Mark Nicodemus shares with us a review of Tamiya''s German 18t Heavy Half-Track and Tank Transporter in 1/35th scale.


Read the Review

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Thanks Mark,

Good review, one thing that comes to mind is the drive sprocket on the Famo, There is a left and right sprocket. The track sits directly onto the sprocket rubber pad, if the incorrect sprocket is used the track does not sit flush and it is out of alignment.

The kit was released around 17 years ago and for the age of this model Tamiya has done an outstanding job on reproducing the tractor and trailer in 35th scale.

Michael

Time does fly by doesn't it ? Geez, ..... 17 years ...
still haven't started mine ......

/ Robin

I remember this caused quite a stir when it came out. How time flies.. sigh! I have the kit without the trailer and hope to do a scene inspired by the Concord "Arnhem" book . I'm going to put a Dragon boat in the back and have it towing...something!

airborne1, thanks for pointing out the sprocket issue. I should have highlighted that in the review. I'm learning with each one of these I do.

Wow! I was just getting revved-up to FINALLY start mine and thought that I'd have to go look up a review on this kit, never expecting to find one now! Now this is timely AND useful. Good job.

Thanks Taeuss. I'm building this for the "Truck and Trailer" campaign. I noticed there wasn't a review posted, so decided to add one.

Was it really 17 years ago that this kit came out? As the others say, how time flies. It was one of the first kits I made on returning to the hobby after a long lay off occassioned by work, family and motorcycle ownership! I seem to remember that it was unsurprisingly voted kit of the year in 2000. The kits expense and sophistication prompted me to buy my first decent airbrush and compressor!
Despite its complexity it is Tamiya at its very best and the build is well structured and organised. The kit is well engineered and showed the big T at the top of its game. Things have changed a bit since in the market, but anyone wondering what the hullabaloo was about Tamiya in the "old days" should make this kit.
I enjoyed Mark's review immensely, I'm almost tempted to get another, but space concerns prevent this!
My only comment would be that Tamiya went overboard on the crew. The crew for a FAMO and Trailer combination was actually three,NCO/commander, driver and mechanic (who steered the trailer). The extra seats were, of course, for the recovered panzer crew (4 or 5). Also they made a mistake with the uniforms. They confused the summer lightweight drill uniform with the drill overall suit frequently worn by panzer mechanics and engineers. This was a plain cement grey suit with no patch pockets on the chest, but two slash pockets in the skirts of the jacket. From 1942 onwards it was frequently dyed Rush Green. It can easily be replicated by removing the detail from the figures provided.

No worries Mark, your review was pretty good and being that your building this in the campaign you appreciate such a big beautiful model it is.

Michael

It's a very good review, though I would question that 95% rating.

I have the kit and started work on it, and it needs updating. Aber has two sets of PE that will enhance the simplifications that Tamiya puts into all its kits, and I would suggest a full brace of resin tires for the trailer, and ones for the front end.

The crew isn't even CLOSE to modern figure standards, so I would suggest replacing it with the Dragon halftrack riders.

I was thinking the same thing Bill, except I ordered the Eduard photo etch set as it is everything that you'd want/need without the craziness that is Aber. Man, that set SCARES me! By the way, which manufacturer would you recommend for the tires, and is there a decent canvas cover for it?

Hi Frank,

The only supplier I found was Tank Workshop.

They do a full set for the trailer and the Famo wheels are in there.Although they come up 1 short for the spare for the trailer



Aber does some pretty comprehensive sets for the Tractor and trailer although 50% of the detail set mainly covers
the engine bay. It would be ideal to display the hood off just to show how much etch there is. It does not justify using it if it's going to be closed up.

Build blog on the front page. Tamiya was the first to provide the Famo with a full set of crew figures back in the late 1990's. It was a big step for a model manufacturer to proceed down this path and with a little work they still look ok to display. Almost chose the Dragon figures as well Bill but they looked too much similar in the seating arrangement.




Michael

Michael, I don't think you went wrong with your choices. I don't normally use Eduard PE because it's both too thick & brittle (and therefore tends to break), and because it often redoes the obvious without adding much additional detail.

Aber can be crazy, and the most-dreaded word in Polish I know (which is about 2 words overall) is "drut" or "wire." Aber doesn't always include the right gauge wire, so it's hunt up spares or go out and buy some.

Voyager sets are usually pretty good with all the parts you need (wires, plastic rounds, etc.). Griffon Model are about the best, but they do very few sets anymore.

The Tamiya figures are the same poses, but the detail is LIGHT YEARS better with Dragon. Some Hornet heads will help the Tamiyas, but won't improve the soft details on the uniforms.

Here we are six months later and I'm simultaneously building three FAMOs to offer three versions: the artillery tractor (mine will be towing the Trumpeter 210mm Howitzer), the workshop/towing version with the spade attachment, and the version with the six-ton Bilstein crane. Whew! Detailing nearly a grand worth of kitbashing is exhausting! Haven't even seriously thought about the Figures yet though I'm leaning towards either the Tamiya with replacement heads, or the Dragon set for the Artillery tractor. Hmmm....