, matching the black painted truck on the box-top.

The commercial option is a red-and-white decal set for Monjean Transporte, a French-owned carrier run by Detief and Michael Monjean, whose business moves goods mostly across France, Belgium, and Germany.

Hinged cab
The kit itself is well up to Italeri’s usual standard, with plenty of detail inside and out. Like the real thing, the cab hinges up to reveal the turbo-diesel engine, and seven tyres are supplied - two at the front, four at the back, plus a spare.

Inside the cab
Transparencies are all cleanly moulded and very clear, allowing you to see what’s inside, and here again Italeri has given us plenty of detail. The pix of the real thing (cab below) provide an idea of what you could do to make the model sparkle. Italeri has not supplied a 1:24 scale trucker figure, more's the pity. One of these at the wheel, talking to a blonde waitress walking up to the truck, taking him a tasty lunch of moules et frites would add some oomph to the basic kit, that's for sure.

When assembled, the 1:24 scale Italeri Iveco Stralis measures 237mm (9.3in) long.

The real thing
The Stralis is the Italian Iveco company’s flagship heavy-duty truck, designed to haul loads between 19 and 44 tonnes. All Stralis trucks have the EuroTronic gearbox, equipped with semi- or full-auto modes - in fact, the original 2002 Stralis was the first heavy Eurotruck with an auto-shifter supplied as standard.

In the cab

Comfortable interior in the Stralis cab (above), even if the plain blue and grey is not exactly state of the art where interior design is concerned. For the model, some careful weathering should make it look more realistic than this 'real thing' pic, shot for promotion purposes. A tachograph, newspaper, girlie-mag, chocolate bar, and assorted other bits and pieces would really do the biz. 

Mega power
Engines are four-valve straight-six designs, ranging in size between 7.8-12.9 litres, and have a high performance decompression exhaust brake to help braking, especially on long downgrades.

Take care
Cleanly produced mouldings throughout make the kit a pleasure to assemble. Smaller pipes and similar components are extremely delicate, so take great care when removing them from their runners.

Summation
Another well-produced 1:24 scale truck from Italeri, and 100 percent new-tool as well. If you’re into Eurotrucks, this is one to build.

The Italeri Iveco Stralis is available here.

And a whole heap more here, including US types.