Renault produced the AHx series of light/medium trucks from 1941 to 1947 in capacities ranging from two to five tons. This particular AHN model is part of Altaya’s extensive 1/43 scale La Route Bleue collection, and came with a nice diorama base and figure. Rather than rely on screws to secure the vehicle to the grassy base, they actually glued the tires down! Fortunately the glue they used was pretty weak.
The AHN model, with a 4-ton payload, was powered by a 4.05-liter inline six gas motor generating 75 brake horsepower, and guided by a 4-speed manual transmission.
Although originally designed for the French military, the Wehrmacht ordered about 30,000 of the AHx series trucks, with 4,000 of them the AHN version.
After the war the civilian version was produced for a couple of years before being replaced by the Galion (more to come on those!).
The diorama base depicts a farm scene, complete with chickens and a route marker for Tournus-Grenoble. I sort of felt bad destroying the diorama, but the truck was just too shiny for me and I couldn’t wait to remove it so I grimy it up truck-style.
And that’s where I made a major mistake. Using my trusty india ink/alcohol mix, I started in on the diecast cab, slathering it with enough solution to bring out the details and dirty it up. Then I turned to the bed, which I mistakenly believed was diecast as well. Turns out it’s made of plastic and reacted strongly to the rubbing alcohol. But naturally it didn’t cloud up until I was done covering the entire bed, resulting in a chalky substance that I had to scrub off!
Anyway, this is a great looking truck and diorama from Altaya and makes me want to look for more LaRoute BLEUE vehicles.