Orange Hobby SdKfz 7

As of 2021, this is a new smallscale AFV model manufacturer to me. The parts come in separate plastic bags all in a sturdy corrugated cardboard box.

The box art shows a photo of an actual assembled and painted towing tractor model, also known as a prime mover. We see three bench seats with rifle mounts and the seat backs, a storage basket on the rear deck, and ammunition storage compartment in the rear. The grab handles affixed on each side of the doors indicate an early war production. The vehicle is finished in a pre-1943 Panzer gray color but I do not see any markings like license plate or unit marking. These vehicles would commonly have white striping on the front and rear fenders to help with visibility at night. This smallscale model appears to be an accurate representation of this halftrack. The only feature that irks me is the outer roadwheels; they are molded into the inner roadwheels indicating Orange Hobby went the quick-build suspension route.
This was a common vehicle in the WW2 German army and can be seen towing the 8.8 cm Flak and the 10.5 cm sFH18 gun and 15 cm sFH18 field guns, and for carrying self-propelled light Flak. The cardboard box art describes this as the “Early Type” Sd.Kfz.7 but it is not the “initial version” which had one fewer set of roadwheels in the track section. Late war versions had a flat cargo bed in lieu of the bench seats and ammo compartment. Also offered by OH, the Sd.Kfz.7/1 was armed with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadruple anti-aircraft gun mounting, appearing with both open and armored cab.

There is no folding cover included with this kit so perhaps one can be taken from the Revell Sd.Kfz.7 prime mover model. For a conversion project, the Italian Breda 61 was a Breda-built and licensed copy of the Sd.Kfz. 7 prime mover, of which 250 were produced from 1942 to 1944.

The kit G72-206-88 box art shows a photo of the assembled and painted Sd.Kfz.7/2 Halftrack self-propelled 3.7 cm Flak 36 gun but without the enclosed Sd.Ah. 52 ammunition trailer. I had no knowledge of the included trailer until I examined the contents and instructions. This tractor kit is similar to Hasegawa’s older tractor kit, and to Revell’s tractor kit.

Based on the color contrast with the wheels, this vehicle appears to be painted in a post 1942 panzer yellow color and no camouflage pattern nor markings.

Kit Parts
Sd.Kfz.7 Halftrack Towing Tractor, kit G72-202-58 has 45 injection molded styrene plastic parts on three sprue, a small etched brass fret with 18 parts, two cast resin wheels and tires, a strip of clear plastic for the windshield and two small pins for the tow pintles. The kit track is molded into the two-piece quick build suspension. The kit parts are crisply molded with no significant flash or sinkholes. There are no crew figures.

Sd.Kfz.7/2 Halftrack SP 3.7 cm AA Gun with Ammunition Trailer, kit G72-206-88 has 77 injection molded styrene plastic parts on 5 sprue , two cast resin wheels and tires, three etched brass fret with 28 parts, a strip of clear plastic for the windshield and two small pins for the tow pintles. Crew figures are none. The 3.6 cm Flak 36 gun and mount is also sold separably by OH with a turned metal gun barrel.

Sd.Kfz.7/1 Halftrack SP 2 cm Flakvierling AA Gun with Ammunition Trailer, kit G72-205-88 is similar to kit G72-206-88 but for the different gun and has a similar number of parts. OH also sells the 2 cm Flakvierling gun as a separate kit. Comments in this review on the above two model kits should also cover this Sd.Kfz. 7/1 kit. The self-propelled 2 cm Flakvierling AA Gun is sold as a separate model kit.

These two sprue C1 and C2 are common to all three of the OH Sd.Kfz.7 smallscale models and hold the parts for the quick-build suspension, the frame & chassis and engine and driver compartments.

Sprue-E is particular to the Sd.Kfz.7 Towing Tractor, kit G72-202 and holds parts for the passenger seating and compartment. At upper right are the water slide decal markings for two towing tractors, the small etched brass fret, and two cast resin front wheels and tires. I presume OH went with cast resin for the tires as they could get good tread detail with no mold seams. Below the etched brass is the sheet of clear plastic for the windscreen. The ammunition compartment doors are molded closed unlike on the Revell Sd.Kfz. 7 model.

