Kelscale

I have seen period images of the Radschlepper Ost with a wide mouthed pintle and I'm pretty sure zero survived the war! Maybe have a butcher at pics of those.

No, I'm not a patreon. I cant say I've seen too many of his vids, but I do have have all his armour publications and am a big fan of his style.

Very nice. I too am a fan of Mike's OPR work and you have done a great job. Camo is nice and the weathering looks just right. The tyres are the weakest area with these old Opel kits and they certainly don't stand out on your build so great job

Looking good! Some fantastic scratch-built solutions and PE work 👌 I'm not sure of the date of this shiny black chassis image but the pintle looks like the kit one. No light cluster or licence plate brackets are evident.

Making space in the cave I thought I might take some upto date pics of a few builds that have been tucked away for years. Built in around 2012 this is the Cyber Hobby (Dragon) Ausf C which frustrated me so much during the build that I punctured one side and rendered it damaged. This was my first build utilising aftermarket goodies. From recollection it has the mixed media Verlinden set including full engine and interior components. I also gave it a set of Friul metal tracks. The resin engine took forever to whittle down and fit in the bay. In fact it still stands too tall!. Many other Verlinden items seemed overscale and were unusable and the photo-etch was thick and tricky to manipulate. My first experience using Friuls was a positive one and the model certainly gained a few pounds once fitted! Looking at it now it has so many issues included the really obvious non SS licence plate, and the ruber pads not burnt away but it was a watershed build that helped me further develop my skills within the hobby. It was painted with a Vallejo Dunkelgelb modulation set and weathered with MlG enamels and pigments. The base is a simple wooden nameplate with mininature flowers and grasses added. I really enjoyed the build right up to the point where the hull top refused to mate with the lower half. The joint was filled in numerous places and really tried my patience! I perceivered and ended up replicating a damaged vehicle such was my frustration. This is ICM's Ford V3000 along with an Azimut boxed trailer. Built in 2011 not long after the V300S kit was released I had a lot of fun painting this and messed about with hairspray chipping for the first time. The truck wheels are the origiinal kit ones but there are much better resin alternatives out there these days. The Azimut trailer's rubber tyres were terrible and I only managed to replace two with resin examples. The plastic wheel rims appear to be peeling back away from the ones with the rubber tyres on now! Again placed on a simple name plate adorned with soil from the garden.

Cheers Keith Thanks Stef Cheers George

I'm almost done with this Trumpter kit. A four month build is a fast one for me so I reckon I should really call this one my first completed build of 2023😃 The width indicators still need to be fitted. They have already been painted, but seem to have gone walkabout! I will add them before I post up pics to the completed page. I have enjoyed this build and although these Trumpeter kits are extremely frustrating to construct in places I'm happy with how this one has turned out. Next up will be Dragon's 'late' Holspritsche version Some Samsung phone remastered pics for now

Cheers Dan

It's a nice feeling to make it to the point where it all falls together. All the sub-assemblies can now be connected but first, to make sure the visible portions of the chassis and underside of the fenders receive the same amount of weathering a fine speckling with various mixes of pigment and oils diluted in white spirit were added. Once happy to progress everything was fitted together. It's now time to apply some exterior dust, filth, grime and general wear and tear! Before I started, the headlight lenses were added along with the Notek light and bracket that I knocked off earlier. The same speckling mixes were now added to the exterior. Any overscale spec are easily tidied up with a brush dampened with white spirit and some specs were deliberately dragged down to create fine streaks. Once dry this was followed by an application of the lightest coloured dust. This was built up in layers made up of heavily diluted (in white spirit) buff oil. The tyres received some dry earth toned pigments which were applied dry and 'stabbed' in with a soft stubby brush. A quick run over both tyres faces with a finger completed their appearance. Once dry this first step will be checked, areas cleaned up, then it's on to the next layer. Hope you all received some nice modelling goodies for Xmas and all the best for the New Year.

The first weathering steps have finally begun! Before closing the cab, the floor was weathered with various enamel dust colours and the tread plate dry brushed with some dark oils to simulate some light wear. The steering wheel was then added before both sub-assemblies were finally fixed together. The basic engine and fuel tank were fixed to the chassis followed by the track wheels. The tracks then received their first weathering; a light speckling of dusty enamel colours. The track teeth and sprocket rollers were burnished with a pencil before fitting. To tone down the stark contrast of the dark pin wash and to start the process of adding dusty layers to the the running gear, this new assembly first received a couple of coats of hairspray. A light dusty coloured mix of buff acrylic was then added sparingly and once dry the acrylic coat was agitated with an old brush. This left a ground in effect of the left over acrylic paint, especially around the tyres. To start the weathering on the front wheels, a very light dried earth enamel was blended out from the rims. This all looks a bit bright but it will be toned down by a further application of pigments.

