In Box Review of RPM 1/35TH Scale
Sd.Kfz. 135 “Beobachtungswagen”
Kit no. 35013
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2001
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $33.99 or at Kit Linx for $24.25 and one place overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2001
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $33.99 or at Kit Linx for $24.25 and one place overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Marder I "Marten" (Sd.Kfz. 135) was a German World War II tank destroyer, armed with a 75 mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun. Most Marder Is were built on the base of the Tracteur Blindé 37L (Lorraine), a French artillery tractor/armoured personnel carrier of which the Germans had acquired more than three hundred after the Fall of France in 1940.
From the early stages of Operation Barbarossa the Wehrmacht became aware that their ability to combat some of the Soviet tanks was inadequate. The lighter tanks then in general service, such as the Panzer II and the Czech built 38(t), were under-armoured and did not mount an adequate gun to deal with the newer Soviet tanks.
In addition, the standard towed anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht, the 37mm Pak 36, was both difficult to get into position quickly and lacked the ability to penetrate the heavy sloped armour of the new Soviet tanks. What was needed was a more powerful anti-tank gun that was mobile.
The Germans possessed such a gun in the 75mm PaK 40. They also had come into possession of a large number of captured Soviet 76 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field guns. The Germans had experience in taking the chassis of an under-gunned tank to provide mobility to a heavier gun.
The Panzerjäger I is such an example, where the turret was removed for an open conversion to allow the gunners the necessary room to operate the gun.
With the shock of having units overrun by new Soviet T-34s and KV-1s, the need for a heavier-gunned German tank became urgent. As an interim solution, it was decided to use captured French vehicles such as the Lorraine, and less effective Wehrmacht tanks such as the Panzer II and 38(t) as the basis for makeshift tank destroyers.
The result was the Marder series, comprising the Marder I, Marder II, and Marder III respectively. These vehicles provided mobility to either the captured Soviet 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) gun or in later versions the German 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. Due to the weight and space constraints of the small chassis, the Marder series were not fully armored.
Thin upper armor protection was provided only for the front and sides against shrapnel and small arms only. All Marder series had open tops. Some were issued with canvas covers to protect the crew from the elements. The Marder series were not a proper Panzerjäger that could exchange fire with enemy tanks.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1942–1944
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designed: 1942
No. built: 170
Mass: 8,200 kg (18,078 lb)
Length: 5.38 m (17 ft 8 in)
Width: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Height: 2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Crew: 4 to 5
Armor: 5–12 mm
Main armament: 7.5 cm PaK 40
Engine: Delahaye 103TT of 70 PS (69 hp, 51.5 kW)
Power/weight: 8.4 hp (6.3 kW) / tonne
Operational range: 135–150 km (84–93 mi) road
Maximum speed: 34–38 km/h (21–23 mph) road, 15–20 km/h (9–12 mph) off-road
The Marder I "Marten" (Sd.Kfz. 135) was a German World War II tank destroyer, armed with a 75 mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun. Most Marder Is were built on the base of the Tracteur Blindé 37L (Lorraine), a French artillery tractor/armoured personnel carrier of which the Germans had acquired more than three hundred after the Fall of France in 1940.
From the early stages of Operation Barbarossa the Wehrmacht became aware that their ability to combat some of the Soviet tanks was inadequate. The lighter tanks then in general service, such as the Panzer II and the Czech built 38(t), were under-armoured and did not mount an adequate gun to deal with the newer Soviet tanks.
In addition, the standard towed anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht, the 37mm Pak 36, was both difficult to get into position quickly and lacked the ability to penetrate the heavy sloped armour of the new Soviet tanks. What was needed was a more powerful anti-tank gun that was mobile.
The Germans possessed such a gun in the 75mm PaK 40. They also had come into possession of a large number of captured Soviet 76 mm F-22 Model 1936 divisional field guns. The Germans had experience in taking the chassis of an under-gunned tank to provide mobility to a heavier gun.
The Panzerjäger I is such an example, where the turret was removed for an open conversion to allow the gunners the necessary room to operate the gun.
With the shock of having units overrun by new Soviet T-34s and KV-1s, the need for a heavier-gunned German tank became urgent. As an interim solution, it was decided to use captured French vehicles such as the Lorraine, and less effective Wehrmacht tanks such as the Panzer II and 38(t) as the basis for makeshift tank destroyers.
The result was the Marder series, comprising the Marder I, Marder II, and Marder III respectively. These vehicles provided mobility to either the captured Soviet 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) gun or in later versions the German 75 mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. Due to the weight and space constraints of the small chassis, the Marder series were not fully armored.
