In Box Review of Italeri 1/35th Scale
German Zundapp KS-750 Motorcycle & Sidecar
Kit no. 317
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2014
Out of production.
I paid a paltry $3.75 for my kit, years ago.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2014
Out of production.
I paid a paltry $3.75 for my kit, years ago.
HISTORY:
The Zündapp KS 750 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar combination developed for the German Wehrmacht (armed forces) before and during the Second World War, by the German company Zündapp G.m.b.H. After entering service in 1941, over 18,000 were built through 1944, and deployed on all major German battlefronts, for use in a variety of roles.
The KS 750 was an integral design, featuring not one but two driven wheels – both the rear wheel and the sidecar wheel were shaft driven, powered by a 751 cc (45.8 cu in) (bore 75mm, stroke 85mm), overhead valve, flat twin engine.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Motorcycle/Motorcycle combination
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1941-1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II
Production history:
Designed: 1939
Manufacturer: Zündapp
No. built: 18,695
Engine: 751cc four-stroke flat-twin petrol engine
Drive: two-wheel - to both rear wheel and sidecar wheel
Transmission: 5 forward, 1 reverse gearbox
The Zündapp KS 750 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar combination developed for the German Wehrmacht (armed forces) before and during the Second World War, by the German company Zündapp G.m.b.H. After entering service in 1941, over 18,000 were built through 1944, and deployed on all major German battlefronts, for use in a variety of roles.
The KS 750 was an integral design, featuring not one but two driven wheels – both the rear wheel and the sidecar wheel were shaft driven, powered by a 751 cc (45.8 cu in) (bore 75mm, stroke 85mm), overhead valve, flat twin engine.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Motorcycle/Motorcycle combination
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1941-1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II
Production history:
Designed: 1939
Manufacturer: Zündapp
No. built: 18,695
Engine: 751cc four-stroke flat-twin petrol engine
Drive: two-wheel - to both rear wheel and sidecar wheel
Transmission: 5 forward, 1 reverse gearbox
THE KIT:
Italeri is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Italy. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Zundapp KS-750 motorcycle with side-car and 3 German soldiers.
One soldier is driving the motorcycle. The second soldier is seated in the side-car. The third soldier is standing in front of the motorcycle. He is a Feldgendarmerie (field policeman).
All the men are dressed in field-grey uniforms, with their trousers bloused into high black jack-boots. All of them wear dark grey steel helmets. Their jackets have black collars and shoulder patches, with white S.S. on the collars. The two men on the bike have goggles strapped around their helmets.
The man seated in the side card is smoking a cigarette.
The driver has a canteen in his left hand and he is pouring it into a metal cup in his right hand.
The field policeman has a metal gorget on a chain around his neck that says Feldgendarme on it. He is holding a traffic directing paddle in both hands that has a white disk on the end of it, with a black circle on it.
Italeri is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Italy. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Zundapp KS-750 motorcycle with side-car and 3 German soldiers.
One soldier is driving the motorcycle. The second soldier is seated in the side-car. The third soldier is standing in front of the motorcycle. He is a Feldgendarmerie (field policeman).
All the men are dressed in field-grey uniforms, with their trousers bloused into high black jack-boots. All of them wear dark grey steel helmets. Their jackets have black collars and shoulder patches, with white S.S. on the collars. The two men on the bike have goggles strapped around their helmets.
The man seated in the side card is smoking a cigarette.
The driver has a canteen in his left hand and he is pouring it into a metal cup in his right hand.
The field policeman has a metal gorget on a chain around his neck that says Feldgendarme on it. He is holding a traffic directing paddle in both hands that has a white disk on the end of it, with a black circle on it.
The motorcycle is overall panzer-grey, with black seats and a white license plate, outlined in black with black SS-48205 on it. On the front of the side car is a white outline of a shield with a white key on it. It is the marking for the 1st S.S. Panzer Div., “Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler” Group. Mounted on the front of the side-car is a MG-42 machine gun on a pedestal.
On the back of the side-car there is a rolled up camouflaged canvas tarp and two dark grey mess-kits. Both the riders on the bike are armed with 98K Mauser carbines. The field policeman is armed with a MG 34 sub machine-gun, slung over his left shoulder.
The illustrations are all against an all-white background. Similar to how Tamiya brand does the majority of their box arts.
The cover says the kit holds 86 precision parts and 3 soldiers are included.
One side-panel of the box says: Zundapp KS-750 with sidecar. Well-known German multi-purpose motorcycle used throughout the war. Box includes 3 soldiers and accessories. In Italian, German, English and French. With each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language. For modelers aged 10 to adult.
The illustrations are all against an all-white background. Similar to how Tamiya brand does the majority of their box arts.
The cover says the kit holds 86 precision parts and 3 soldiers are included.
One side-panel of the box says: Zundapp KS-750 with sidecar. Well-known German multi-purpose motorcycle used throughout the war. Box includes 3 soldiers and accessories. In Italian, German, English and French. With each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language. For modelers aged 10 to adult.