Much appreciated Peter Glad to have you along Dan Thanks George No problem at all. Thank you

Thanks again Pete. Appreciated

This is progress so far so I don’t think I have added anything that shouldn't be in the 250/1 as yet 🤔 Definitely a vehicle that will need painting in sub-assemblies. Holes in the floor are opened to receive the single seat. Gear levers are way too chunky, and the tracks are ‘fiddly to assemble due to their size but almost all of them articulate. The tracks are not a great fit round the sprockets due the rollers not being offset but I managed to get them flush round every tyre flat. The ref images in the links above distinctly show each Sprocket with a stamped 'L' and 'R' I'm probably going to airbrush them on the wheels to save any possible faff re-fitting them after a few microns of paint have been applied! Other than that, pretty straight forward to this point.

Thanks to Pete above and to some additional info obtained on the ML site it does appear that both the Ausf A & B internal layouts were very similar with only some minor differences. The Panzer Tracts book 15-1 appears to be the one required but it is long out of publication and searching the tinterweb I can only see a few copies advertised on US bookshop sites. Some nice walk Ausf A around images from this site posted in 2016: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235003705-sdkfz-250-sonderkraftfahrzeug-250-german-halftrack/ Some nice plans of the Ausf A: https://bushmakow.com/files/389/leichter-schurenpanzrwage.pdf Some nice resto pics of an Ausf B along with plenty of original manuals in PDF form: https://bushmakow.com/collection/250-5-ausf-b-ii-1944-5-ss-pzaa-wiking-correction/ As already mentioned, the kit instructions has you build and includes a whole photo-etch fret which comprises parts for the 250/5 variant and not the 250/1 which is what the kit is supposed to represent. Browsing the sprues, it does look like parts for the 250/1 are present save for the bin cover behind the driver’s side bench seat so I will use the reference pics to add just the accessories for the 250/1 and hopefully source anything else required from the parts box.

Thanks a bunch Pete. It does look like the interior of both the Ausf A & B variants are very similar

Last night I completed all the pin wash steps and got all the sub-assemblies sealed with Vellejo matt varnish. After the first oil pin wash had dried additional light applications of dust and dirt effect enamels were added to areas where they would naturally accumulate. A final mix of various coloured oils mixed with white spirit (for faster drying) were added to specific areas to add some variation and contrast. A case in point being the radiator housing where a darker wash was required. A future dry brushing of the highlighted base colour colour over the grill will sharpen up the detail even more. The heaviest areas of wash was deliberately added to the wheels. These lower areas are still to receive an airbrushed coat of dust colours so adding more contrast now should still make the details stand out. The track pads were agitated with water to remove any track coloured paint I had airbrushed earlier over the hairspray. Both track runs were then given a very light wash of dust and dirt effect enamels. Connecting back all the finished sub-assemblies, wheels and tracks in the next step is one I really look forward to. First I will need to add the engine and fuel tank, then connect the steering wheel and windscreen so both cab assemblies can be connected snugly together before they are fitted to the chassis. I gave up on filling the sprocket's bevelled groves. No matter how many coats of diluted Tamiya putty I ran round the face they just kept sinking back in! The hub caps have yet to be added although I might leave one/both off still as they will hide all those lovely bolt heads. The photo etch step ring connection point will have to be hidden at the bottom when attaching the sprockets to the chassis. As I never followed the crazy Trumpy instruction step of adding the levers to the gearbox, they will be added after the cab has been connected to the chassis. I have managed this process successfully in a previous build and the only additional requirement is to snip off the locating nub on the lever that connects into the side of the gearbox. It will then just slot through the cab floor apertures as the other two levers will. Hopefully these two will locate in the two holes in the top of the gearbox but it is not a big issue if they don't as the connection point is not visible. As long as the correct height of all the levers is maintained all will be well.

