In Box Review of Trumpeter 1/35th Scale
German Geschützwagen IVB fur 10.5cm Ie F.H. 18/1 (Sf)
(Sd.Kfz. 165/1)
Kit no. 00374
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2008
Available at Kit Linx for $39.99 or at Hobbylinc for $41.89 or at 1001 Hobbies for $42.99 and at 3 locations overseas on the web.
I got this kit as a gift from Mike Benolkin, owner of Cybermodeler site, when I was on the staff years ago.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2008
Available at Kit Linx for $39.99 or at Hobbylinc for $41.89 or at 1001 Hobbies for $42.99 and at 3 locations overseas on the web.
I got this kit as a gift from Mike Benolkin, owner of Cybermodeler site, when I was on the staff years ago.
HISTORY:
The 10.5 cm leFH 18/1 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen IVb.
The large German engineering company Krupp had been involved in designing and manufacturing ammunition, artillery, armored fighting vehicles and weapons for the German Army for many years. They had received their first order to build 135 Panzer I tanks in 1933.
In 1939, they turned their attention to the problem of how to mount a large artillery gun on a tank chassis. Their solution was to fix a 10.5cm LeFH 18/1 artillery light field howitzer on top of a shortened Panzer IV tank chassis in an open-topped turret. It was given the official designation 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf Geschutzwagen IVb.
The chassis had only six road wheels rather than the normal eight. The six wheels were 570mm diameter instead of the normal 470mm diameter road wheels. It also only had three not four top track rollers. Krupp presented their design to the military on 14th September 1939.
The turret could not fully traverse 360 degrees. It could only traverse 70 degrees: 35 degrees to the left and 35 degrees to the right. It was not a tank, even though it may resemble one at first glance.
Two test vehicles were built. They were given the internal factory designations of V1 and V2 (nothing to do with the later flying bomb and rocket). The letter ‘V’ was an abbreviation for the German word ‘Versuchs’ which translated means trail or prototype.
The German Army liked what they saw and put an order in for 10 more to be built in the autumn of 1941.
The first one was completed at the Krupp-Gruson Werke factory in August 1941, three more in September, four in October, one in November and one in December 1941. The 10 vehicles were accepted into the army in January 1942.
The first two test vehicles V1 and V2 were powered by a Maybach HL66P engine that produced 188 hp. The next ten SPGs were given a more powerful engine, a Maybach HL90 P20k 12-cylinder engine that produced 320 hp.
Their chassis numbers ranged from 150631 to 150640. They were given the official designation of 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen IVb (Sd.Kfz.165/1). This was shortened to 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb or Pz.Sfl.IVb.
The turret armor was not thick. It ranged from 14.5 to 30 mm (0.57-1.18 in). It provided the gun crew protection from small arms fire, high explosive shell fragments and mortars. The open top reduced weight and allowed the commander all round vision.
In bad weather, a tarpaulin was fixed over the top of the open turret. It was also used in very hot weather. When not in use, it was rolled up on top of the rear turret storage box.
The Panzer IV hull mounted machine gun was removed to free up more storage space. This vehicle was not designed to be an assault gun or anti-tank gun. It was to provide mobile artillery support that could keep up with the attacking Panzer Divisions.
It was not envisaged to be fighting on the front line. It could fire high explosive shells over long distances onto enemy targets it was given via a grid reference by forward observation units. If Soviet infantry got too close they could use their personal weapons or retreat as fast as they could to a safer location.
The gun was issued with a few armor piercing AP rounds for self-defense if they were surprised by Soviet tanks. They only worked at close range and were ineffective against the front armor of the more heavily armored T-34 and KV-1 tanks.
The commander sat at the rear of the turret on the left side behind the gunner. He had access to a range finding periscope mounted to the side of the vehicle. The gunner’s gun sight poked out above the top of the forward gun shield and armor casement. The loader sat on the right side of the vehicle.
Spare road wheels were often fixed to the rear engine deck. The vehicle was fitted with six enlarged 520 diameter road wheels on both sides to cope with the extra weight, not the normal Panzer IV tank’s eight pairs of 470 mm diameter road wheels per side.
In the case of damage to the wheels, they could be changed by the crew. A square jacking block was affixed to the right side of the hull just under the rear of the turret. The jack was kept on the rear track guard at the back near to it. Metal tow cables were stored around the outer turret armour plates.
Spare track links were fixed to the rear storage box at the back of the turret. A mock driver’s armoured vision slit replaced the hull machine gun on the right side of the front upper hull in an effort to confuse enemy gunners. The driver sat on the left of the SPG.
During 1942, the ten prototypes underwent trials on the German Army’s eastern test range with the Feld-Versuchs Batterie (field test battery), 16th Panzer Artillery Regiment, 12th Panzer Division. These were successful. An order for a further 200 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb SPGs was placed.