Sprue-A holds the parts for the 3.7 cm Flak 36 gun. The gun barrel (part A20) is plastic and not slide molded so the muzzle should be drilled out. Sprue-D has the parts for the gun bed and the fold-down sides; the fold-down sides need the mesh screen from brass Fret-B. At the lower left of Sprue-D are two different bases for the Flak gun (parts D10 and D11). Part D10 is unused for this kit and I believe is for the Flakvierling 38 mount of the Sd.Kfz.7/1 model kit.
Sprue F at bottom right holds parts for the Sd.Ah. 52 ammunition trailer. I understand the Sd.Ah. 52 ammunition trailer, minus the ammunition box, is also used to transport the light Flak guns when used as a ground mount.

Assembly Instructions

All three models come with clear, multi-step, exploded view instructions with clear parts diagrams. Assembly of the engine and driver’s area, the frame and suspension, wheels and track is the same for all three OH Sd.Kfz. 7 model kits.

The water slide decals are for an army and for an SS vehicle. The small etched brass fret is a good addition and holds parts for the windshield wipers, shift and brake levers and a tow pintle. On the parts diagram we see two small brass pins portrayed below the front wheels. After searching the instructions, I found these tiny pins in Step-2 to be part of the tow pintles. Clear styrene is included for the glass windshield (windscreen).

The 3.7 cm Flak 36 gun appears well detailed. I understand the Flak 36 and Flakvierling 38 kits are sold separately with turned brass gun barrels but the compete Sd.Kfz.7 model kits have plastic gun barrels.

These brass parts and instruction page are common to both Sd.Kfz. 7/1 kit G72-205 and Sd.Kfz. 7/2 kit G72-206. The large etched brass Fret-C at the top holds parts for the kit’s Sd.Ah.52 trailer ammunition compartment; yes the ammunition trailer compartment is of etched brass parts rather than plastic, though the trailer chassis and suspension are plastic like the Revell kit Sd.Ah.52 trailer.
The small etched Fret-A at the top is common to all three of the OH Sd.Kfz. 7 kits and holds the wipers and shift levers etc. Etched Fret-B holds the fine mesh screens for the fold-down cargo bed for Sd.Kfz. 7/1 kit G72-205 and Sd.Kfz. 7/2 kit G72-206. These kits represent the initial versions of these vehicles with the mesh screen sides. The Revell Sd.Kfz. 7/1 and Sd.Kfz. 7/2 kits represent later versions with perforated sheet metal sides. I have seen a period photo of a Sd.Kfz. 7/2 with wood sides to the bed and according to Jentz, Doyle and Friedli this was only a prototype and was never produced, but for a photo of an exception of a 3.7 cm Flak 43 gun on a Sd.Kfz. 7 wood cargo bed; perhaps a field mounting.

Water slide decals for this Sd.Kfz. 7/2 kit include one small sheet for the 3.7 cm Flak gun and another decal sheet for the halftrack. The license plates need to be completed by cutting out five or six separate small numbers and aligning them straight on the small white license plate decal… good luck. Three license plates per vehicle.

The Orange Hobby Sd.Kfz. 7 kits are a puzzle to me. They appear to be well detailed, well molded smallscale display model kits, yet they went with a simplified quick-build suspension typical of a wargaming kit. I suspect a Revell track and wheels can be substituted.

References

Panzer Tracts No.22-4, Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t (Sd.Kfz.7), Jentz, Doyle and Friedli, (2013)
https://henk.fox3000.com/orangehobby.htm
Panzer Tracts No.22-5, Gepanzerter 8t Zugkraftwagen & Sfl. Flak (Sd.Kfz.7), Jentz, Doyle and Friedli, (2014)
German Medium Half-Tracked Prime Movers 1934-1945, Reinhard Frank, Schiffer Military History (1997)

Back to Orange Hobby Kit List
Article Last Updated: 05 May 2021	Back to Home Page