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le.gl.Einheitz-Pkw.Kfz.4 (35584) Anti-Aircraft Vehicle 1:35


Mike

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le.gl.Einheitz-Pkw.Kfz.4 (35584)

1:35 ICM via Hannants

 

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Made mostly by three German companies, this all-wheel drive staff car designed by Stoewer was produced with different bodies during the early war, the most prevalent being the four-seat staff car, although it was used in other roles, notably the mobile light anti-aircraft units that were fitted with a twin MG34 mount for deployment, as depicted here.  It was however complicated and unreliable, so was eventually replaced by the ubiquitous Kubelwagen.

 

 

The Kit

The box contains seven sprues in grey styrene plus a single clear sprue and decal sheet, with two sets of instructions with integral painting guide at the rear of the larger one.  This is a re-box and amalgamation of the staff car with their recent Zwillingssockel 36, plus a few extra parts on  new sprues that helps merge the two together into the completed vehicle. 

 

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New Sprues

 

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Gun Sprue

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The chassis is first to be built up with dual springs supporting independent suspension and a driveshaft linking the two transfer boxes, plus the steering linkage front and rear.  Fuel tank and stowage are placed to either side of the chassis rails and an exhaust pipe is threaded through to the engine compartment, which is filled with a full rendering of its 4-cylinder 2 litre Stoewer power plant over the front axle.  The floor of the cab is built up and added to the chassis, then the three-part styrene wheels with moulded-in tread are fitted to each corner along with the radiator at the front.  The firewall and a new rear passenger bulkhead are installed next with the former having instruments and transmission tunnel moulded in and pedals attached to the floor.  The cab sides, boot/trunk cover, engine cowling and gear shifter are all put in place before the seats are built up from base, cushion and curved back in the front, with a large tread-plated area for the gunners that has just enough room down the sides for spare ammo cans in racks lining the lip.  Two rifle points are attached to the front bulkhead, bumpers/fenders and doors are all added with steering wheel, and windscreen also made up between the front and rear compartments with tripods racked on the rear deck of the vehicle.  The rear light cluster is fitted to the rear quarters with a spare wheel in between them, and the folded canvas roof above the divide between compartments.  Front lights and pioneer tools are attached to the fenders, and windscreen wipers are fitted into the depressions on the frame, with wiper-motor boxes moulded into the frame for completeness.  The lights and windscreen all have clear parts so the passengers don't get bugs in their teeth.  The guns are built on a separate instruction sheet, and the completed assembly is shown in the main instructions being dropped into place in the rear fighting compartment.

 

The Gun

The ammo cans are made up first, joined to the twin frame, which then has the gun mounts fitted on top.  The guns are still fitted with their bipods, which along with the breech cover are moulded separately to the rest of the guns.  If you’re a detailer, you may want to drill out the muzzles very carefully with a tiny bit in a pin vice.  With the guns on their frame, the outer frame is fitted around it in two halves, slotting into the pivot points moulded into the frame, and supported by a cross-brace lower in the frame.  Another bracing strut fits across the front and has a canvas brass catcher curtain suspended beneath it that is attached to the tube by a series of rings moulded into the part.  The conical base is built from two parts and inserts into a socket in the underside of the outer frame, then it’s a case of making up the seat that fits at the very rear of the outer frame, and choosing the correct sighting part for your chosen pose, pivoting the guns to an appropriate elevation during the process.  A pair of scrap diagrams shows the two finished poses, and overleaf is a painting guide in greyscale that could be a tad confusing as it has no paint call-outs on the two greyscale profiles.

 

Markings

There are three theatre specific options included in the box with early war Panzer Grey the colour of choice.  For whatever reason, my scanner had trouble with the grey, so please accept my apologies for the lower than usual standard of the profiles.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

  • Luftwaffe Ground Units, Greece, 1940
  • 1st Panzer Division, Greece, 1941
  • 11th Panzer Division, Eastern Front

 

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The decal sheet is small and printed on a bright blue paper, with good register, sharpness and colour density.

 

Conclusion

It’s nice to see these more unusual kits being made from adding existing kits together with a few additional parts to create something new.  Detail is excellent, and it’s a cool little early WWII vehicle.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

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Review sample courtesy of

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