They were going to be built at the Stahlindustrie in Mulheim-Ruhr. The problem was building enough Panzer IV tank chassis to be converted into artillery self-propelled guns. More Panzer IV tanks were urgently required to deal with the Soviet Army’s new T-34 and KV-1 tanks.
In the meantime, the engineers realized that they could mount the same 10.5cm artillery gun on the now obsolete Panzer II tank chassis. This new SPG was later known as the Wespe. No more 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb self-propelled artillery guns were built. The order for the additional 200 was canceled in November 1942.
The 10.5 cm leFH 18 gun was a German light howitzer used in World War II. The abbreviation leFH stands for the German words ‘leichte FeldHaubitze’ which, translated, means light field howitzer. It was fitted with a ‘Mundung Bremse’ muzzle brake to allow longer range charges to be fired and reduce the amount of recoil on the gun. This increased the operational life of the gun barrel.
The 105 mm (4.13 in) high explosive HE shell weighed 14.81 kg (32.7 lb). The armor piercing shell weighed 14.25 kg (31.4lb). It had a muzzle velocity of 470 m/s (1,542 ft/s) and a maximum firing range of 10,675 m (11,675 yds). With a good gun crew, it had a rate of fire between 4-6 rounds per minute.
The 10.5cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18 gun was not very useful in the direct-fire mode against enemy armored vehicles. It could only penetrate 52 mm (2 in) of armor plate at a very short range of 500 meters.
The high explosive shell was in two pieces. It was a ‘separate loading’ or two part round. First, the high explosive HE projectile would be loaded and then the cartridge propellant case. Depending on the range of the target different sized bags of propellant were inserted into the cartridge. More bags were used for longer range targets.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.9 m x 2.87 m x 2.25 m, 19ft 4in x 9ft 5in x 7ft 5in
Total weight, battle ready: 18 tonnes (19.84 tons)
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
Prototype Engine: Maybach HL 66 P 6-cylinder inline water cooled 6.6 litre gasoline/petrol engine, 188 hp
Production Engine: Maybach HL 90 P20k 12-cylinder water cooled gasoline/petrol engine, 320 hp
Top road speed: 35 km/h (22 mph)
Operational range on road: 240 km (149 miles)
Operational range off-road: 130 km (81 miles)
Main armament: 10.5 cm leFH 18/1 L/28 howitzer, 60 rounds
Front hull armor: 12–30 mm (0.47-1.18 in)
Side and rear hull armor: 14.5 mm (0.57 in)
Front turret armor : 20–30 mm (0.79-1.18 in)
Side and rear turret armor: 14.5 mm (0.57 in)
Total production: 10+2 prototypes
The 10.5 cm leFH 18/1 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen IVb.
The large German engineering company Krupp had been involved in designing and manufacturing ammunition, artillery, armored fighting vehicles and weapons for the German Army for many years. They had received their first order to build 135 Panzer I tanks in 1933.
In 1939, they turned their attention to the problem of how to mount a large artillery gun on a tank chassis. Their solution was to fix a 10.5cm LeFH 18/1 artillery light field howitzer on top of a shortened Panzer IV tank chassis in an open-topped turret. It was given the official designation 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf Geschutzwagen IVb.
The chassis had only six road wheels rather than the normal eight. The six wheels were 570mm diameter instead of the normal 470mm diameter road wheels. It also only had three not four top track rollers. Krupp presented their design to the military on 14th September 1939.
The turret could not fully traverse 360 degrees. It could only traverse 70 degrees: 35 degrees to the left and 35 degrees to the right. It was not a tank, even though it may resemble one at first glance.
Two test vehicles were built. They were given the internal factory designations of V1 and V2 (nothing to do with the later flying bomb and rocket). The letter ‘V’ was an abbreviation for the German word ‘Versuchs’ which translated means trail or prototype.
The German Army liked what they saw and put an order in for 10 more to be built in the autumn of 1941.
The first one was completed at the Krupp-Gruson Werke factory in August 1941, three more in September, four in October, one in November and one in December 1941. The 10 vehicles were accepted into the army in January 1942.
The first two test vehicles V1 and V2 were powered by a Maybach HL66P engine that produced 188 hp. The next ten SPGs were given a more powerful engine, a Maybach HL90 P20k 12-cylinder engine that produced 320 hp.
Their chassis numbers ranged from 150631 to 150640. They were given the official designation of 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen IVb (Sd.Kfz.165/1). This was shortened to 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb or Pz.Sfl.IVb.
The turret armor was not thick. It ranged from 14.5 to 30 mm (0.57-1.18 in). It provided the gun crew protection from small arms fire, high explosive shell fragments and mortars. The open top reduced weight and allowed the commander all round vision.
