Wave 1/20 SK 362 Panzer Spahwagen 'OSKAR'

The OSKAR's history (from the Wave description): 

It is October, 2885. Having triumphed in operation Super Hammer, the Strahl were moving rapidly forward with their conversion of the units assigned to the Earth conflict to a completely unmanned force. Despite having gained control of space, it was clear that the conflict would continue to expand. The development and deployment of further unmanned weapons was essential to boosting the power of their limited forces currently deployed.

Acknowledging the reconnaissance abilities of their principal bipedal tank the Kurote, the Weapons Division of the Strahl Defense Forces Headquarters sought to develop a new version which matched the current one's weaponry and defensive capabilities, while at the same times boosting its reconnaissance ability, effective range and maximum mission duration.

The answer created by their Engineering Division was an unmanned vehicle best described as a simplified version of the Neuspotter, employing the hover technology already in wide use among their armored vehicles, together with the same sensor array employed on the Neuspotter. Because of this, the Neuspotter's nearly silent propulsion technology was abandoned, but in trade the machine had a significantly greater payload capability, allowing the mounting of weaponry far heavier than the Neuspotter's light guns. Since the original concept was for a combat/reconnaissance unit, it's noise during movement was never really considered to be a problem. Rather the fact that it could be built for roughly 1/3 the cost of the Neuspotter while retaining the same reconnaissance ability was the focus of attention. As a result, 15 prototypes were built and tested, and following testing the type entered mass production in nearly record time. Protected by 100mm of hardened armor and 20mm of hybrid super ceramics, it was armed with a twin 40mm rocket tube with auto loader, and named "Oskar."

10 prototypes and 50 secondary prototypes went into service in North American and Australia in October of 2885, but the low dependability of the auto-loader mechanism led to the development and deployment of a heavier armed version mounting a linear gun.

I have come to realize that WAVE kits are superbly done. They are free of flash, sink areas and pesky ejector pin marks on surfaces where you wish they were not. They also offer some interesting subjects, including this vehicle that is part of a rather extensive series of similar subjects dating back about 20 years. Now I'm not that much up on the series, but this one seems like it is a new tool kit, at least based on the 2014 date on the box.

WAVE has provided all the bits you need to make an exemplary model. This includes not only a large photo etch fret for the underfuselage exhaust vents, but also several sections of brass rod as well as vinyl tubing and some rather long spring sections (not shown). There is also a sprue of vinyl inserts for all the moving bits that are offered on this one.

The kit can logically be broken down into two major subassemblies. The first one is the sensor unit and its mount. In fact, this section takes up six of the ten construction steps. I is also where you use the spring sections and the vinyl tubing. Attached to the side of the power unit/mount is an arm that attaches to a long rectangular sensor unit. There are also various antenna attached to these units, which is why you have the several diameters of brass wire included in the kit.

All of the above fits onto the main hull. This has things like grenade/smoke dischargers, exhaust section and is where you use all the rest of the brass rod. There are quite a few handles and hand holds on the upper surface which the modeler will need to bend from the wire. The instructions provide a full size guide to all these bits and offer both front and side views where needed. None of it looks too difficult for those who have done this before. It would have been nice to have had a bending form included to get the interior angles right, but I'm sure most of us will have something we can use for this.

Instructions are nicely drawn and like all WAVE kits, is in Japanese. Included in the box is a card that provides recommendations for three different painting and marking schemes. With kits like this, it is not a requirement that one be a slave to 'accuracy' as anything goes that seems logical. The included decal sheet is very nicely printed and gives the builder plenty to work with. For the stencils, there is a guide provided.

I don't know how popular this series is with modelers, but I do see these from time to time at club meetings and contests. This is one that will make into a nicely sized model and one can get quite imaginative when it comes to painting it. I should also mention that the kit comes with a figure that I did not show in the parts layout. Since this vehicle is supposed to be unmanned, the figure is standing.

Thanks to www.hlj.com for the preview kit. You can find this kit at this link.

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