MiniArt Sd.Kfz.234/3 with 2cm Schwebelafette 38 (35431) 1:35

[Mike]

Sd.Kfz.234/3 with 2cm Schwebelafette 38 (35431)

1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd

 

 

Armoured cars and their derivatives were a dominant part of German military thinking after WWII, as they were prevented from having tanks or other types of heavy weaponry by the Versailles Treaty, at least until they unilaterally set its terms aside once Mr Hitler was firmly ensconced as the country’s mad dictator.  Although it closely resembles the earlier Sd.Kfz.231, the 234 was based upon a more modern ARK chassis, while the 231 was built on the GS chassis.  The 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen was available in 6- or 8-wheeled formats, with the number of wheels appended to the designation, and it was the 8-Rad that the basis for the 234, following on later in 1940 and learning from issues encountered with earlier designs.  The new turret was designed by Daimler Benz, while the engine was a Tatra air-cooled diesel unit, powering all eight wheels that were also all steerable.  To add to the ease with which the vehicle could be driven, there was an additional driver’s station at the rear, complete with a steering wheel that gave it the capability of reversing out of trouble with similar speed and dexterity as driving forward – a facility that came in very useful in the event of an ambush or stumbling into an enemy position.

 

The 234/2 was the initial variant and the most prevalent, as well as being the best known, probably because of the (comparatively) big 50mm gun in the turret.  Oddly, it was replaced less than a year later with an open-turreted /1 variant that mounted a smaller 20mm cannon, and concurrently another variant with a short-barrelled 75mm K51 gun under the /3 designation.  This variant was also short-lived, increasing the fire-power substantially with an installation of the powerful Pak 40, although the extra weight caused extreme stress to the 234’s chassis and running gear.  All the variants after the /2 were open-topped, leaving the crew exposed to the elements, incoming plunging fire and explosive charges lobbed in by the enemy.  To keep them out of range however, a single MG42 was coaxial with the main gun - a very capable machine gun against troops and lightly armoured targets.  The armour built into the vehicle could deflect light-arms and smaller cannon rounds, with 30mm of sloped armour on the turret, and up to 100mm thickness on the mantlet, but at the rear the protection was only 10mm, as was the roof of the /2.  Over 100 /2 vehicles were made before it was superseded, and despite being the most well-known, there were around 200 of the later /1 produced, with roughly 90 of each of the other two made before the war ended.

 

 

The Kit

This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, the fifth (IIRC) in a line of boxing that includes Interior Kits, and now has a unique sub-variant such as this /3 with a 2cm Schwebelafette 38, a 20mm autocannon that was also installed in an Sd.Kfz.251 half-track in the same mount.  We’ve had other kits of the type in this scale previously, but not for some considerable time, and it’s fair to say that armour modellers with an interest in this genre are very pleased.  The kit arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box with a painting of this unique vehicle on the battlefield, passing some German troops that are making good use of cover.  Inside the box are twenty-three sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on the outer pages on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on both sides of the rear cover.  The detail is excellent, as usual, restricted mostly to the exterior for this boxing, but the hatches can be posed open or closed, although with limited appeal for this boxing, PE details, and the surface detail is fully realised with weld seams and exterior structure well defined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the lower hull, starting with the narrow bottom section where the drive-shafts and suspensions are located, which is made from three faces, two internal bulkheads, and two steering actuators, one at each end.  The hull floor has tread-plate moulded-in and a cut-out that’s ready for the interior kits, which is sandwiched between the two outward sloping sides, adding a rear bulkhead behind the engine compartment.  The two assemblies are mated, fitting the first parts for the suspension to the sides, and a U-shaped stiffener in the centre of the lower portion.  Despite the exterior-only nature of the kit, various internal parts are installed in the lower hull, with side doors and their locking mechanisms, and an inner bow-tie stiffener in the centre of the crew space.  The upper hull has inner structure of the vision ports applied, radio gear, an instrument panel, gas mask canister on an appliqué panel, plus hinge-points for the driver’s hatch and building two vision ports for later installation, and a pair of inserts fixed proud of the edge of the lower portion of the engine bay.  The upper hull has the engine deck filled with cooling vents that can be posed with the louvres open or closed by using different parts, with two solid doors at the sides, locating it in the cut-out in the back of the deck, joining the rear bulkhead with hatch, mating the upper and lower hull assemblies, fitting the vision ports and a hatch with separate hinges and handles in the square cut-out in the glacis plate.

