Mercedes-Benz 2238 S truck
Carl Benz is often cited as the father of the motor car. Some argue against this and point out plenty of automotive vehicles prior to the Benz tricycle that Bertha Benz, and two of their sons, so famously borrowed to go on a publicity tour with.
It is also argued that Carl Benz's 1895 Landauer was the first motorized bus. Running 15km route between Siegen, Netphen and Deuz; apparently running on time too.
Benz also provided the world with the first motorized truck when the “Lieferungswagen” (delivery truck), by Benz & Cie started work in Paris during 1896. Also in 1896 Gottlieb Daimler delivered his first 4hp truck to London. Once again Benz and Daimler had been working in parallel; although it would be some time until horse-drawn carts and vans were finally banished from the city streets.
All of which brings us to the first Mercedes-Benz trucks, the petrol engined L1, L2, and L5 (low chassis), series being introduced in 1926. Followed by the worlds first indirect-injection 6-cyl. motor, the OM5 engine (OM meaning “Ölmotor” or oil engine), diesel engine in 1927 and the light-weight diesel engined L 2000 truck. After the great economic crash of 1929 Mercedes-Benz rebounded well so that almost 90% of by diesel trucks in Germany were theirs.
The next classic out of the M-B works was the 1936 12.5ltr, 150bhp, straight-6 diesel engined long-hood, three-axle, L10000. A monstrous truck with a 10ton payload capacity. This model was in production until the Schell Plan and the1939 military growth into WW2. The war saw in the L1500 and L3000 models joined by the heavy-duty L4500. M-B even produced the state-ordered L701 Opel Blitz 3-tonner from 1944. However, the firms factories suffered greatly in air raids apart from the Mannheim works which emerged relatively unscathed. Mercedes-Benz resumed production of the L701 model in June 1945.
The sister factory in Gaggenau was miraculously building new L 4500s truck by September, The fight to rebuild Germany had begun. But first the fight to rebuild Mercedes-Benz works had to be done and the firm re-hired many of it's pre-war and war service workers to rebuild the factories, paid not so much with money as with food. A deal where both parties got what they desperately needed.
Rebuilding Germany had clearly meant rebuilding the trucking industry and Mercedes-Benz introduced a new line in 1949, the L3250/L3500 series. These trucks were successful in the European and global export markets. But in the mid-fifties German law was favouring rail transport over the road haulage firms. Germany's new vehicle length regulations lead to the cab-over-engine LP4500 (1954), and LP315 (1955), designs went on sale in 1950s. Not wishing to depart completely from front bonnet design in 1959 the Kurzhauber (short-bonnet) design requiring the engine to come back into the cab space in a semi-forward control manner. The only M-B model sols solely as a “cab-over” was the LP333 ‘Millipede’. This was the period during which Mercedes-Benz really solidified their reputation for building reliable, robust, durable trucks.
M-B now had so many variants across all weight categories they would soon cement their position in the truck market globally. Which brings us up to the German companies plans to launching a new fully modernised and take it's commercial vehicles to a properly global level. Meaning the "New Generation" of models available from 1973; and model we have here.
Presented in Wörth in 1973 this “New Generation” model series were completely new in terms of engineering and appearance. They also created a better financial situation with a modular design theology allowing all weight classes to be covered for less tooling costs. It proved such a good design that the improved successors, the 1980 NG 80 and the 1989 SK and MK series, remained largely based on the original 1973 version.
Mercedes-Benz's flagship 6x4 2238 S was just what was needed exactly when it was needed. A long-range heavy-duty truck with the OM422 375hp engine that would set new standards in drive-ability and driver comfort. From roomy cabs and bunks to smooth gearchanges, the 2238 S was a huge upgrade over the British trucks of the era.
But after being on the roads from 1973 to 1996 the design eventual reached the end of it's development room and the SK series was replaced by the new heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz “Actros”. This truck took ergonomics in the the cab, and economics in the engine bay, to new levels. Once again, Mercedes had taken a leap in the future that left other European trucks contemplating how they were going to respond.
Our model of the Mercedes 2238 S, is built from the 1/72nd scale Keil Kraft kit #K321 released in the 1980s. Later in the '80s the same kit was released by ScanKit, kit# 3050, in a slightly different box but still bearing the same image from the original Keil Kraft kit. The cab kit was then reused three times by ScanKit with three different trailer variations.
After a long hiatus, the Mercedes Artic (2238S) kit re-emerged under the Knightwing International banner with a flatbed trailer. This had the catalogue numbers H021 ( or K321). Incidentally, all the trailer kits were also available separately from Knightwing; which is how Ian came by his trailer. In his case the Knightwing 40ft container on 2 axle trailer, kit # KWH2. He didn't use the container has he already had a plan for the load he wanted. The pipes are old plastic knitting needles cut down and the ends hollowed out.
The kit is straightforward to build and fits together well. There are optional parts for different eras and countries too. OK, it isn't detailed like a 1/24th scale truck kit but it is more than enough for set dressing on a railway layout and can be detailed if the builder chooses to put the effort in. For instance the back board on the trailer and the airlines from truck to trailer are all scratch built. As are the wedges, pipes and ratchet straps on the trailer. The decals all came from Ian's spares box and are cobbled together from various sources just for effect.
Major painting was done with an airbrush using Alclad II primers and metal paints. Body colours are from the Zero paints range. Detail painting is from the usual Citadel, Revell and Art-Deco ranges; or the odd Humbrol enamel. Also used were some weathering powders from Pinnacle and Revell.
