Panzerwrecker
Beginner
For some unkown reason I have always been a sucker for WWII halftracks and soft skins, with Axis vehicles being a particular favourite. Over the last few years I have built a fair few Sd.Kfz.7 1/35 kits of which 99% of them come from just two Chinese manufacturers. Tamiya do offer one, but it's pretty prehistoric mouldings are probably best avoided if you want to portray a decent representation of one. Dragon and Trumpeter currently offer around eleven different versions between them. At last count both manufacturers have released twenty-six kits with both producing early and late towing vehicles as well as a number of mobile Flak variants. Both manufacturers do offer many of the same variants with the odd variant being produced by just one. Dragon also offers combo packs which include towed artillery pieces.
So who offers what?
* Dragon (D) Trumpeter (T)
So who offers what?
* Dragon (D) Trumpeter (T)
- Gun crew vehicles are available in an 'initial' variant (D), 'early' types (D & T) and 'late' types (D & T)
- Wooden bodied (Holzpritsche) versions are offered by both manufacturers
- The Self-propelled Flak versions carried four main weapons. Both manufacturers offer the early and later armoured cab model 7/1 variant which housed a Flakvierling 38, and both offer three 7/2 versions as well as early and late Flak 37. Trumpeter offer an early Flak 41 and both offer the late Flak 43 variant
- Two kits that only one manufacturer offer is Trumpeter‘s 7/3 Feuerleitpanzer version, which was used specifically at Rocket sites, and Dragon offer the specific 1943 HL m11 version of the gun crew vehicle.
Cyber Hobby did release an early Flakvierling 38 variant in 2011 but I have no idea if that differs from the Dragon boxed kit #6525 of the same name that was released in 2009.
An early gun crew vehicle in North Africa
The main manufacturers were Borgward (designated HL) and Krauss Maffei (designated KM). The radiator housings received their emblems on earlier vehicles.
An early model Sd.Kfz 7/1 version Flakvierling 38 towing what looks like an Sd.AH 56/57
One variant that is missing from this substantial range on offer is the earliest incarnation of the wooden cargo bodied (Holzpritsche) variant. These wooden bodies were first attached to the 1943 Typ HL m11 but retained the old-style metal driver’s compartment. The Holzpritche bodied vehicles were a solution to save on limited and dwindling Nazi supplies of raw materials. The first Holzpritsche vehicles built of the final m11 design were installed by the manufacturer Saurer as early as November 1943 and this is the vehicle I plan to build at some point.
Both Trumpeter and Dragon only offer the final versions of the Holzpritsche which included the revised and much larger wooden cab, so to build that early version not yet offered by any manufactyurer will entail a degree of kitbashing to find the best solution. It would be made far simpler if just one manufacturer got things right, but alas, both kits do suffer from their own inaccuracies and issues. To this end I am going to first begin by building both of these final Holzpritche versions to get an idea what will work best. Once completed I will attempt to create that early wooden loadbed/metal cab variant with the best of what both manufacturers offer.
Here is a pic of that early Holzpritsche version fitted to a Typ HL m11 chassis
First up is Trumpeter's 2009 release. Kit # 01507 which they simply brand as a KM m11 ‘late' version. Having already built this kit not long after I returned to the hobby, I recall it being quite a challenging build that made it a less than pleasurable experience, so let’s do a quick recap of the main issues to be aware of before I start.
The main spoiler concerns the sprockets. First up, they look a little odd. That is because they have bevelled groves on the main face which were never present on the real thing! Trumpeter don’t even show them in their own painting guide or box art, so something was at odds! The biggest problem however, is that building them up as per the instructions means the tracks will not fit flush over the sprocket without leaving a nasty gap. The problem is that the kit’s engineering lacks the important drive sprocket teeth offset which prevents the kit tracks from fitting as they should. In addition, the kit part containing the outer sprocket roller detail is inexplicably hidden on the reverse side! Trumpeter never designed the teeth offset of the rollers against each track pad as per the real thing, so the track links will never sit flush over the sprocket, making for a really dissapointing result.
The recommended surgery to remedy is not complex and TBH re-fitting of the small tabs that require removal for the modification to work are not completely necessary. The sprocket modification explanation with pics can be found here: https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr01523d04.htm Each sprocket is also ‘handed’ so any surgery will require removing the same part from each sprocket then a test fitment of a small track run will then determine how you re-assemble each sprocket.
Also, if you want the sprocket face to be fully accurate the groves will need to be filled in and track pad inner fitting plates and bolts adding. So, for the ultimate authenticity, the scratchbuilding gloves will need to be located or an aftermarket photo etch set will need sourcing. Even better still, try and locate a 3D printed set.
The second largest kit failing is the omission of the wooden equipment rack in the load area. Although the equipment rack was designed to be removeable to quickly convert into a flatbed, the rack is an important element of this variant so it's exclusion is a mystery. Trumpeter do offer some additional internal planking, but it is totally inaccurate. They do however offer a tilt cover for both the cab and load area, so there is an alternative.
Another distinct anomaly is the inclusion of the Flak only variant cab bench. This did not have an angled cut out on the passenger side and the driver’s seat cushions were much deeper, with a cut out in the horizontal framework to accommodate them. The Panzer Tracts reference publication quite clearly illustrates the correct layout, which also shows a battery box instead of the two exposed batteries offered in the kit.
Comparing the kit dimensionally with Panzer Tracts 22-4, the overall length is a smidgen long compared to the drawings and the profile of the front fenders is slightly out. Neither warrants the amount of work which would be required to correct IMO, so, with the major fitment issue, the missing part exposed, and a dodgy cab seating arrangement, what else can we expect?
The kit offers only the licence plate decals seen on this factory fresh machine
Even if accuracy is not a major concern, then there are still some ‘interesting’ engineering going on, and the odd step sequencing is still worth highlighting. The chassis engineering is an overly complex multipart affair so rather than the nice simple, strong, and square one piece moulding that all the Dragon kits offer, all the parts will need to be diligently cleaned up and carefully aligned to avoid fit issues down the line. I'm guessing Trumpeter never embraced slide moulding technology like Dragon did! To complicate matters further, the instructions have you add some of the smallest and most fragile parts in some of the very first steps! Crazy considering the amount of handling still required and a recipe for disaster. This is a kit that will produce a decent result but one it's a fighter and the builder really does need to plan ahead.
Compared to the Dragon kits many of the mouldings in early Trumpeter Sd.Kfz.7 kits can be a little ‘chunky’ in places and although there was no flash present in my kit there are a few pin holes, many of which remain visible. There is also a fair bit of mould offset on way too many parts, and essential seam clean-up can obliterate some detail. Along with the main problems already mentioned I will try and point out any further issues as I go along.
Kit content and sprue shots. They are all conveniently available to view here: http://www.trumpeter-china.com/index.php?g=home&m=product&a=show&id=1250&l=en
Next up: Build time