Managed a few little sessions over the last few chilly days. First one I got the decals added, not that there are many! Just licence plates and instrument dials. Satin varnished before and after. All rubber tyres painted with Vallejo Dark Rubber acrylics. Then to test whether a satin varnish would be required to aid a good pinwash application, a diluted mix of Wash Brown Abtielung oils and their own Odourless turps was added to the fuel tank. As the MRP paint had dried silky and smooth capillary action worked perfectly. All the sub-assemblies and various parts then received the same. When nearly dry the oils wash was blended into the paintwork in places. A few more lighter and darker effets will be added with enamels once the oil wash has completey dried. The seat colour was blocked in first with Vallejo gloss black and then with a first application of black oils. A few further highlights will be added once the oil coat has dried up a little to aid blending. Next, everything will receive a matt varnish coat to seal everything for the upcoming weathering stages. Oils still wet and some clean-up still required in many of the below pics

Thanks gents, Apologies for delay in responding. Had a little mishap with the trailer last month after it took a dive off the bench whilst working on the hydraulic connection and tow hitch. Almost back to where I left off with just the trailer open doors to add on one side and just a few more strategic items to place to cover up the damage. I can then dress this nicely sized MDF plinth up with some simple groundworks and get it over the line! Progress shots as it stands. The trailer rolled off my bench just after this pic was taken. The temporary copper 'L' shaped pin was removed to add the hydraulic hose and it rolled back and flipped off the bench🙄 Crew items are temporarily placed as a few more items still to be placed like a small tarp that sits over the hande-less fuel cannisters 3D printed empty ammo boxes The two front viewing slits have interior armoured vision blocks that didn't come with the kit. I had closed up the cab before I realised🤨 Likewise, the seven grove's on the sprocket face should not be present but its a bit late to remedy this error now.

After all the sub-assemblies received a coat of Hobby colour grey primer, MRP lacquers were mixed to create some different shadow coats. Having done this a couple of time before, with a little patience laying down subsequent lighter base coats layers can yield some subtle colour modulation. There is no need to thin MRP paints so you can spray really close with the pressure turned down to 10-12PSI. Getting a decent opacity does take time in building up the layers but it sprays on lovely and smooth. In the case of the chassis, you can get a controlled applications of paint in the multitude of nooks and crannies. I started with a Dark Yellow and Red Brown mix. Then to save time by not cleaning the airbrush between colours, I played around with the mix ratios, finally adding a little black and eventually some white, ending with a grey tone to paint the engine, gearbox, exhaust and add some additional shadows. The chassis in a fetching caramel hue! The cab assemblies in a weird sort of Mahogany colour! The wooden cargo bed in a delicious chocolate brown! The tilt cover received a disrupted coat of various shades of grey Only the sump of the engine will be visible so that received a coat of dark grey too PIC First Dunkelgelb base coat with MRP-037 lacquer followed by a lighter coat mix of MRP-037 and MRP-004. A further lightened coat with a drop more MRP-004 will be misted over just the uppermost areas. Airbrush work almost complete on the Dunkelgelb base coat. A liitle more work to up the highlights and shadows in a few prominent areas is still required. Steering wheel, tyres and track link pads were airbrushed with Tamiya tyre black . Track link pads were then protected with a couple of coats of hairspray before the whole track runs received an airbrushed mix of Tamiya Dark Iron, German Grey and Flat Earth. The pads will be dampened with water, agitated with a brush and the tyre black colour exposed in a later step. Next up is to brush paint all the tyres and cab seat and then on to adding the instrument and licence plate decals. Dry fit for update pics has it's first casualty. The Notek light😳 Probably best left off until the cab assemblies are together on the chassis now.

