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Sd.Kfz.10 Zugkraftwagen 1t (Demag D7) (SA72021) 1:72


Mike

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Sd.Kfz.10 Zugkraftwagen 1t (Demag D7) (SA72021)

1:72 Special Armour by Special Hobby

 

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In the decade before WWII, Germany was rearming secretly at first, but overtly once they had publicly thrown off the constraints of the Versailles Treaty.  In order to mechanise their military, many different vehicles were required, from large to small, with the Sd.Kfz.10 being at the smallest end.  It was based on a hull rather than a ladder chassis, which gave it a low profile similar to that of a standard truck, despite it having a half-track running gear and a pair of steering wheels at the front.  It was powered by a 6L petrol engine by Maybach, and was intended to transport up to eight troops and pull smaller artillery pieces, which it did throughout the war, although production ceased before the end, despite a few attempts to re-vitalise the design. 

 

In its production form, the D7, it was capable of 40mph on road, although one of its main users, the Luftwaffe, limited it to 19mph to preserve the rubber trackpads, even though it was happy to cruise at a shade under 30mph.  It had seven forward gears and three reverse, with a clever steering mechanism braking one or other track when larger steering inputs were made.  It was demonstrated in 1938 and had entered service by the beginning of hostilities, with some further minor upgrades adding to its robustness and ability to tow heavier loads in order to increase its usefulness to the military.  Toward the end of the war, proposals were made for an improved variant, but nothing came of it other than a few prototypes of one, and drawings of another.

 

 

The Kit

This is a rebox of the amended tooling that originated in 2011, but don’t let that put you off – it’s a modern tooling with lots of detail throughout.  It arrives in a small end-opening box, with two light tan sprues, plus a grey sprue, decal sheet and A5 instruction booklet.  The new sprue covers the revised idler wheels, drive sprockets, and more detailed tracks, which are an improvement over the originals that are still on one of the tan sprues (top left, below).

 

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Construction begins with creation of the track runs, which are based on a beam with axles moulded-in, onto which you slide the sets of wheels that are moulded in linked units for the two rear layers, and individually for the three outer wheels, plus the new two-part drive sprockets.  The track on each side is moulded as a single run, and is wrapped around the wheels carefully, cutting off any spare links, then gluing the run in place.  Take care when bending the parts, and warm them up a little to assist with flexibility.  This is done twice as you’d imagine, and the completed runs are glued to the sides of the hull, with the crew area placed over the top, and firewall with windscreen frame moulded-in at the front of the area.  There's a sinkmark below the windscreen, but this doesn't matter as it will end its days under the hood.  You will need to provide your own windscreen from clear acetate, and a piece of packaging material or even the front of a clear vacformed clamshell package, but they have included a template to assist you in this.  It seems a little churlish not to include a slip of acetate sheet, but there you go.

 

The bonnet/hood is fitted in front of the windscreen, with the nicely detailed radiator attached to the front.  My sample had a slight sink mark in the bottom area of the grille, but with some rope or other stowage added there, no one will notice.  The front wheels are each two parts, and have a deeply dished hub moulded-in, as well as tread for the tyres.  The axle, its single lateral leaf-spring, steering arms and anti-roll bar are put together and inserted into the wheel arch, with additional rods fitted afterward, their location shown from another angle in a scrap diagram.  Number plate, towing eye, pioneer tools, width-marker lollipops and headlights are all clustered around the front, and inside the crew cab the driver controls, wheel and two seats are fitted, with a decal provided for the instrument panel.  In the rear, bench seats, fenders, spare fuel cans and stowage boxes are assembled and attached, with the rear number plate and Notek convoy light at the rear over a pair of mudflaps, and length of cable on a circular frame on the back of the vehicle.

 

 

Markings

There are four decal options on the sheet, which consists mostly of number plates, white stencils and the aforementioned instrument panel decal.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

  • Sd.Kfz.10, unknown combat unit, Wehrmacht, Russia 1942
  • Sd.Kfz.10, Adler-built vehicle, unknown unit, Wehrmacht, Poland 1939
  • Sd.Kfz.10, Demag-built vehicle, unknown unit, Wehrmacht, Yugoslavia, summer 1942
  • Sd.Kfz.10, unknown combat unit, Wehrmacht, Czechoslovakia, May 1945

 

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The decals are well-printed, with good register between the black and white, and some fine lines around the number plates.  The picture above is roughly twice the size of the original on my 24" screen.

 

 

Conclusion

A welcome re-release of a lesser-known half-track from the early war, with a variety of camouflage options that should suit most folks.

 

Highly recommended.

 

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Review sample courtesy of

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