In Box Review of Tristar 1/35th Scale
German Panzer 1 Ausf. A, Sd.Kfz. 101
Kit no. 35028
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit has a copyright date of 2006.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit has a copyright date of 2006.
HISTORY:
After the end of World War I, Germany was not allowed to produce any armored machinery besides the minimum of armored cars for the army and police.
The Panzerkapfwagen I Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz. 101) was the first German tank to go into mass production since World War I. Both 7.92 mm MG13 machine guns were mounted co axially in the turret.
The first complete Pz.Kpfw. I A's were issued in September 1934. At the beginning of WWII. the Pz.Kpfw. I A was scattered throughout all the Panzer units. It was used extensively in Poland and France, and was issued to Pz.Abt. 40 which took part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway.
From late 1940 until 1941, the Pz.Kpfw. I A was withdrawn from units in the main combat areas.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Weight: 5.4 ton
Height: 1.72 m
Length: 4.02 m
Width: 2.06 m
Crew: 2
Armament: two 7.92 mm MG 13 machine guns
THE KIT:
Tristar is a model company base in Hong Kong, China.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A parked on a muddy road in a woods. It is overall panzer-gray with no markings shown. It running gear is caked in mud and two crewmen are working on the engine. Both wear field gray uniforms with soft side caps.
one side panel begins with Tristar's street address in Hong Kong, China, their FAX number, e-mail address and web site address, followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in Chinese and English and a color side view photo of the model made up in overall panzer-gray with a white 13 on the sides of the turret and a white skeletal German cross on the sides of the hull.
The other side panel has a white sticker on it saying that Model Rectifier Corp. in Edison, NJ was the U.S. distributor of the kit back in the 90's, followed by a repeat of Tristar's street address in Hong Kong, China and the address of their office in Japan with the e-mail, phone no., FAX no. and web address for there.
This is followed by 2 color box arts of other AFV kits that Tristar manufactures: a German Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D/Tauch, kit no. 023 and a German Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A Ohne Aufbau, kit no. 025 and kit was MADE IN CHINA.
It is a ready to assemble precision model kit. Cement and paint are not included and model skills are helpful if under 10 years of age.
After the end of World War I, Germany was not allowed to produce any armored machinery besides the minimum of armored cars for the army and police.
The Panzerkapfwagen I Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz. 101) was the first German tank to go into mass production since World War I. Both 7.92 mm MG13 machine guns were mounted co axially in the turret.
The first complete Pz.Kpfw. I A's were issued in September 1934. At the beginning of WWII. the Pz.Kpfw. I A was scattered throughout all the Panzer units. It was used extensively in Poland and France, and was issued to Pz.Abt. 40 which took part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway.
From late 1940 until 1941, the Pz.Kpfw. I A was withdrawn from units in the main combat areas.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Weight: 5.4 ton
Height: 1.72 m
Length: 4.02 m
Width: 2.06 m
Crew: 2
Armament: two 7.92 mm MG 13 machine guns
THE KIT:
Tristar is a model company base in Hong Kong, China.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A parked on a muddy road in a woods. It is overall panzer-gray with no markings shown. It running gear is caked in mud and two crewmen are working on the engine. Both wear field gray uniforms with soft side caps.
one side panel begins with Tristar's street address in Hong Kong, China, their FAX number, e-mail address and web site address, followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in Chinese and English and a color side view photo of the model made up in overall panzer-gray with a white 13 on the sides of the turret and a white skeletal German cross on the sides of the hull.
The other side panel has a white sticker on it saying that Model Rectifier Corp. in Edison, NJ was the U.S. distributor of the kit back in the 90's, followed by a repeat of Tristar's street address in Hong Kong, China and the address of their office in Japan with the e-mail, phone no., FAX no. and web address for there.
This is followed by 2 color box arts of other AFV kits that Tristar manufactures: a German Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D/Tauch, kit no. 023 and a German Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A Ohne Aufbau, kit no. 025 and kit was MADE IN CHINA.
It is a ready to assemble precision model kit. Cement and paint are not included and model skills are helpful if under 10 years of age.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
This kit contains 14 light tan trees of parts that are loose and not in cello bags. There is a zip locked cello bag that has a clear parts tree, the brass PE fret and the decal sheet in it, plus the instructions.
The instructions consists of 2 sheets of instructions that together fold out into 12 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A and READ BEFORE ASSEMBLY instructions in English and Chinese, over Tristars address, FAX no., e-mail address and web address repeated. Also these at their Tokyo, Japan office too.
Page 2 has the parts trees illustrations. A few parts are shaded out here. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the kit.
Page 3 begins with international assembly symbol explanations over the first 2 assembly steps.
Page 4 through 10 give a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 11 has two 3-views and one 2-view of schemes as the color and marking instructions:
1. A 4-view of a early version Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A. in overall panzer-gray. It has a white no. 13 on the sides of the turret and a skeletal white German cross on the sides and rear of the hull. On the front of the hull there is a diamond that is black at the top and white at the bottom, followed by a flag that is red at the top, yellow in the middle and red again at the bottom.