Wheels,tracks and tarp All the wheels have been cleaned up and the tracks built. Wheels look good and thankfully each only have two connection points on the sprue. As for the sprockets, whilst I wait for the possibility of a 3D printed set, I figured I would apply the ‘fix’ and see what I could do with the kit ones anyway. I’ve never bothered sticking all the cut off tabs back in, there never going to fit properly and TBH you can hardly see the difference when built up. There is also the missing pad, plate and bolts detail on the insides anyway. As for the groves on the face, I am applying multiple coats of diluted Tamiya putty with a brush to try and hide them. Three coats in I can still see them, so I still have a way to go! Step ring and facia plate still to add once the grooves vanish As mentioned in the modification section, both sprockets need to build up differently. That is, the rollers will sit in a different place against the track pad on each side. You will in effect have a left and right sprocket. When you apply the fix and glue the roller ring part back to the main moulding, use a small track run to orientate the track direction and test them on the sprocket to work out the spacing of the rollers to get each link to sit flat on the tyre flats. Once happy each link sits flush, the sprocket parts can be glued back in place. 54 links are confirmed per side in the PT book and the kit calls out the same. The tracks come in three parts, the link, track plate and pad and all are sprue bound and need to be cleaned up. The links clean up easily but even after careful sanding the pad and plate can still look a bit ‘messy’ on one side. I glued all the pads to the plates with the ‘cleaned up’ side in the same direction. That way once you work out your track direction you can glue them all to the links and have all the nice, unmolested sides visible. One side test fitted. I managed to attach one pad and plate in the wrong direction so you can see the cleaned up side. Can you spot it? The turn signal detail has now been removed off the cab side panels. They were omitted from 1943 onwards on the earlier metal cab and I don’t recall seeing any period images with them fitted. I also added some additional detail to the back of the cab’s tilt cover. It was basically flat with no window flap detail on the inner face. I used some VMS paper and paper shaper to bling things up a bit. There are however restoration vehicles with them added. Although it wasn’t required on my build, I found that the windscreen frame would not fold down flat on the bonnet. This was due to the connection of photo etch parts that connect the screen to the body. Oddly it would fold backwards into the cab but not forwards! The photo-etch pizza slice shaped parts are orientated in the correct way, so I am not sure why? I am now starting to think about a colour scheme. I have never seen a period colour image of one of these late war vehicles. I imagine most would have left the factory in plain Dunkelgelb. There are some period images of this vehicle with the blotch type of camo pattern and then there is the ubiquitous spaghetti type. Not sure either could be labelled schemes though? Although the elaborate large, banded tri-tonal scheme on the restoration vehicles looks way too nice to have been applied in the field it's something I might consider. At the very least I will probably copy the factory fresh monochrome coloured vehicle that the kits decals depict. Blotchy tri-tone camo on abandoned 8t and a bogged down vehicle in plain Dunkelgelb Build is 99% complete so it’s time for some paint🙂 The small fragile gear controls will be added during the cab painting and many of the front fender moulding accessories like the Notek light, the clear headlights, and width indicators will all be added once the two cab sub-assemblies have been attached. Before I mixed up some paint I wanted to try and improve the look of the cargo tarp. The kit part is a little short and should overlap the sides more. It is also missing some detail. Using the PT book images as reference, VMS paper has been cut into the various shapes that make up the tilt canvas and attached over the kit's main moulding with VMS paper shaper liquid gluing it all together. Work improving the tilt cover has finished. Front wheels are the Quick Wheel resin items. Outer roadwheels not yet attached. I have finally decided to build the factory fresh vehicle shown on the cover of the Panzer Tracts cover. No tools are present on the bonnet/hood and is shown in fresh Dunkelgelb paint. A little more prep work is required with vehicles requiring any interior to be painted so my plan is to split the painting steps up. I will first rattle can prime, then with the airbrush, shadow coat, base coat, and add a little colour modulation. A little gloss/satin varnish coat will be laid down before adding the cab instrument decals and then again to seal them. The tracks, tyres, engine, and exhaust will also receive coats whilst the airbrush is out. The cab and tilt covers will also be painted separately. My choice of paint for this build will be MRP lacquers. They offer some nice WWII German tri-tonal camo colours with no less than three Dunkelgelb options. They require no thinning and spray beautifully smooth. Once dry I will decide whether a satin varnish coat is required to aid a pin wash application and further light weathering.

