overview
The review kit arrived in a rather damaged mailing box (thanks USPS) and I was concerned about damage to the kit and kitbox inside the mailing box. Once opened, my fears were alleviated as the 9.5"X15" (24.1X38.1cm) kit box is extremely strong made of corrugated cardboard.
I notice that most of the model companies based in China ship product in these sturdy boxes which not only withstand abuse during shipping but don't deform as readily when stacking and storing.
the kit
The box contains five main sprues, one small sprue of clear parts, one PE fret,one decal sheet, ten metal springs (suspension) and two brass width indicator poles and an very nicely laid out instruction booklet 8"X11.5" (21.6X29.2cm) 14 pages in length.
As you can see in the photos, the parts are molded crisply and have great detail with little on no flash.
Sprue #1 has the body and chassis components
Sprue#2 has wheels, fenders suspension parts
Sprue#3 has turret, bumpers, hatches and interior parts
Sprue#4 has further interior parts and the MG mount
Sprue#5 has weapons, pioneer tools, fuel/water cans headlight assemblies
The clear sprue has headlight lenses and various window blocks
Small bag with eight suspension springs(Lg) and two suspension springs (Sm) Photoetch Fret with grenade screens, vent screens, mud guards, license plates and brackets
The two brass width indicators are in the bag with the PE/Decals
decals
The decals and paint guide offer four options:
15 SS-Autklarung- Abteilung, LSSAH Spring, 1939
3rd SS-PanzerDivision 'Totenkopf', Arras, France, 1940
6th Panzer Division, France, 1940
Unknown Unit, Poland, 1939
Because this is an early armored vehicle the only paint choices in the instruction booklet are for Panzer Grey vehicles, although if you were to choose to model a pre-war Sd.Kfz 221 you could work up a pre-war (1934-1939) camouflage scheme as there are ample photo references
available. The Sd.Kfz 221 was also seen in the early Afrika campaign.
If you are really into researching/building obscure subjects, Germany sold several Sd.Kfz 221's to China in the mid-1930's.
The Chassis and Suspension
Two nicely molded frame rails attach to either side of the bottom of the body. The drivetrain is molded as one piece with the axles. There are separate steel springs that are supplied as the coil springs on the independent suspension. (this makes me want to build a scene in which one or more tires are off the vehicle to show off this very realistic detail)
The tires are molded as one piece with the inside sidewall/wheel section being separate. This is nice as the tread doesn't have a glueline or seam down the middle.
There is a hint of the engine oil pan molded in the bottom section. Although the interior of the fighting compartment is well represented, Bronco is leaving the engine and it's compartment to the aftermarket folks.
Armaments
The kit includes a nicely molded MG 34 ( however this is a perfect chance to use Aber 35L-70* ) and a Panzerbuchse 39.
The Sd.Kfz 221 originally was designed as a pure machine-gun vehicle initially armed with the MG34 and later with the MG42 - some vehicles were armed with the 2.8cm Panzerbuchse 39.
The kit box art shows the Panzerbuchse 39 attached (somehow?) to the MG34 barrel. There is no reference in the directions or the vehicle color guide to the Panzerbuchse being attached to the vehicle (the directions actually show it as a free standing weapon with a tripod)
I could find no photo reference to a vehicle with the Panzerbuchse and/or it's mounting other than the following sentence "There were a few individual vehicles armed with the Panzerbuchse 39, later 41 behind a flat shield and mounted on a somewhat modified turret."
Referenced from 'German Light Reconnaissance Vehicles' by Horst Scheibert
Aber 35L-70 Review
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