| KIT: | ICM 1/48 SdKfz 222 |
| KIT #: | 48191 |
| PRICE: | $29.95 MSRP |
| DECALS: | options |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: |
| HISTORY |
The Sd.kfz 222 is part of a family of light armored cars thatstarted with the 221. Prototypes of this series were initially developed around1937 and were produced until 1942. However these useful vehicles were used untilthe end of the war. The main difference between the 221 and the 222 was in theweapon carried. The 221 had a a seven sided open topped turret with a single7.92mm machine gun. Later in the war, a 2.3 cm anti-tank rifle replaced themachine gun. The 222 (and subject of this kit) had a ten sided open toppedturret with a 20mm anti-tank gun in addition to the machine gun.
All of these vehicles were based on a Horch/Auto Union chassiswhich had either a 3.5 liter, 75 hp engine (Ausf A) or later production had a3.8 liter 81 hp engine (Ausf B). Both had the engine in the rear. The chassishad a four wheel drive, fully independent suspension. Initially, they also hadfour wheel steering, but this was removed later as it proved to be unnecessary.The differentials were full locking ensuring that all four wheels were able toprovide traction.
The hull was welded steel plate with a door on either side. Theopen top was covered by a framework with steel mesh (obviously to prevent theodd hand grenade from being dropped inside). Elevation and azimuth of the turretwere manually controlled via small hand wheels.
| THE KIT |
To my knowledge, this is the first 1/48 armor kit produced by ICM. They have done a number of aircraft and figures in this scale and it is nice to see them venturing out into what is an increasingly popular subject for 'quarter scale' modelers.
As you might expect, the box is not exactly overflowing with parts, but what there is has been well molded. There are two major sprues, the upper and lower body halves, and a photo etched fret. Unusual for ICM is that they have not only molded the rather large wheels as one piece, but the barrel of the main armament, the 20mm cannon, has a goodly depression in the tip. This is much like Dragon's slide molded parts and is quite welcome. The main drivetrain is also molded as one part. If I had a complaint it would be that the people removing the body sections from the sprues prior to packaging were not very careful and seem to have basically torn the parts from the sprue with the resultant damage done to the part. Yeah, a minor whine, but there it is.
Other things of note is that the outer wheel hubs are molded separately, something that will enhance painting. The photo etch fret is superbly done and is basically the screen cage that goes atop the turret to prevent hand grenades and other nasties from being tossed inside. I'm sure that Tamiya would have done this when they did their 1/35 kit had this medium been available.
Instructions are well done and as befits a kit like this, are not too complex. A nice decal sheet accompanies the kit and provides markings for four vehicles. One is in Panzer Grey from Lybia in 1941, while the second from Lybia in 1942 is in Panzer Yellow. The other two are from Russia and both are in a base of Panzer Grey with green stripes painted in a random pattern over the surface. The decal sheet is well printed and looks to be very nice. I and others have had issues with past ICM sheets, but this one looks different so should hopefully work well.
| CONCLUSIONS |
This looks like the start of a great series of 1/48 armor kits. ICM has taken the philosophy that one doesn't have to have a million small parts to have a nice model and I'm glad to see it.
My thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the review kit. Get yours today at your local hobby shop or have them order one for you. If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.