I’m not a big fan of repetitive work so I like to spread the task of wheel and track clean up over a few sessions, so this work continues at a glacial pace. Meanwhile let us look at the kit’s sprockets. As already mentioned, it has two big issues. The main one is simple to remedy, if not a little time consuming. Trumpeter have not offset the rollers so when you attach the tracks to the sprocket, they don’t sit flat against the track pads. The well published fix can be found here: https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr01523d04.htm The second is that the kit sprockets have bevelled grooves on the face. Similar marks can be seen on the face in this resto vehicle pic but they are not grooved. These marks/grooves don’t show in the Panzer Tracts book or appear in any reference images. I am sure there will be some 3D printed 1/35 Sd.Kfz 7 sprocket files out there somewhere. If you are lucky enough to own or know somebody with a 3D printer, then if they are made specifically to fit the Trumpeter kits that really is the way to go. At present I am still searching so I might yet have to fix the kit parts! The kit front wheels are offered as rubber tyres with plastic hubs. I’m not a big fan of rubber tyres on kits. I know they are mini replicas of the real thing and although the kit ones are OK and the pattern usable, they just don’t take weathering products well. They also exhibit an unnatural shine that would need toning down in this scale. My option is to use Quick Wheel resin wheels. Whilst their wheel spokes are a little ‘off’ in terms of shape, the overall size and wheel tread pattern is authentic. I’m not sure these are as that easily available in the UK as they once were. There are, however, many other manufacturers of these wheels in 1/35 nowadays. They include Def Model, Panzerart and ET Model to name a few. The tracks are a three-piece affair. Nice if you want to model a burnt-out vehicle as the pads are a separate part but again another case of too many tiny parts when a track and track plate could have been combined. Apart from the tedious clean-up they look good and link together well. Use a thicker glue in construction to avoid sticking links together and you have a nice strong set of articulating tracks. So, with work on steps 13 to 15 still ongoing let’s come back to these and move on to the bodybuilding steps I have reworked both the seat layout and the battery box. All the cab parts fit together precisely but it is worth test fitting the spacing of parts WA1 & WA2 on the chassis legs before the glue completely cures. Both these parts line up on top of each chassis leg without any fore or aft alignment marks. Placement on the chassis legs is dictated once attached to the front fender sub-assembly. Step 17 instructs the fit of both the front fender body moulding part (WA4) and the cab assembly to the chassis. I have an alternative to this build sequence which I will explain shortly but if you follow the step sequence this is also where the steering wheel shaft must be added if kept separate until now. Both assemblies effectively ‘trap’ it in place. Test fit the fender moulding on the chassis first as it will confirm the spacing of both assemblies. it has a precise fit by way of a groove in the chassis legs and will sit back precisely within slots against the front of the two legs. The cab assembly floor braces at the rear just sit up against the rear fuel tank brackets and don’t sit on the chassis legs. As for my alternative build sequence, having built a few of these I now find it much easier to build the bodywork into sub-assemblies off the chassis until I get some paint on. If you do follow the instruction steps at this stage, it makes airbrush painting areas below the two assemblies difficult to cover. To aid painting the cab interior and adding instrument decals I prefer to keep the front fender moulding, bulkhead, and engine panels as one sub-assembly and the cab floor assembly as another. To build it up like this you must first attach the steering wheel shaft to the bulkhead assembly. It is connected by way of photo-etch bracing to the inside of the bulkhead and attaching it to the bracing must be added before adding the instrument panel. The only fiddly aspect to this method of construction is to hope the bottom of the shaft then aligns with the steering box curved cut out in the chassis leg! This is far more important if you are omitting the engine side panels and displaying the engine. If not, as I intend, there is a simple ‘fix’. Simply snip the bottom of the shaft off above the steering box and attach it onto the chassis leg. This way you can still attach all the steering linkages. This alternative method of construction keeps all the engine, radiator housing and bulhead panels nice and tight. Assembling it in this manner means you can also add a painted engine to a painted chassis before adding the painted bodywork and be sure everything lines up well. Continuing where we left off in step 17, we also have the exhaust pipe fitment which comes in two parts. They thread through the various holes and apertures in the frame. Fortunately, the join is engineered to hide inside the exhaust box. I would recommend adding the rear section first to get the correct spacing. Although not pointed out in the instructions, there is a small hole in the pipe just behind the box and this aligns with a pip on the horizontal tube underneath the winch. The front section fits up through a hole in the front fender moulding and attaches to the manifold. It is a tight fit next to all the steering linkages. In my alternative method of construction it is far easier to add the front section of the pipe after the front fender assembly is added to the chassis. No problem if the engine bay is closed as you can further aid fitment by snipping the angled manifold end off. This is far more challenging if the engine is visible as you must successfully wiggle it into position and align it to the manifold. Front pipework route. Step 18 is where you attach the engine bulkhead to the cab assembly. As