In bad weather, a tarpaulin was fixed over the top of the open turret. It was also used in very hot weather. When not in use, it was rolled up on top of the rear turret storage box.
The Panzer IV hull mounted machine gun was removed to free up more storage space. This vehicle was not designed to be an assault gun or anti-tank gun. It was to provide mobile artillery support that could keep up with the attacking Panzer Divisions.
It was not envisaged to be fighting on the front line. It could fire high explosive shells over long distances onto enemy targets it was given via a grid reference by forward observation units. If Soviet infantry got too close they could use their personal weapons or retreat as fast as they could to a safer location.
The gun was issued with a few armor piercing AP rounds for self-defense if they were surprised by Soviet tanks. They only worked at close range and were ineffective against the front armor of the more heavily armored T-34 and KV-1 tanks.
The commander sat at the rear of the turret on the left side behind the gunner. He had access to a range finding periscope mounted to the side of the vehicle. The gunner’s gun sight poked out above the top of the forward gun shield and armor casement. The loader sat on the right side of the vehicle.
Spare road wheels were often fixed to the rear engine deck. The vehicle was fitted with six enlarged 520 diameter road wheels on both sides to cope with the extra weight, not the normal Panzer IV tank’s eight pairs of 470 mm diameter road wheels per side.
In the case of damage to the wheels, they could be changed by the crew. A square jacking block was affixed to the right side of the hull just under the rear of the turret. The jack was kept on the rear track guard at the back near to it. Metal tow cables were stored around the outer turret armour plates.
Spare track links were fixed to the rear storage box at the back of the turret. A mock driver’s armoured vision slit replaced the hull machine gun on the right side of the front upper hull in an effort to confuse enemy gunners. The driver sat on the left of the SPG.
During 1942, the ten prototypes underwent trials on the German Army’s eastern test range with the Feld-Versuchs Batterie (field test battery), 16th Panzer Artillery Regiment, 12th Panzer Division. These were successful. An order for a further 200 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb SPGs was placed.
They were going to be built at the Stahlindustrie in Mulheim-Ruhr. The problem was building enough Panzer IV tank chassis to be converted into artillery self-propelled guns. More Panzer IV tanks were urgently required to deal with the Soviet Army’s new T-34 and KV-1 tanks.
In the meantime, the engineers realized that they could mount the same 10.5cm artillery gun on the now obsolete Panzer II tank chassis. This new SPG was later known as the Wespe. No more 10.5cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb self-propelled artillery guns were built. The order for the additional 200 was canceled in November 1942.
The 10.5 cm leFH 18 gun was a German light howitzer used in World War II. The abbreviation leFH stands for the German words ‘leichte FeldHaubitze’ which, translated, means light field howitzer. It was fitted with a ‘Mundung Bremse’ muzzle brake to allow longer range charges to be fired and reduce the amount of recoil on the gun. This increased the operational life of the gun barrel.
The 105 mm (4.13 in) high explosive HE shell weighed 14.81 kg (32.7 lb). The armor piercing shell weighed 14.25 kg (31.4lb). It had a muzzle velocity of 470 m/s (1,542 ft/s) and a maximum firing range of 10,675 m (11,675 yds). With a good gun crew, it had a rate of fire between 4-6 rounds per minute.
The 10.5cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18 gun was not very useful in the direct-fire mode against enemy armored vehicles. It could only penetrate 52 mm (2 in) of armor plate at a very short range of 500 meters.
The high explosive shell was in two pieces. It was a ‘separate loading’ or two part round. First, the high explosive HE projectile would be loaded and then the cartridge propellant case. Depending on the range of the target different sized bags of propellant were inserted into the cartridge. More bags were used for longer range targets.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.9 m x 2.87 m x 2.25 m, 19ft 4in x 9ft 5in x 7ft 5in
Total weight, battle ready: 18 tonnes (19.84 tons)
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
Prototype Engine: Maybach HL 66 P 6-cylinder inline water cooled 6.6 litre gasoline/petrol engine, 188 hp
Production Engine: Maybach HL 90 P20k 12-cylinder water cooled gasoline/petrol engine, 320 hp
Top road speed: 35 km/h (22 mph)
Operational range on road: 240 km (149 miles)
Operational range off-road: 130 km (81 miles)
Main armament: 10.5 cm leFH 18/1 L/28 howitzer, 60 rounds
Front hull armor: 12–30 mm (0.47-1.18 in)
Side and rear hull armor: 14.5 mm (0.57 in)
Front turret armor : 20–30 mm (0.79-1.18 in)
Side and rear turret armor: 14.5 mm (0.57 in)
Total production: 10+2 prototypes
THE KIT:
Trumpeter is an old prolific model company based in Macau, China. They manufacture all manner of plastic 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 Geschutzwagen IV b that is emerging shore after crossing a river. It is over-all Panzer-grey. Two crewmen are standing and looking out of the top of it. Both wear black Panzer uniforms and side caps. The tank shows no markings.
