GERMAN BENZ THREE-WHEELER TO 1:24 SCALE, FROM ICM OF THE UKRAINE
UKRAINE MANUFACTURER ICM has released a 1:24 scale model of the world’s first car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen of 1886. Mat Irvine: Considering the historical significance of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, it is slightly surprising that the world’s first road vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine has never featured as a model kit before. There have been diecast models and toys, but this is the first construction kit. However, this is not an easy or straightforward build. If you are used to assembling kits from traditional model car companies, this is completely different, so take note. The actual vehicle was not large, with a length of under 2.4 m (under 8 ft) which is less than a classic Mini, at 3 m (10 ft). In reality, the Benz was a much like a horse-drawn vehicle, but with three wheels, and a single-cylinder engine, Coincidentally, this provided a similar power output to that of a horse, some 0.9hp. The intricacies of kit construction, and ICM providing absolutel...