Another fine kit from Great Wall Hobby (GWH), which shares a number of sprues with the sWS Searchlight Carrier reviewed earlier here and I am building here (at time of writing).
This kit represents the cargo version that was produced in moderate numbers (about 800+ by the end of WWII), and actually used in anger (or as angry as a cargo truck can be) widely. The vehicle is a medium sized half-track, and shares a number of common sprues with its sibling mentioned above. The 2 track sprues are identical, as is the chassi moulding. The roadwheels differ on the outside, in that the out wheel is spoked, rather than dished - presumably to save weight and shed mud easier. The upper chassis differs greatly from the searchlight carrier, as it is unarmoured, and has a large wooden open cargo area to the rear. The wood texture is reasonable here, if a little regular, with each plank showing the same or similar pattern to its neighbour. A little scuffing up would do wonders to hide this, but it's not too pronounced as to be massively noticable if you leave it as is.
There are 7 full sprues to make up the vehicle, a small clear sprue for windscreens, plus two small spruelets for all of the pioneer tools, which are finely moulded, with a good number of spares for personalisation if the urge strikes you. There is also a small sheet of PE which covers number plates, wheel mounting plates, a couple of brackets and three chains to detail up the kit. Decal options are three in number, consisting of two units operating this vehicle, plus one captured and used by the US forces as they advanced towards Berlin. The colorscheme is a uniform Dark Yellow (RAL 7028) with a medium green canvas cover supplied for above the driving compartment.
It was a pleasant surprise to find that there was an additional sprue included with 5 crew depicted in the act of loading or unloading some 200 Litre drums from the flatbed, and these figures are nicely cast with separate hands, faces, equipment and headwear where appropriate for better results. There are only two drums included, but these can easily be augmented from aftermarket sources. The officer ticking items off in his little book is a rather nice touch, and the whole sprue should come in very handy for dioramas.
If this one builds up as nicely as the Searchlight Carrier, I'll be very happy. I'll update this thread with details as and when I start the build
There are already aftermarket parts available for this kit from GWH for the inveterate detail hounds like myself, which you can see here.
The kit is available directly from The Airbrush Company, or any of the many companies that they supply with a retail price of £43.99.
Review sample courtesy of:
