Italeri 1/24 American Superliner Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | April 2015 | Manufacturer | Italeri |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | American Superliner | Scale | 1/24 |
| Kit Number | 3820 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Nicely detailed kit | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $74.95 |
First Look
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Here is a reissue of a trucking classic kit from Italeri. This is the Mack Superliner based on the truck style of the late 1980s. This kit depicts the six-cylinder diesel under the flat hood and a sleeper module behind the cab. Italeri first released this kit without the sleeper in 1991 as kit 798 'US Power Truck'. A sleeper cab was added with kit 727 'Black Thunder' in 1993 depicting the Mack in Australian service. Italeri offered a revised sleeper and a heavy petroleum tank trailer with kit 711 'American Oil' in 1997. Kit 3820 'American Superliner' first appeared in 2003 with the same decals and the current sleeper. In the case of all of the truck kits above, the Mack logo was kept off the radiator and evidently uses a Freightliner chassis.
Italeri has reissued this American Superliner and you can see that it is still a nice looking kit. Molded in injection-molded styrene, this kit is presented on eight parts trees molded in different colors (two are chrome-plated), one tree molded in clear styrene, and one set of ten rubber (vinyl) tires.
Among the features and options in this kit:
- Detailed chasis and suspension
- Detailed six-cylinder engine and powertrain
- Detailed cab
- Detailed sleeper
- Hood is hinged at front and can open to reveal engine compartment
- Nice graphic decals for 'Lady Butterfly'
Straight out of the box, this kit is very nicely detailed which you can see for yourself in these images. In the hands of an AMS modeler, you can add even further detail with some bolt heads, tubing and wiring as well as adding some personalization to the truck in the form of driving lights, marker lights, radio antennas, etc. There are a number of builds of this kit and the other derivatives mentioned above along with lots of good reference photos (check the listings of Mack trucks for sale to see some good images).
Whether you want to build the kit as depicted in the box, build another rig you've seen or driven based on the Mack Superliner six-cylinder, or you want to do your own custom truck, this is a great kit to start with. The retail price of the kit has also come down quite a bit since it was last released, so street prices will be lower still. Have some fun!
My sincere thanks to Hobbico for this review sample!