already mentioned in an earlier post I’m not a fan of this assembly sequence so devised my own method of construction between the main body sub-assemblies in steps 17 through 19 If the instructions are followed to the letter in these stages, it is all too easy to misalign panels. Adding the bulkhead to the cab floor effectively ‘traps’ the steering shaft. The final placement of the bulkhead determines the position of the cab front panel (part WD18 in step 19), which in turn determines the spacing of the bonnet/hood and engine side panels against the radiator housing. The lower interior side triangular reinforcing brace mouldings are quite crude and can mess up a good connection if they are not in exactly the right position on the bulkhead. Whichever way you decide to proceed from step 17 it is still most definitely worth cleaning up all the engine panel parts shown in step 21 and test fitting them for optimum fit. Step 18 and 19 is where you begin to add all the photo-etch steps. These can be added as per the instructions to the fender moulding part. Test fit both sub-assemblies are mated as the turned-up edges of the PE steps can prevent a flush fit. If you have at this point kept the engine separate for painting, bear in mind that it will not fit in the bay once both the bulkhead (part WD12) and radiator housing (A27) are added. Also in step 19, we add all manner of cab and engine parts. The front cab panel with the instrument panel is also added. Trumpeter have bestowed us with a full complement of instrument dial decals but the positioning is at odds with period images and resto vehicle pics. Step 20 just adds the front fender lower reinforcing braces which are provided on the photo-etch fret. They are not a great fit and have to be manipulated to fit well. Again, ref pics will help in this area. Step 21 builds up the radiator, engine sides and bonnet/hood which all align snugly together. Whilst test fitting the engine panels to the front fender moulding it is worth noting Trumpeter have included angled witness marks to place the armoured panel which protects the engine on all the Flak variants. This should be removed on all other variants. Steps 22 and 23 finish off the cab and adds all the small accessories like lights, width indicators and tools. Trumpeter have provided a thin clear plastic screen to sit in the windscreen frame so is easily added after paint. The whole screen will hinge with care, but it is only by way of photo-etch hinges so won’t stand up to continuous movement. Building the load bed Steps 24 to 28 Whilst I’m still deflecting from finishing the tracks, I started pulling the cargo bed parts of the sprues and remembered how exaggerated the woodgrain is. A much larger issue is that this kit does not have the equipment rack included. It has some strange planking dividers instead. If you want to show a rack you will have to scratch build one or use the Dragon kit part. You have two options to display the cargo area. One is open with just the frame, and one is to use the provided tilt canvas cover. There is also a cover for the cab. You can hide the fact that no equipment rack is present by simply adding the included tilt canvas moulding. The moulding of the canvas doesn’t look particularly exciting in bare plastic, and it is way too uniform and straight at the bottom edge. Unfortunately, the tilt framework is moulded inside the canvas, so you do not have the option to add it over the open built framework. All the wooden panels are fee from sink marks on both sides which is a commendable achievement and the floor panel part WC23 is almost free from any apart from some shallow ones which are almost hidden under the support framework. No bolt detail is added on the underside as it should be. The two main framework rails benefit from reducing the size of their locating nubs as they won’t sit flush in the recesses otherwise. The panels that make up the sides all fit together well although, just like the frame rails, it is worth reducing the size of their locating nubs to get a nice flush fit on the bed. The instruction step 31 has you snip off the tops of all the upper hinge plates if you are fitting the tilt. This is a simplified answer and TBH the canvas would bulge over them. With the bottom edge all-round the tilt being too straight and uniform it would benefit from some extra work. Although it will be barely visible on my build, I added the ‘towing option’ cut out in the rear panel along with two reinforcing strips as you see these a lot in period images. If you are not at all bothered about the kit’s inaccuracies in the load bed and follow the build steps, it does all build up nicely. The inclusion of photo-etch for the reinforcing bars, clasps, number place and locking bar detail being particularly nice touches. There should be tailgate stop brackets at both ends of the chassis legs but for some reason the kit only provides the one photo-etch piece! It very much looks like Trumpeter provides the same chassis leg mouldings for all their Sd.Kf 7 8t kits with all locating tabs moulded in to accommodate all of them. What this means with this kit is that only the front and rear locating tabs are utilised. The rear tabs fit well but the front ones need almost entirely removing to make the bed frame brackets slot into them! TBH removing the front locating tabs altogether is advised as the framework bracket detail ‘wraps’ around the chassis rails to align anyway. The bottom arrow points towards the location tabs positioned along the chassis legs and the white arrow is the minimum size I had to reduce the front tabs to accept the front chassis frame brackets. To make things even more frustrating the cargo bed on this variant connects to the chassis with a third middle bracket. This happens to sit just behind the shackle pin location point and in exactly the spot where the instruction diagram illustrates you orientate the shackles! These can rotate fore or aft on the location hole in the chassis but, many would have already committed the glue. Add your own expletive! Test fit progress so far

