Trumpeter 1/35 Sd.Kfz 8 DB 10 Geparnzerte 12 t

The Sd.Kfz. 8 was a 12 ton halftrack prime mover used by the Wehrmacht during the World War II. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was designed by Daimler-Benz in 1934 to be used as the primary towing vehicle for the 21 cm Mörser 18, 15 cm Kanone 18, 10.5 cm Flak 38. Also the Sd.Kfz. 8 was produced by Krauss-Maffei, Krupp, Skoda during the war years. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was used in every campaign fought by the Wehrmacht in World War II, Invasion of Poland, the Battle for France, the Balkans Campaign, the Eastern Front, the North African Campaign, the Battle of Normandy and the Italian Campaign. The Sd.Kfz. 8 was also used as a recovery vehicle.

This particular kit is of a variant that was unknown until one was pulled from a river in Poland in 2009. Looking back, it is not surprising that an armored version of this would have been built as late in the war, these modifications were becoming more common. It is unknown how many of these armored versions were built.

If you have seen a Trumpeter kit in the last year or so, you know that they are often considered to be world class. The molding on this kit is as good as you will see anywhere else. I found no issues with flash or ejector pin marks, the two major issues that can plague a kit. The upper bodywork and lower hull are segregated in the thick cardboard box to prevent any damage during shipment. In with those parts are four rubber/vinyl front tires. There are four as the kit provides two different tread patterns with one a bit more aggressive than the other. Also included is a photoetch fret. This small fret is used for things like hand holds, braces and the forward gun shield.

The kit is not a curbside and comes with a complete DB10 engine as well as its massive gearbox. These are two separate items and the gear box is installed first, being trapped between the chassis rails during initial chassis construction along with all of the various cross members. The engine and its dual exhaust are then installed after many of the chassis components are in place. Trumpeter provides a large line drawing showing all these pieces as they should be to help you with getting the bits in properly.

This kit has individual track links with individual pads. Now thanks to halftracks not having the massive track assemblies of tanks, a kit like this will make a good introduction to this aspect of armor building without taxing the builder's patience. The kit has a complete suspension as you would imagine and includes steerable front wheels, though I think most builders will keep this assembly fixed as the parts are quite prototypical in size.

The upper bodywork and cargo compartment also have a lot of detail as you would expect from an open top vehicle. The driver's compartment has all the requisite gears and levers. Trumpeter includes a dash decal in case you would rather use that. All of the various doors and hatches are separate and while Trumpeter shows them all closed, it would be a shame to hide any engine detailing you have done. What is probably going to have to be added in some cases are inner handles for the roof and rear doors.

The kit includes two machine guns for self defense. The forward one has a shield and both of them are able to be moved if so desired. Instructions have little actual color information for anything other than some small items like seats and the guns. They are superbly and crisply drawn showing where the various bits go without any ambiguity. The small decal sheet includes the dash decal and plates. The camouflage shown is tan with green stripes, which is a pretty good guess as to how this vehicle might have been painted.

In all, it makes for a very detailed model and since it is the first kit of which I am aware of this newly discovered variant, it will make for a great showpiece on your display shelves.

http://www.wehrmacht-history.com

January 2012 

Thanks to Squadron Products for the preview kit. Get yours today at your local shop.

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