To the right of the flag is a white insignia of a white spear with crossed swords over it. There is a white no. 313 on the bow. It has a large black X across the top of the turret.
It is with 3rd Company 2nd Battalion, Agrupacion de Carres, Spanish Civil War.
2. A 3-view of a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall panzer gray. It has a solid yellow German cross on th turret sides and the front of the hull. There is a white no. 525 behind the turret cross. It is a tank as it was in the Polish campaign.
No unit is mentioned.
3. A 2-view of a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall earth-yellow. It has a white outlined number 833 on the sides of the turret and a white palm tree with swastika emblem on the left side of the front of the hull.
It is with 5th Liechte Division, North Africa.
Page 12 has two more schemes as 3-views.
1. A Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall panzer gray. it has a solid yellow German cross on the sides and rear of the turret, with a white 534 behind the turret crosses on the sides.
It is how the tank looked during the Polish Campaign.
Again, no unit is mentioned.
2. A Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall earth-yellow with a skeletal white German cross on the sides of the hull and the white palm tree with swastika symbol on the left side of the front of the hull.
It is how it looked during the North Africa campaign.
No unit mentioned again.
Below these is the decal application instructions and a suggested color listing for Tamiya and GSI Creos Mr. Color brands of paint.
Light-tan letter A tree holds the bogies etc. (25 parts)
This kit contains 14 light tan trees of parts that are loose and not in cello bags. There is a zip locked cello bag that has a clear parts tree, the brass PE fret and the decal sheet in it, plus the instructions.
The instructions consists of 2 sheets of instructions that together fold out into 12 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A and READ BEFORE ASSEMBLY instructions in English and Chinese, over Tristars address, FAX no., e-mail address and web address repeated. Also these at their Tokyo, Japan office too.
Page 2 has the parts trees illustrations. A few parts are shaded out here. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the kit.
Page 3 begins with international assembly symbol explanations over the first 2 assembly steps.
Page 4 through 10 give a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 11 has two 3-views and one 2-view of schemes as the color and marking instructions:
1. A 4-view of a early version Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A. in overall panzer-gray. It has a white no. 13 on the sides of the turret and a skeletal white German cross on the sides and rear of the hull. On the front of the hull there is a diamond that is black at the top and white at the bottom, followed by a flag that is red at the top, yellow in the middle and red again at the bottom.
To the right of the flag is a white insignia of a white spear with crossed swords over it. There is a white no. 313 on the bow. It has a large black X across the top of the turret.
It is with 3rd Company 2nd Battalion, Agrupacion de Carres, Spanish Civil War.
2. A 3-view of a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall panzer gray. It has a solid yellow German cross on th turret sides and the front of the hull. There is a white no. 525 behind the turret cross. It is a tank as it was in the Polish campaign.
No unit is mentioned.
3. A 2-view of a Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall earth-yellow. It has a white outlined number 833 on the sides of the turret and a white palm tree with swastika emblem on the left side of the front of the hull.
It is with 5th Liechte Division, North Africa.
Page 12 has two more schemes as 3-views.
1. A Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall panzer gray. it has a solid yellow German cross on the sides and rear of the turret, with a white 534 behind the turret crosses on the sides.
It is how the tank looked during the Polish Campaign.
Again, no unit is mentioned.
2. A Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A in overall earth-yellow with a skeletal white German cross on the sides of the hull and the white palm tree with swastika symbol on the left side of the front of the hull.
It is how it looked during the North Africa campaign.
No unit mentioned again.
Below these is the decal application instructions and a suggested color listing for Tamiya and GSI Creos Mr. Color brands of paint.
Light-tan letter A tree holds the bogies etc. (25 parts)
Light-tan letter B tree holds turret parts etc. (31 parts)
Light-tan letter C tree holds: tools, antenna, exhaust, hull nose etc. (25 parts)
Four parts are shaded out in the part trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the model.
Four parts are shaded out in the part trees illustrations as being excess and not needed to complete the model.
There are 2 identical light-tan letter D trees. They hold: road wheels, drive sprockets etc. (29 parts each) 7 parts are excess.
Light-tan letter E tree holds: the floor, shift levers, final transfer covers, engine parts, hull bottom and sides etc. (54 parts)
There is no letter F tree.
There is no letter F tree.
Light-tan letter G tree holds the turret parts etc. (21 parts)
There is no letter H tree.
There is no letter H tree.
Light-tan letter I tree holds: the radiator, hull front top, hatches etc. (53 parts)
Light-tan letter J tree holds: machine guns, fenders, etc. (33 parts) 5 parts are excess.
T tree contains the individual track links.
The brass PE fret is next. It holds 46 parts including the the air intake screens, chains, lifting hooks, etc. 4 are excess.
Clear tree letter GP holds windows and headlight lenses 5. 3 parts are excess.
The 2 decal sheets complete the kits contents.
To help in painting the rubber portion on the road wheels I obtained the Quick Wheel.
The built up lower hull.
There are no crew figures included and no interior details.
External detail is great.
External detail is great.
Highly recommended.