Introduction

AFV Club kit # 35047 Sd.Kfz. 11 Einheitsfahrerhaus has been out for some time. This kit depicts the late war version of the Sd.Kfz 11. The three ton chassis was the base for the three ton half-track and the 251 series. The number of chassis produced was near 25,000, with around 16,000 being built as the 251 half-track.

During the war, the available supply of steel became strained, and as a result the three ton vehicles were redesigned to help reduce the need for steel. This vehicle used composite wood to replace the cab, and a wooden bed to replace the steel body.

Contents

The kit comes in a slip top box with each sprue in its own clear sealed bag. The kit is comprised of 220 parts and arranged on lettered sprues.

•6 sprues of light tan styrene
•1 sprue of clear styrene
•1 sprue of grey styrene
•1 PE fret consisting of one part
•1 Decal sheet
•2 Rubber tracks
•Instruction booklet

Review

The kit has a lot in common with the previous AFV Club Sd.Kfz 11 kits. The frame and drive components are basically the same, with a few different parts and setup. The front wheels are all plastic in two pieces. The Einheits’ cab is presented well, along with the interior. The interior firewall is well done with moulded on wiring and other details. The interior seat is a bench type with a separate back. The instruments look a bit weak detail wise, but should show up well when painted.

The load bed of the kit has a good impression of wood grain on all surfaces. The frame for the load bed cover is just plain, no wood grain, but well rendered. The tracks are rubber band type, which glue together. The decals included have several late war tactical signs for the vehicle. The inspection of the sprues show only a small area of flash and a few knock out marks. The knock out marks are for the most part on unseen surfaces and should pose no problems. I noticed no sink marks or mis-moulded parts.

A sprue of rifles and machine guns are included and are moulded very well. The only down side to the rifles is that the mould lines are pretty big and will require careful clean-up. The instruction sheet is not overly busy, and looks to be easy to follow. The painting and markings show a vehicle for the 2nd Pz. Div France 1944.

Conclusion

AFV Club's rendering of the late war 3 ton half-track seems spot on. What little information I have seen seems to show a good copy. The carriage and running gear looks quite good and the cab and bed are well depicted. I hope to do a build of this vehicle in the near future.

A Build Log has been started on the Forums to evaluate the kit construction.