Hobbyboss German Kommandowagen for BP-42 - 1:72

[Paul A H]

German Kommandowagen for BP-42

1:72 Hobbyboss

 

 

The Wehrmacht made good use of the European railway network during the Second World War, moving men and material to the front line quickly and efficiently. The railway network became an obvious target for sabotage, which in turn meant that armoured trains became a natural requirement, particularly for operating in dangerous areas where partisans might be present. Unfortunately, the rapid development of aircraft meant that armoured trains became ineffective for the role they were intended to fulfil. Mike reviewed Hobbyboss's BR57 armoured locomotive some time ago (quite by accident, because he forgot to check the scale) and now we're going to take a look at their armoured wagon. 

 

In classic Hobbyboss style, the kit is tightly packed into a sturdy box, with everything meticulously wrapped to ensure it survives the journey from China to wherever you are. The kit is very simple, comprising just five slide-moulded parts, two sprues of smaller parts and two sprues holding Hobbyboss's standard track sections. Also in the box are the instructions, a glossy A4 painting sheet and a small sheet of generic decals. The detail of the slide-moulded parts is excellent, with crisp and fine surface details.  

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the lower chassis. The axles and wheels fit in from above and are then boxed in so there is no see-through effect. As with other similar kits from Hobbyboss, the brake blocks are moulded in place on the wheels, while the leaf spring suspension units are seperate parts. The buffer and couplings are provided for either end, as well as some grab handles that run along the outside. The upper part of the wagon is incredibly simple. Unlike the Geschutzwagen, there is no turret, but a prominent radio antenna runs the circumference of the wagon in its place. The track is broken down into four sections, the joins in which are cleverly matched to the natural breaks and joined with nicely moulded fish plates. If you want to ramp the detail up a notch then you might want to use OO gauge track, or at least dress the provided sections with some PVA glue and ballast.

 

 

Only one colour scheme is included on the sheet; a base of Dark Yellow, over which Red brown and Field Green stripes are applied in a similar fashion to contemporary armoured vehicles.  Given how filthy railway gear got due to the soot and grease, there is then plenty of scope for the modeller to express themselves with weathering.

 

 

Conclusion

 

One thing I will say about this kit is that it rails (ho ho!) against the trend of producing models with ever increasing levels of detail and complexity. It will make a great model when paired with the BR57 and Geschutzwagen, perhaps in a diorama with some partisans springing an ambush. Whatever you decide, you can't deny that it's nice to have a mainstream model of this interesting subject. Recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of