The other side-panel of the box shows 3 color box top illustrations for other kits that Italeri makes: Kit no. 314, a U.S. Jeep Personnel-carrier, Kit no. 312, a German Kubelwagen w/Rommel figure and Kit no. 313,a German Schwimmwagen w/ bicyclist, officer and woman.
The bottom of the box shows 6 more color box arts of kits that Italeri makes: Kit no. 112, an Italian Cant Z-501 flying-boat, Kit no. 217, a German Panzer IV F1/F2 G, Kit no. 307, 8 Soviet artillery-men figures, Kit no. 401, barbed-wire barriers, Kit no. 215, a German Auto Union Horch KFZ-15 staff-car and Kit no. 402, jerry-cans.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 2 dark-grey pars trees and the decal sheet in a sealed clear cello bag.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that is accordion-folded into 6 pages in 6” x 9” page format.
Page 1 shows the model made up. Over the history of the Zundapp KS-75 w/side-car and specifications for it. In Italian and English.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTIONS about the model in the 4 languages that are on the one side-panel of the box.
The bottom of page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations.
The trees are not alphabetized. Instead they are labeled with geometric symbols, a triangle and a circle.
The top of page 3 lists colors to use, over a black and white photo of the motorcycle made up in Wehrmacht markings, with a white license plate, outlined in white with black serial no. WH-221496 on it and a white circle with an arrow point on its edge and an X through it.
The bottom of Page 3, on through to page 5 shows a grand total of 6 assembly steps.
Steps 1 to 5 are for the motorcycle and side-car, with a black and white photo of the model made up as a top view and un-occupied.
Step 6 on page 6 is for assembly and painting of the 3 figures.
Page 6 is a painting and marking guide in the 4 languages. It shows two side-view illustrations of the bike and side-car.
The first one is a 3-view, that is overall sand-yellow, with a white Afrika Korps palm-tree with swastika mark on the side of the side-car.
There is a white 2.75 atu on the side of the fender on the side-car. Alternate license plates that say either SS-46205 or WH-379394 or WH-91744 to choose from to use and a choice of 5 more unit markings to choose from on the back of the side-car.
Below that is a side-view of the bike in overall Panzer-grey, with license no. WH-221496 on it.
The bottom of page 6 gives the history of the Zundapp KS-750 again in German and French.
Dark-grey triangle tree holds: the parts of the motorcycle, 2 large canvas bags, 3 steel helmets, 2 pairs of goggles, two 98K rifles and the MGT-34 sub machine-gun. The driver figure (divided into separate torso, lower body and arms), the field-policeman (divided as full bodied with separate arms), 3 steel helmets. The traffic control baton, pair of binoculars, 2 canteens, 2 mess kits, 2 gas mask canisters (65 parts)
The kit holds 2 dark-grey pars trees and the decal sheet in a sealed clear cello bag.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that is accordion-folded into 6 pages in 6” x 9” page format.
Page 1 shows the model made up. Over the history of the Zundapp KS-75 w/side-car and specifications for it. In Italian and English.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTIONS about the model in the 4 languages that are on the one side-panel of the box.
The bottom of page 2 is the parts-trees illustrations.
The trees are not alphabetized. Instead they are labeled with geometric symbols, a triangle and a circle.
The top of page 3 lists colors to use, over a black and white photo of the motorcycle made up in Wehrmacht markings, with a white license plate, outlined in white with black serial no. WH-221496 on it and a white circle with an arrow point on its edge and an X through it.
The bottom of Page 3, on through to page 5 shows a grand total of 6 assembly steps.
Steps 1 to 5 are for the motorcycle and side-car, with a black and white photo of the model made up as a top view and un-occupied.
Step 6 on page 6 is for assembly and painting of the 3 figures.
Page 6 is a painting and marking guide in the 4 languages. It shows two side-view illustrations of the bike and side-car.
The first one is a 3-view, that is overall sand-yellow, with a white Afrika Korps palm-tree with swastika mark on the side of the side-car.
There is a white 2.75 atu on the side of the fender on the side-car. Alternate license plates that say either SS-46205 or WH-379394 or WH-91744 to choose from to use and a choice of 5 more unit markings to choose from on the back of the side-car.
Below that is a side-view of the bike in overall Panzer-grey, with license no. WH-221496 on it.
The bottom of page 6 gives the history of the Zundapp KS-750 again in German and French.
Dark-grey triangle tree holds: the parts of the motorcycle, 2 large canvas bags, 3 steel helmets, 2 pairs of goggles, two 98K rifles and the MGT-34 sub machine-gun. The driver figure (divided into separate torso, lower body and arms), the field-policeman (divided as full bodied with separate arms), 3 steel helmets. The traffic control baton, pair of binoculars, 2 canteens, 2 mess kits, 2 gas mask canisters (65 parts)
Dark-grey circle tree holds: The side-car parts, seated passenger figure (divided into separate torso, lower body and arms), MG 42 etc. (27 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
The decal sheet completes the kit contents.
There are no clear parts.
The detail is very good.
Recommended.
The detail is very good.
Recommended.