| GB Modelli (also known as Briga, after the owner) is continuously expanding its range, and judging from the few kits I have seen, this can only be applauded. This kit represents an interesting variant of the German Sd.Kfz.8 (12 ton) half track and, as far as I know, the Sd.Kfz.8 has only been released before by Art-Toys, with or without the 88mm Flak. Sources vary a little, but it seems that a total of about 10 to 25 of these bunker-busters were built from 1938, all of them on the DB 9 subvariant. For those who are interested, the DB 9 was externally similar to the DB 8, and can best be distinguished from the DB 10 by its front wheels. Those of the DB 8 and DB 9 were spoked, those of the DB 10 were solid. This variant saw action with Pz.Jäg.Abt.8 in Poland, Belgium, France and Russia and disappeared from the inventory by March 1943, which means you will be hard pressed to find them in any other colors than Panzer Grey, possible complemented with some Dark Brown.
This resin kit comes in a plastic bag, with a manual, but without decals or painting instructions. The manual is hand-drawn, of the "exploded" type and sufficiently clear, especially as it is complemented by pictures of the completed model (not shown below, but also found on GBModelli's website, as well as pictures of the original vehicle).
The part count is relatively high.
The lay-out of the interleaved road-wheels is done in the way that
has become the standard over the last few years: a single piece for
the rear row, to ensure alignment, and separate outer wheels for better
detail. The tracks are made of two pieces per side, which will have
to be fitted like a clam-shell around the running gear. On top of the lower hull comes the central part of the body. This is mainly a flat plate with an anti-slip pattern, the cab area and the fenders. I've built the odd resin kit in my life, and regularly uttered many an expletive when major parts were warped. I am happy to say that this is not the case here. The front of the vehicle centers around two parts: a solid engine compartment and a hollow driver's compartment, to which are added the nose shield and the details for the crew compartment. The latter is sufficiently detailed, given the confines of the place. The gun is a completely separate assembly
(which means you might use it for another project) and leaves little
to the imagination. Detail is abundant and the gun barrel hollowed
out. My barrel was slightly warped, however. The gun shield is thin
and well detailed, but my example suffers from three air bubbles which
will need subtle rectification. Gun racks are provided for the rear
of the vehicle.
References Thanks to Georgio Briga (GB Modelli) for the review sample. Briga
(GB Modelli) products are available at
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