Thin upper armor protection was provided only for the front and sides against shrapnel and small arms only. All Marder series had open tops. Some were issued with canvas covers to protect the crew from the elements. The Marder series were not a proper Panzerjäger that could exchange fire with enemy tanks.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1942–1944
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designed: 1942
No. built: 170
Mass: 8,200 kg (18,078 lb)
Length: 5.38 m (17 ft 8 in)
Width: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Height: 2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Crew: 4 to 5
Armor: 5–12 mm
Main armament: 7.5 cm PaK 40
Engine: Delahaye 103TT of 70 PS (69 hp, 51.5 kW)
Power/weight: 8.4 hp (6.3 kW) / tonne
Operational range: 135–150 km (84–93 mi) road
Maximum speed: 34–38 km/h (21–23 mph) road, 15–20 km/h (9–12 mph) off-road
THE KIT:
RPM is an old prolific model company based in Warsaw, Poland.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Sd.Kfz. 135 on a grassy plane running over some barbed-wire. There are columns of black smoke in the background.
The tank is in a wave pattern of earth-yellow and panzer-grey, with a German cross and a white tactical symbol on its side.
One side panel of the box begins with a small color repeat of the box art, followed by: Model kit suitable for ages 8 to adult. Contains decals and instructions for assembly. Paint and cement not included. In German, English and Polish.
RPM is an old prolific model company based in Warsaw, Poland.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Sd.Kfz. 135 on a grassy plane running over some barbed-wire. There are columns of black smoke in the background.
The tank is in a wave pattern of earth-yellow and panzer-grey, with a German cross and a white tactical symbol on its side.
One side panel of the box begins with a small color repeat of the box art, followed by: Model kit suitable for ages 8 to adult. Contains decals and instructions for assembly. Paint and cement not included. In German, English and Polish.
Copyright of the kit is 2001 and RPM’s street address in Warsaw, Poland is supplied. Kit was made in Poland.
The other side panel has 2 color side-views of the Sd.Kfz. 135. One is a repeat of the box art scheme and the second one is in blotch pattern of dark-green over a base of earth-yellow. It has a German cross on its side.
The other side panel has 2 color side-views of the Sd.Kfz. 135. One is a repeat of the box art scheme and the second one is in blotch pattern of dark-green over a base of earth-yellow. It has a German cross on its side.
This is followed by a color illustration of the decal sheet in the kit. However, the swastika on it has been deleted to make the insignia politically correct in countries where the kit is sold and the swastika is outlawed.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 2 cream-colored trees, 5 chalk-white trees, a pale-grey tree, 1 medium-grey trees, a brass PE fret and the decal sheet. Parts are not cello bagged or alphabetized.
There are 2 instruction sheets.
One is folded in the center to create 4 pages in 6 ½” x 9 ½” page format, folded again to fit the box.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, next to the history of the Sd.Kpz. 135 and its specifications in Polish.
Below this the page has illustrations of two of the parts trees and RPM’s street address and telephone number in Warsaw, Poland.
Page 2 begins with 2 more illustrations of parts trees.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a grand total of 26 assembly steps.
The second instructions is a single-sheet, printed on both sides in the same page size as the main instructions.
It gives assembly instructions for using the brass PE parts in 17 assembly steps.
There are 2 identical cream-colored trees. They hold: road wheels, bogies, leaf strings, side panels etc. (68 parts each)
There are 5 identical chalk-white trees. They hold the track links (64 parts each)
The pale-grey tree holds: the floor, nose, sides, engine air intake upper panel, muffler cover etc. (some of these parts are for another version of this tank done by RPM, so are excess) (30 parts)
The kit holds 2 cream-colored trees, 5 chalk-white trees, a pale-grey tree, 1 medium-grey trees, a brass PE fret and the decal sheet. Parts are not cello bagged or alphabetized.
There are 2 instruction sheets.
One is folded in the center to create 4 pages in 6 ½” x 9 ½” page format, folded again to fit the box.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, next to the history of the Sd.Kpz. 135 and its specifications in Polish.
Below this the page has illustrations of two of the parts trees and RPM’s street address and telephone number in Warsaw, Poland.
Page 2 begins with 2 more illustrations of parts trees.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a grand total of 26 assembly steps.
The second instructions is a single-sheet, printed on both sides in the same page size as the main instructions.
It gives assembly instructions for using the brass PE parts in 17 assembly steps.
There are 2 identical cream-colored trees. They hold: road wheels, bogies, leaf strings, side panels etc. (68 parts each)
There are 5 identical chalk-white trees. They hold the track links (64 parts each)
The pale-grey tree holds: the floor, nose, sides, engine air intake upper panel, muffler cover etc. (some of these parts are for another version of this tank done by RPM, so are excess) (30 parts)
There are 2 sets of cream colored trees that hold the road wheels, bogies side plate suspension,etc. (79 parts)
The medium-grey tree holds: the roof panels, radio, main gun breech etc. (25 parts)
The brass PE fret holds many small parts. The parts are a variety of straps, buckles, hand holds. etc.
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents. It holds a large German flag, that was usually draped over the top of a tank for identification by Luftwaffe aircraft and 2 styles of German crosses.
There are no crew figures included in the kit or clear parts.
The individual tread links are tiny with 64 parts per tree and with no less than 5 attachment points to the trees on each link. Wow! What a clean-up job that will be!
The individual tread links are tiny with 64 parts per tree and with no less than 5 attachment points to the trees on each link. Wow! What a clean-up job that will be!
Detail is very good.
Recommended.