Modifying the bench seat Using the existing back cushion moulding I cut a portion off one side and re-attached it to the other. Using the PT drawings as a guide, I split the one-piece bench into two and filled in the cut-out section. As for the metalwork underneath, to cover the angled cut out I utilised part WB3 to extend the front panel, filled the void and used plastic card to replace the lip and panel top. To simulate a thicker drivers cushion I will need to add a lower thin horizontal lip out of plastic card under the driver’s seat area and then fill into the original seat with putty. And with the battery box As we have now started on the external bodywork I thought it may be worthwhile at this point to mention the various modifications that occurred during its short production run. Most changes were features that were dropped due to the materials savings plan. At this point you can delete, add, change or modify certain parts to show a vehicle from a certain period. Modifications and updates to the mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8T (Sd.Kfz.7) Holzpritsche during its production run The first wooden cargo bodies (Holzpritsche) built on the m11 design were installed by the manufacturer Saurer as early as November 1943. These were first attached to the 1943 Typ HL m11 which retained the old-style metal driver’s compartment. At about the same time the assembly firm emblems were dropped from the radiator housing, as were the turn signals, side light and brake light. The headlights were also reduced in size and a pair of steel pins were welded to the front of the frame either side of the towing point to allow mounting of an external starter. The track guards were also reduced in depth. Early cab with a reduced depth track guard and large headlights In 1944 the driver’s compartment was re-designed into the final, larger but simplified wooden cab version with a new instrument panel and angled track guards. The open glass panel in the windscreen was dropped and at least three variations in the design of the wooden side panels of the driver’s compartment existed. These being a rounded front, a second with a short straight bevel and a third with a long bevel. Krauss-Maffei were unable to start there Holtzpritsche production until Feb 1944 of which, by then, they would have likely been constructed on the new cab layout. Other modifications that are not so visibly obvious included the discontinuation of the inertia starter in 1944, The guide to access this and the cover plate were eliminated from the right front mudguard in early 1944. The final lightweight track plates were also introduced later that year. The only changes to the cargo body were that the rifle racks were mounted to the equipment rack rather than to the floor. This meant that the Holzpritsche could be converted to a flatbed cargo vehicle simply by removing both the seat and equipment rack. Factory fresh. This has the large headlights, rounded cab panel profile and steel pins for an external starter. There is no assembly firm emblem visible on the radiator housing. This is one of the vehicles I believe Trumpeter used in their kit research as they provide these licence plates as decals. The first incarnation of the Holzpritsche I am planning to build at the end of this blog utilised the final m11 design with the shallow track guards, No kit manufacturer in 1/35 scale currently offers this version neither do either of an existing kit with a floor moulding with the shallow track guards present. Dragon did release a version in 2014 which they labelled a ‘Typ HL M11 1943 production’ in kit #6794 which had reduced depth track guards on the box art. Unfortunately, the kit only provided existing body floor mouldings with the original deeper type of track guard. They then expected the modeller to reduce them in size by slicing them along their full length. This without any template or guide marks! I have built this kit and it was a challenge to reduce their depth without butchering a major component in the kit. To represent the Holzpritche version the guards will also have to be reduced in length. Final m11 metal cab with Holzpritsche load area This Trumpeter kit only provides the larger headlights and has the access cover plate for the inertia starter on the right front mudguard. Both are easy to deal with if you wish to show a later build. Kubelwagen sized headlights being a good replacement. The kit does not provide the steel pins for the external starter either side of the front towing point so you might wish to add these. There is no driver's sun visor on the windscreen in the box either! As already mentioned in step 16, the cab seat bench metalwork, and the seat cushion size and layout are incorrect. If it is important to you, these will need to be modified. The assembly firm emblem on the radiator housing is easy enough to remove should you wish. The three prominent rivets at the bottom of each fender should not have a bolt head on each. These look like a restoration anomaly so simply remove the bolt detail. As for the cargo bed, there are a few errors and omissions here too. The PT drawings and period images show a cut out at the top of the rear tailgate. This was to accommodate items being towed with the tailgate lowered and the kit part does not include this. It doesn't provide the steps on the interior of the same part either! Both these should be easy enough to correct. Later models had the rifle racks located onto the equipment rack. Trumpeter have a strange photo etch frame (part) PE-WB15 attached to the top clasps which are not shown in either PT drawings or period images. The lower rifle butt locating rings are moulded to the floor on the kit. Later variants moved these to the equipment rack. As far as I can make out, they look to have been re-located to the top of the bottom plank. Deleted firm emblem on the radiator housing, pins for the external starter, small headlights, windscreen sun visor, and the tailgate cut out and steps can all be seen in these drawings. It also shows the lightweight track design introduced at the end of 1944. The equipment rack was attached the cargo floor by locating bars which fitted into sockets in the floor. They were, as the seat was, locked in place by blocks attached to the inside of the folding sides. The kit does not provide either of these. The bars would not be visible if fitted but the blocks would be. Again, a simple process to scratch from plastic card. Likewise, the sockets in the floor are not shown on the kit part and would be visible if you built a flatbed cargo version. Strangely the cargo seats in the kit are engineered to sit opposite each other where in fact the bench sat across the width of the whole bed with seats facing back-to-back. As the bench extended height sides are attached to and visible on each folding side, I’m pretty sure this is where Trumpeter researchers misinterpreted these as the actual seat backs and provided the two benches positioned each side. Who knows? The actual bench sits across the bed (inside the red rectangle) Lastly, the kit's instructions have you place the spare wheel (without any means of securing it) on the flat panel at the rear of the chassis when it should sit in the tools compartment in front of the equipment rack. Scale drawings of both the equipment rack and cargo seat layout can be found in Panzer Tracts No 22-4 if you wish to scratch build them. The Crompton collection 8T. You can see the rear bench seat layout clearly. Nice pic of the cab instrument panel layout

