LANMO MM35005 1/35 AB41 Armored Car Unpainted Build Review

Today we bring you a full out-of-box unpainted build review of LANMO Model’s 1/35 Autoblinda AB41 Armored Car (Reconnaissance Vehicle). This little-seen WWII Italian 4-wheeled AB41 armored car is available as a basic hollow hull kit, with a separate full interior detail set sold as an add-on.

The AB41 kit features excellent molded surface details and abundant rivet textures for a strong vintage mechanical look, though minor molding flaws including large gate stubs and heavy mold lines are present. Overall, it marks a clear step up in quality compared to the brand’s debut BA64 kit.

We start assembly with the chassis. The chassis is split-molded, so the left and right frame sections need to be glued together.

The front and rear wheel suspension of AB41 Armored Car can be built as either static or movable. To assemble functional movable suspension, cut off the designated locking tabs as instructed in the manual; the travel range is achieved via springs and the flexibility of plastic parts.

The vehicle features decent underbelly armor protection. Most transmission components are housed inside the chassis, offering solid bottom shielding.

The author used the full interior detail set, which includes complete engine and transmission internals. The engine comes molded with fine details such as wiring harnesses and drive belts.

Once the chassis assembly was finished, I moved on to the cockpit interior, also supplied in the interior set. It covers front and rear driving stations, ammo racks, radio equipment, storage lockers and other fittings.

Once the hull crew compartment interior is fully assembled, you may glue the two side hull halves together. All interior painting must be completed before this step.

The wheel assembly consists of six wheels: four main drive wheels at front and rear plus two spare wheels. The tires are molded in black plastic, eliminating any risk of rubber aging. The wheel molding design is similar to Dragon’s 234 8×8 vehicle kits, resulting in barely visible glue seams that require almost no sanding cleanup. The Pirelli logo is clearly reproduced on the tire sidewalls.

Turret section:

This section has a small number of parts. The autocannon barrel and coaxial machine gun barrel are made of metal brass tubing.

The separate interior detail set (sold separately) comes with a revised instruction leaflet. It corrects the part number labels found in the original manual and modifies the locating pin for the turret traverse crank handle.

Finished Unpainted Build Photos

Brief Review

This Italian AB41 4-wheeled armored car is Lan Model’s second plastic injection kit. It features a refreshing subject that steers clear of overproduced popular WWII military vehicles. The real vehicle featured riveted steel plate construction, so the kit’s hull is covered with finely molded rivets and bolts, delivering a strong vintage mechanical aesthetic. A full interior detail set and the AB40 armored car variant were released alongside this base kit, allowing modelers to build either a hollow shell version or a fully detailed interior variant for greater customization options.

The AB41 kit boasts a straightforward mold layout with a low part count, yet it delivers abundant surface detail across the hull with densely reproduced rivets. The engine cooling hatches can be assembled open or closed; crew compartment doors may be posed ajar to showcase the intricate interior details within. The front headlights use recessed clear lens parts, and their armored grilles can also be built in either open or closed positions. The Pirelli branding is crisply molded onto the tire sidewalls, paired with uniquely shaped communication antenna parts.

Shortcomings

The sprues feature large gate stubs that require cleanup. Several components suffer from sink marks and prominent injection gates needing sanding/filling. Recesses flanking the front and rear towing hooks on the chassis bottom need putty work to smooth over, and the finished wheel assemblies cannot spin freely. The aftermarket interior detail set suffers from heavy mold lines and comparatively rough molding quality.

Final Thoughts

Lan Model’s Italian AB41 armored car kit fills a unique niche with its rare subject and offers builders the choice between hollow and fully detailed interior builds. While the kit has several minor flaws, its molding and overall quality represent a marked improvement over the brand’s debut BA64 kit. We look forward to more impressive model releases from Lan Model in the future.
In the next issue, let us take a look at the Unboxing Review of TAKOM 1/350 Moskva Class Cruiser Ship Model Kit.

The above article is translated from http://moxingfans.com/test/other/2026/0331/13737.html
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