Hasegawa

Sd.Kfz.7 8 ton Half-track with Quadruple 20mm AA.

First, like all the Hasegawa minibox series, this kit contains sprues of light, very hard plastic, with its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, the hard plastic is very easy to cut from the sprue and does not break easily. On the minus side, for some modellers, it may be catastrophic trying to clean the parts with a small knife. Personally, I nicked my fingers many times before the parts were free from flash and seams.

Building the model is straight forward. Instructions are very accurate. The kit has a detailed chassis, which is great plus for all Hasegawa models. It's detailed but on a sane level with no tiny, easy to break parts - all solid like a rock. Parts have mini slots for a more accurate fit. You may not want to glue the wheels on until the painting stage because the Sd.Kfz. 7/1 has rubber-covered wheels (which means the rubber must be painted black or "rubber" color in contrast to the main model color of gray or sand).

The instructions direct the modeller to not glue the front window frame so it can move (upward and downward). The dashboard is less detailed. There is a steering wheel and an engraved plastic dashboard and some parts that I think represent the gear shift levers.

The body of the Sd.Kfz 7/1 may be built in two ways: ready for action with the sides folded down, or in transport mode, with the sides folded up. The gun can be built so it can rotate 360 degrees. The gun is nice. It is very similar to the Italeri's version of the 20mm FlaK. The barrels need to be drilled to simulate reality.

The kit also contains seven crew, one being the driver, and the remainder to man the gun. Their quality is satisfactory, though the legs and arms are crude with plastic seams on the heads. They need some work to make them better.

The tracks are rubber. On the model they look bad, so replacements should be found if possible.

Overview: This is a good model with many moveable parts though it is little hard to word with some of the smaller pieces.

Article Last Updated: 04 October 2010