Taking a break from the tedious task of cleaning up wheels I skipped to step 16 and looked at how I could rework the incorrect seat layout in the cab. Trumpeter have opted to add a single bench instead of a separated driver’s seat and added an angled cut-out on the passenger side. The back rest moulding (part WA3) is also two evenly spaced cushions. Looking at Hilary Doyle’s scale drawings in Panzer Tracts No 22-4 both the bench and back cushions are two different sized seats. The driver’s side is smaller, and the back cushion is also a lot thicker. In addition, the drawings show a single enclosed battery box sat against the side panel on the driver’s side and not two exposed batteries side by side like the kit has! You can clearly see the height difference in the metalwork to accommodate the thicker drivers cushion in these resto vehicles. Nice ref images of battery box and the fuel tank too.

Step 9 has you build up the steering box, shaft, and wheel. The instructions have you attach the wheel to the shaft and then the shaft to the chassis. I would NOT recommend attaching it to the chassis just yet. You are still to add wheels and tracks, turn it upside down to add the exhaust etc before then, so it is asking for trouble to add it in this step. This part attachment is also relevant depending on whether you prefer to add the bodywork to the chassis before or after painting. The instructions have you add the bodywork in step 17 so if you go down this route, add both in step 18 before the firewall (part WD12) goes in. If you want to keep both chassis and bodywork separate, then keep both shaft and steering wheel loose until you do finally add the bodywork to the chassis. Steering shaft and wheel alongside the idler axle assemblies The track wheel suspension arms (parts B29) do not need to be glued in to the chassis. They are a smooth friction fit even after ridding them of mould seams and give the bonus of articulating all the wheels if you wish. They most definitely won’t fall out so no real need to glue unless you must. The front axle and steering are constructed in step 10 and here you are instructed not to cement the hubs to the axle beam. Having the wheels free to steer is a nice option. However, not all the steering linkages rotate unless you pin them. To have a ‘working system’ requires a whole bunch of extra work. Unlike many other kits you do at least get the option to position them in a turned position. Take note though. If you do decide to turn them, this impacts the layout of other steering linkages in step 11. The process of fitting the ‘moveable’ hubs is a little tricky as in effect you must line up the holes in both part D19, D20 and B45 before dropping the pin (B33) in to secure. The tolerances are way too tight so to avoid snapping the pin whilst inserting I would recommend opening the holes in all four parts with a micro drill and making sure the shaft of the pin (B33) is sanded smooth. Unfortunately, once built up the hubs are still extremely ‘wobbly’! If left this way, both wheels will ‘splay out’ unnaturally under the weight of the model. There are two ways of correcting this. The first is to simply glue parts D17, D20 and B45 in place once you are happy with the wheel direction, or a thin plastic card shim can be added and drilled to parts B45. As for the steering linkages there is a diagram in step 11 to show how the steering box linkages attach to both the steering box and the steering rod connecting the driver’s side hub knuckle. This below kit instruction drawing depicts the wheels in the straight-ahead position. If you turn the wheels this obviously effects the layout. Confusingly, the construction stage drawing is drawn upside down! I opted to assemble the steering as per step 10 using the ‘old school' method of ‘squishing’ down the tops of the pins on each side of the tie bar (D8) with a heated blade. I could then turn both wheels together before gluing them in position. The steering linkage rod connection to the driver’s side hub knuckle is a strange one. The instructions in step 10 and the diagram in step 11 both show it as attached from below, but it interferes with the tie bar this way! Looking at the Panzer Tracts drawings below it shows that it is attached from above. My wheels are turned to full lock and the linkages adjusted to suit. The steering link rod is now attached to the hub knuckle from above. Step 12 has you connecting the roadwheel pairs. This includes the two idlers. Fit on mine was not the best due to oversized internal locating tabs. They kept forcing the pairs apart. The tubular connection points do align straight so it is simpler to cut the tabs down or remove them all together. I then glued my idler wheels to their stub axles which I built up in step 8. These are engineered to slot into the back of the rearmost suspension arm plates and will be adjusted in or out to optimise the track sag. Depending on how you like to construct and paint the wheels will determine how you plan out adding them in step 13. I like to paint my wheels separately, but the interlocking system of wheels makes this process a bit more involved. Leaving the inner and outermost wheels separate is usually the easiest option. The sprocket housings locate onto the chassis and part B40 on them locates into the gearbox pins behind the hole we lined the gearbox up with earlier.

Cheers Stef Do you mean the shackle pins? If so, I will dig out some ref images as they are present on the early variants although I haven’t seen a chassis only shot of any later Holzpritsche models. Yes, the tanks do have connecting pipework. Trumpeter kits provide simple pipework between the tanks but in reality, the pipework, just like the electrical and hydraulic lines run all over the inner chassis legs of which you would have to scratch build.