 

Suspension and steering parts are assembled on the underside of the hull, making up four axles on each side, replacing left with right-handed hubs on the relevant side, and applying leaf-springs between each wheel pair.  Either four or six triple-handled Jerry cans with PE central weld-flares and cap are made and wrapped in PE straps that secure them to the vehicle later, making up both sides of the sponsons and installing the rear carcasses of the flush stowage boxes, plus making a start on the external parts such as the jack, two mufflers and another stowage box, then going on to fit steering linkages and other detail parts before the sponson sides are glued in place, finishing the ends with additional parts.  The doors can be fitted open or closed by using different parts, with a set of width-indicator lollipops used for some decal options.  The spare wheel is the first to be made, making it from either four centre laminations and two exterior faces to create a highly detailed tread pattern, or using a simpler two-part wheel structure if you prefer, fitting it to the bracket on the rear of the vehicle, with a muffler on either side of the sloped rear of the sponsons with feeders on the sides.  Stowage boxes and the two twin-packs of Jerry cans are mounted on the fenders to the side of the engine deck, plus pioneer tools and a fire extinguisher on the left sponson.  More detail parts are dotted around the hull, including a headlight and horn, pioneer tools, an antenna, fitting the tyres that are made from four laminations and exterior faces, one of the inner parts a tapering hub that will be seen once the wheels are installed on the eight axles.

 

This exterior kit includes the entirety of the 20mm autocannon, and starts with the application of the vertical protective shroud for the crew, which consists of four outer components and two inner sections on each side.  The gun has a flared muzzle, which involves cutting the stub tip of the barrel off, and rolling a small PE part into a tapering cylinder and gluing it position, or you can use an alternative part that has a styrene rendition of the muzzle moulded-in.  Your choice is fitted to the breech, adding a combined magazine and its well to the left side, encasing it with a three-part frame, a rectangular armour panel sited vertically on the breech, sighting gear with a PE insert and bracket on the top, and a four-part trigger assembly that is attached to the frame without glue.  A back-up sight is attached on the left along with an adjustment lever, making the pedestal from five parts, plus a rear damper that attaches between the base of the pedestal and rear of the gun mount, made from four parts.  A pair of bicycle-style seats and two three-part ready mag assemblies are fixed to the pedestal to complete the gun, leaving just the armoured surround with a pair of grab-handles to finish off the assembly, locating on two arms at the sides of the gun.  A two-part pintle-mount is fixed at the rear of the crew compartment and a rest is mounted on the left side with an MG42 that has a separate drum mag, breech cover and cocking handle, plus a simple mounting plate on the underside, resting the stock in the PE bracket.  The cannon assembly is installed in the lower hull on the support on the floor to complete the build.

 

 

Markings

There are two decal options included on the sheet, both of which have a base-coat of dunkelgelb (dark yellow), with a green and red camouflage on the real choice, and another with a hypothetical winter distemper over the top of it, possibly the same vehicle.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Stabskp.Pz.Aufkl.Abt.20, 20. Panzer-Division, Czechoslovakia, Spring 1945
• Hypothetical winter camouflage Stabskp.Pz.Aufkl.Abt.20, 20. Panzer-Division

 

 

 

Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

The 8-rad armoured car is an appealing subject to a lot of modellers, and the Sd.Kfz.234/3 with a unique gun mount is quite appealling.  The detail is excellent, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[f matthews]

Love these Miniart 8rads.