In Box Review of S-Model 1/72 Kfz.-13 Armored Car
Price; $12.95 Kit
No. PS7200013
John Kelley
No. PS7200013
John Kelley
The kit is comprised of two trees of dark gray molded, flash free parts and includes a decal sheet and photo etched parts. The moldings are well done and each tree contains 26 pieces which allows you to build two complete vehicles.
Instructions
The instructions come in a roughly 4 x 11 inch sheet of glossy paper with a color painting on the front with paint recommendations. the second page contains the assembly instructions. This is carried on to the top of the third page which includes the final assembly and decal placement. The back of the instructions has the color scheme which in this case is overall Panzer Grey.
The instructions come in a roughly 4 x 11 inch sheet of glossy paper with a color painting on the front with paint recommendations. the second page contains the assembly instructions. This is carried on to the top of the third page which includes the final assembly and decal placement. The back of the instructions has the color scheme which in this case is overall Panzer Grey.
Kit parts
Starting with Part 18 the axles, springs , engine, drive shaft and transmission are molded in one piece. The parts appear accurate in shape however no tie rod or exhaust system is included in the molding , however these should be easy to make from plastic rod. The wheels are two pieces with the back of Part 15 open and Part 17 is to be set inside of the wheel. Both sides are detailed and a tread pattern is on the tire. While the pattern is simplified for this scale it still looks good and should dry brush up well.
Starting with Part 18 the axles, springs , engine, drive shaft and transmission are molded in one piece. The parts appear accurate in shape however no tie rod or exhaust system is included in the molding , however these should be easy to make from plastic rod. The wheels are two pieces with the back of Part 15 open and Part 17 is to be set inside of the wheel. Both sides are detailed and a tread pattern is on the tire. While the pattern is simplified for this scale it still looks good and should dry brush up well.
The lower chassis, Part 16, is also molded in one piece. On the bottom of the floor are ejector pin marks but unless the model is displayed with the underside showing this should not be a problem. A full frame is molded on as well as the mud guards and stowage box. The box has an opening in the bottom which the modeler may want to fill. The floor of the fighting compartment has location holes and post for the interior parts molded onto it. The floor is smooth with no tread plate molded onto it. I am not sure if tread plate should be on the floor or not but if so, Archer Fine Transfers makes a tread plate decal in their Surface Details sets. The Interior parts consists of a steering wheel and column ,seat, floor shifter, parking brake, and a pedestal mounted M.G. 34 molded in one piece with a separate shield. From the photos I have seen of this mount it is very convincing.
The body sides have detail molded into them and the hood has an instrument panel molded into it but no gages. The exterior of the body has fine detail molded onto it and the spare tire cover is very well done and looks convincing. The rear body ,Part 6, does have an ejector pin mark in it but it should be easy to remove. In fact, some stowage in this area or extra M.G. boxes would hide this pretty well. The radiator and louvers are nicely done and the top of the radiator is recessed below the armor plating. One thing that is missing are the stowage boxes that are mounted on the rear side plates. These boxes are seen on the photos of the Kfz.-13 but are not in the kit. They are easily made though from strip styrene. At this time I have not been able to confirm the dimensions but I will do a build article on this at a later and measure the assembled kit at that time.
Photo-etch
The sheet consist of enough parts for both vehicles and contains front and rear license plates, mirrors, pennant flags and width indicators.
The sheet consist of enough parts for both vehicles and contains front and rear license plates, mirrors, pennant flags and width indicators.
Decals
The are decals for two vehicles. One for the Polish campaign and the other for the French campaign.
The are decals for two vehicles. One for the Polish campaign and the other for the French campaign.
Impressions
My overall impression of the model is it is a very good kit and I am looking forward to building it. The detail on the model is well done and very restrained making for a scale like apperance. While the kit is designed for the war gamer it still has sufficient detail for the display modeler and is a good start for a super detailed model. I plan to build one kit out of the box and the other as a Kfz.-14 Radio Car. While some may not care for the quick build kits I like them and to be honest I get two models for a low price that are accurate and allow for conversions. S-Model is to be commended for producing this kit and I look forward to their other releases. I highly recommend this kit to any interested in early war German reconnaissance vehicles. I purchased my kit from www.freetimehobbies.com.
My overall impression of the model is it is a very good kit and I am looking forward to building it. The detail on the model is well done and very restrained making for a scale like apperance. While the kit is designed for the war gamer it still has sufficient detail for the display modeler and is a good start for a super detailed model. I plan to build one kit out of the box and the other as a Kfz.-14 Radio Car. While some may not care for the quick build kits I like them and to be honest I get two models for a low price that are accurate and allow for conversions. S-Model is to be commended for producing this kit and I look forward to their other releases. I highly recommend this kit to any interested in early war German reconnaissance vehicles. I purchased my kit from www.freetimehobbies.com.