Off to the side there is a German Kubelwagen with 3 men. The driver is still seated at the steering wheel. An officer is standing beside it and a soldier in the front passenger seat is standing and taking pictures of the Geschutzwagen with a movie camera.
These 3 men all wear grey uniforms. The man standing beside the Kubelwagen is an officer. He wears a leather overcoat and officer’s billed hat.
One corner of the box art says: Scale model for adult collectors.Warning! Not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts. Contains parts for one model. Actual model may vary from image on box, in English and Chinese.
One side panel of the box says: Made in China. Over the kit’s copyright date of 2008, over Wa San Development (Macau) Limited’s street address and Trumpeter’s web address. Followed by 6 color photos of the model made up in the box art scheme. For ages 14 and above. With a one-paragraph history of the tank in English.
Trumpeter is an old prolific model company based in Macau, China. They manufacture all manner of plastic 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 Geschutzwagen IV b that is emerging shore after crossing a river. It is over-all Panzer-grey. Two crewmen are standing and looking out of the top of it. Both wear black Panzer uniforms and side caps. The tank shows no markings.
Off to the side there is a German Kubelwagen with 3 men. The driver is still seated at the steering wheel. An officer is standing beside it and a soldier in the front passenger seat is standing and taking pictures of the Geschutzwagen with a movie camera.
These 3 men all wear grey uniforms. The man standing beside the Kubelwagen is an officer. He wears a leather overcoat and officer’s billed hat.
One corner of the box art says: Scale model for adult collectors.Warning! Not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts. Contains parts for one model. Actual model may vary from image on box, in English and Chinese.
One side panel of the box says: Made in China. Over the kit’s copyright date of 2008, over Wa San Development (Macau) Limited’s street address and Trumpeter’s web address. Followed by 6 color photos of the model made up in the box art scheme. For ages 14 and above. With a one-paragraph history of the tank in English.
The other side panel of the box shows a side and front view color illustration of the tank in the box art scheme. Followed by an illustration of the brass PE fret in the kit and a paragraph all in Chinese.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 15 medium-grey parts trees, a loose medium-grey hull tub part and a brass PE fret.
Only the brass PE fret is cello-bagged.
Trees are alphabetized.
There are 3 identical medium-grey letter A trees. They hold road wheels, drive sprockets, axles, final transfer covers, road wheel caps etc. (59 parts ea.)
The kit holds 15 medium-grey parts trees, a loose medium-grey hull tub part and a brass PE fret.
Only the brass PE fret is cello-bagged.
Trees are alphabetized.
There are 3 identical medium-grey letter A trees. They hold road wheels, drive sprockets, axles, final transfer covers, road wheel caps etc. (59 parts ea.)
Medium-grey letter B tree holds the drive sprocket, idler wheels, ammo bins etc. (24 parts).
Medium-grey letter C tree holds: gun support frame side walls, gun cradle parts, tubes etc. (60 parts)
Medium-grey letter D tree holds:main gun round base plates etc. (19 parts) final transfer covers, fenders, turret parts etc. (25 parts)
Medium-grey letter E tree holds: interior parts, main gun barrel, etc. (48 parts)
Lettering then jumps to M, N and P trees co-joined together which hold the on board vehicle tools (60 parts).
Medium-grey tree K is 6 trees of track links 32 links per tree for a total of 192 track links.
The parts of the medium-grey upper and lower hull are next.
The one piece turret.
The final parts is the brass PE fret and a small printed card with instrument faces on it. I don’t know if this is a decal or you glue the images onto the dashboard ?
The brass PE fret holds air intake screens etc. (11 parts)
There is also wire for the tow rope included in the kit.
The brass PE fret holds air intake screens etc. (11 parts)
There is also wire for the tow rope included in the kit.
There is a cardboard wall at the end of the tray. These create 2 sections.
One holds the PE fret and hull tub part. The other one holds all the other trees..
One holds the PE fret and hull tub part. The other one holds all the other trees..
There are no crew figures included.
The kit includes many interior details.
Detail is excellent.
This kit is for advanced modelers because of the large amount of parts and its complexity. It is not for the beginner or novice modeler and not a weekend project for sure.
Highly recommended.
The kit includes many interior details.
Detail is excellent.
This kit is for advanced modelers because of the large amount of parts and its complexity. It is not for the beginner or novice modeler and not a weekend project for sure.
Highly recommended.