MiniArt German Industrial Tractor D8511 Mod. 1936 With Cargo Trailer (38033) 1:35

[Mike]

German Industrial Tractor D8511 Mod. 1936 With Cargo Trailer (38033)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

Tractors were a boon to farmers when they were introduced soon after the reliability of the motor car made them a viable tool, as they were especially useful for lugging around heavy equipment around the farm, as well as the typical ploughing, sowing and reaping of crops.  They also had power take-off points that could be used to drive other stationary machinery, further expanding their usefulness and relegating the plough horse to the stables.

 

Lanz were the leading maker of farm machinery in Germany, and their Bulldog range were the “hoover” of the tractor world in their country for many years.  They were of good quality and reliable, which led to them being copied by a number of countries, and as the initial 1921 model was improved the model number was increased, eventually reaching the 9000s.  One of the primary selling points of the vehicle was the simple “hot-bulb” single-cylinder engine that could be run on a variety of low-grade fuels and had very few moving parts, which made it easy to repair and maintain.  They started off with a 6L, growing to 10L engines, and their slow turnover high-torque output suited the tractor’s work very well.  By the time the 8511 arrived on the scene, it had around 34hp produced by a 10L engine, with 3 reverse and 6 forward gears to give it performance suited to both off-road and on roads for the best of each.  In 1956 the brand was sold to John Deere, and the name slowly fell out of use.  There are still many working examples to be seen at country fairs and historic events, kept in splendid condition by their attentive owners.

 

 

The Kit

This is another rebox of MiniArt’s D8500 range of kits, with this being the sixth that we know of.  This boxing brings together one of the tractors with a large cargo trailer, plus a quantity of empty cable reels that you have probably seen elsewhere in their range before now if you’re either a reader of our reviews or owner of any MiniArt kits.  Detail is excellent as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, with a driver figure included to give it some human scale.  It arrives in a standard top-opening box, and inside are eighteen sprues of various sizes in grey styrene plus a clear sprue, a small sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) in a card envelope, decal sheet and the instruction booklet that has colour profiles of the decal options on the inside covers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the tractor, which has a large cast metal chassis that is made up from two halves each end around a centre-point panel, with lots of parts used to create its distinctive shape, plus a few PE parts on the forward steering cap.  The superstructure is roughly rectangular, having various filler caps on the top, radiator panels on the sides, and a PE name-plate bearing the name Lanz Bulldog and number plate frame on the front, which should be curved ever-so-slightly before installation to match the shape of the cowling.  The driver’s foot pedals are long curved linkages to the underside of the chassis, and with these in place the driver’s tread-plated floor is installed and a big handbrake is fitted to the deck, with a stowage box under the lip at the left rear.  The driver’s seat is mounted on a sturdy spring, a couple of hand controls are inserted into depressions in the deck in front of him, then the large drive housing is mounted on the left side of the chassis, with a bell-housing on the opposite side, and two large fenders/sidewalls over where the rear wheels will be, plus a sturdy bumper-bar at the rear with some PE cross-braces.  Two large exhausts are made up from various odd-shaped parts, and the front axle is built with a central leaf-spring and steering arms, then attached under the chassis in several places, with a pair of large clear-lensed headlamps on an oversized cross-member on the topside.  Alternatively, the lights can be omitted and the mounting holes concealed by a pair of small PE covers.

 

The wheels on this tractor have heavy solid rubber tyres over the bolted hubs, which are built up by fitting two tyres, one over each side of the rear hubs, and joining the two smaller front tyre halves that have funnel-like concave curved hubs with the axle at the apex.  The fifth wheel is the steering wheel, which can be fitted atop the steering column as you’d expect, or detached and used on a shaft to manually start the vehicle via the input shaft hidden behind a cover in the centre of the right-hand bell-housing.

 

The flatbed for the trailer is next, made up on a ladder chassis with two sections of bed, which has fine engraved wood texture on both sides, as do the other wooden structures in the kit.  The towing hitch to daisy-chain trailers together is attached to a cross-member at the rear, and in front of it are a pair of leaf-springs for the fixed rear axle.  The front axle is similarly built, but on a frame that has a turntable between it and the bed to enable the axle to rotate freely for easier manoeuvring.  The same solid rubber tyres are used on the trailer, built in the same fashion as the smaller front wheels of the tractor, but with inwardly dished hubs, then each one slots into the end of its axle when complete.

 

 

A small bench seat is added to the front of the shallow headboard of the flatbed, with two long sides and rear tail-gate with tiny styrene clasps giving the impression of holding it in place.  To model it with the sides and tail-gate down is simply a matter of gluing them in place folded down and fitting the clasps loosely against the sides accordingly.  The cargo that is supplied consists of four cable reels, two of each size measuring 51mm and 28mm in real-world numbers.  Each core is made from four parts that make up the cylinder, and two end caps, with wooden planking and texture on everything that will be seen after construction, plus screws/nails/bolts where appropriate.  The decal sheet contains some curved lettering, brand logos and stencilling, indicating what was on the reels.  I built two of the reels for a review a few years ago, which you can see below.

 

 

 

As already mentioned, there is a seated driver wearing a shirt under a vest, and trousers over a pair of sturdy boots.  He is also wearing a cap and is looking straight ahead while gripping the steering wheel firmly as he considers his choice of facial hair.  Sculpting and parts breakdown is up to MiniArt’s usual excellent standard, and his hat is a separate part to allow for sharp moulding of the peak and band.

 

 

Markings

There are two schemes available from the small decal sheet in civilian use, and the tractors are a bit drab, although the trailers can be a little different if you wish.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Deutsche Reichsbahn, Germany, 1939-45
• Berlin, 1939-45

 

 

 

 

Decals are by MiniArt’s usual partner DecoGraph, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

Conclusion

Another highly detailed model of this well-known tractor from the Lanz stable, most of them probably finding their way into other kinds of stables at some point during their career.  The trailers make for a larger model, and if you’re particularly keen on making the world’s longest tractor diorama, MiniArt have now released the trailer parts as a separate kit, so watch for that review in due course.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[Jochen Barett]

Not complete without smoke and sound generators!

 

For those interested in the characteristic Lanz sound (it's cult):