Sd.Kfz.7

Kit # 03186

The lay-out of the sprues is nice, and going from the look of sprue B, other versions will follow.

The kit builds like a breeze, and the way the tracks are engineered works very well. At first I was somewhat apprehensive about these tracks, but they go on without a hitch. I only needed to remove two track links.

The anti-slip pattern on the fenders is lacking. To simulate it, I used paper from a pack of sigarettes. The tow cable was made from strands of metalic wire and the texture of the seats was improved with the help of some putty.

The front wheels are rather toy-like, but the hubs are actualy very good, especially after thinning sown with a scalpel.

There is a rather prominent gap between the driver's compartment and the hood (bonnet), which needs to be filled with putty. It will probbaly fit better if you remove the locating pegs.

The front suspension is a strange construction, and doesn't capture the look of the real thing. I added some length to the leaf spring on the side of the co-driver.

The battery box is not covered in the model, which would not happen in reality, unless the battery was being charged.

Model with Hät figures temporarily fitted.

I made the tow-bar attachment on the nose from scratch. The reason is not that the Revell part is not good (it is), but rather that I managed to ruin the kit part when I added a dent to the front bumper in order to depict a particular vehicle I have seen in a picture.

On Small Scale AFV I saw a perfect Sd.Kfz. 7 from Hasegawa.The wheels from the Hasagawa Puma were used to enhance the model. I think that it looked great, but that it would be too expensive to offer up a Puma just for the wheels. On the other hand, the Hasagawa Puma has 12 wheels without rims: perfect, the Puma only needs 9. The only problem is that the Revell kit is a little too large for the Hasagawa wheels. So at the first attempt I screwed it up. The second attempt was better.

I enhanced the kit a little with a p/e set from Eduard for the Famo. I had this left over from a review, but I guess it is better to wait for a p/e set dedicated to this kit. In the meantime, it is all there is.
I also moved the fillercap on the radiator. It is too far back. The small handles on the side of the engine are pieces of metallic wire.

Now for some paint. First comes the primer: a coat of Parket Plus.

The following pictures show the model after a first wash (which is not yet completely dry). There is still some work to do, like adding dust and dirt, and figures.

The kit is great, even straight from the box, and can be built by novice modelers. More experienced modelers have room to add some extra detail, and I am sure more can be added than what I chose to do.

The great thing about this vehicle is that it was used throughout the war, on all theatres, which means you have a lot of marking options to choose from.

Article Last Updated:
09 July 2012
14 July 2012
14 August 2012