Scale Plastic & Rail

Tristar 043 1/35 scale 222

Tristar 043 1/35 scale German  Leichter Panzerspahwagen (2cm) Mid Version

By Michael McLaughlin

 

Introduction:

This is an in-box review, so I can’t comment on the fit of parts or instruction errors. Having said that such issues are highly unlikely with a Tristar kit which are renowned for their superb engineering and instructions. Tristar may be a less well known name than Dragon or Tamiya, but every one of their kits that I have bought and/or built has been superb usually better quality than the better known brands. Tristar go their own way when it comes to kit production, using all the technologies available to produce the best results, sometimes  using ‘old school’ techniques such as making up the hulls on their 38(t) kits from flat plates rather than a slide moulded tub. Their models are usually regarded as the benchmark in accuracy and give me the strong impression that they are designed by modellers.

For the sake of brevity I will refer to this model as the 222 as the full title is rather ungainly.

This is not the first time a 222 has been offered in plastic, Tamiya has previously released a model of the same vehicle.  However that kit is now very old and had a confused mixture of features.

I can foresee a lot of internet chatter about this kit and there will be people who say it is ‘wrong’ in some detail or other. The kit is titled mid version, the designations early, mid and late are terms used by modellers, not by the factories that produced the vehicles or indeed the users of the vehicles. The history given in the instructions divides production into early and late versions. I think you can see where there will be controversy already.

Let’s look at the historical facts; these vehicles were produced by four manufacturers and there were seven production variants. Looking at other German vehicles such as the Panther, when more than one factory produced a vehicle there would be features on the vehicle that were unique to each factory.

This kit appears to be modelled on the restored example in the renowned Littlefield collection and it matches, down to the tyre tread pattern the scale plans published in Panzer Tracts No.13 Panzerspaewagen by Jentz and Doyle. It would be a brave or foolish person who would doubt those credentials. The kit, in my opinion depicts a vehicle produced from 1942 as it features the short range radio and other features introduced in that year.

I was very fortunate to be asked to review this kit for this site, I would like to thank Jim and Hobbylink Japan for the review sample.

 

History:

The 222 was  issued to the armoured car squadrons of the reconnaissance battalions, each armoured car company could have twelve 222s after November 1941 (previously it had been four). It was used to provide covering fire and to engage enemy reconnaissance vehicles the 2cm gun could also be used to engage aircraft. There were four manufacturers who produced this vehicle in seven series, (this will be relevant later in the review) with a total of more than 990 being produced before the end of production. Production started in 1936 and ceased in June 1943. The 222 served on all fronts up to the end of WWII

 

The Kit:

It is some time since I built a new Tristar kit, recently I have been building Dragon and Bronco kits. The first thing to strike me was the box with beautiful artwork on the glossy black box. It is the sort of packaging that implies quality. On the box top it states “Special thanks for Mr. Thomas Jentz”, this is a name that would make be buy this kit without looking inside the box. To aficionados of German armour Thomas Jentz needs no introduction, in my opinion, he is the most authoritive expert on the subject, having written with Hilary Doyle, the Panzer Tracts series of books among others.

Upon opening the box I was immediately struck by the size of the sprues which are an ideal size to have on the workbench, the largest measures 16cm (6.25 inches) by 25cm (9.75 inches). If you are accustomed to Dragon’s sprues, these are roughly half that size. The  parts on the sprues are well spaced out and makes finding each part so much easier.

There are eight sprues, one of which is clear parts, another has just two parts the lower and upper hull, two etched brass frets, metal springs for the suspension and surprisingly vinyl tyres, more of which later. There is also a deceptively small but thoroughly comprehensive decal sheet which even includes the instrument faces and tyre pressure markings!

The instructions give a clear concise history, and a parts map. The instructions are clear and follow a logical sequence

The instructions end with three colour schemes: A grey GrossDeutschland vehicle in Orel USSR 1942, a grey base with dark yellow camouflage 20^th Panzer Division vehicle USSR 1943 and best of all, for me, a grey Bulgarian 222 in Hungary 1945! I would have difficulty deciding between the last two schemes, both are unusual and very appealing.

Having examined the parts and the instructions, I’m impressed by Tristar’s quality and attention to detail. The moulding is excellent, with no sign of flash or misaligned moulds and lots of little touches that catch the eye such as the hollow muzzlebrake and exquisite weld beads.

 

 

The Chassis and Running Gear:

The ladder type chassis is made up of separate sides and cross pieces to ensure everything sits true and square. Everything that you would expect to see is present and correct, even the four wheel steering mechanism, which is something to behold, appears to be workable! It is finished off with vinyl tyres on the wheels which I initially found puzzling, when most other manufacturers have abandoned them, going instead for injection moulded tyres. I had a look through my references and found that in most contemporary photos the tyres do not bulge under the weight of the vehicle even on a hard surface and in others they do. Have Tristar cleverly given us the option of portraying either? I suspect that they have, to make the tyres bulge all the modeller has to do is conceal some weights inside the model. The  tread pattern exactly matches not only the tread pattern in the plans in Panzer Tracts No.13 Panzerspaewagen by Jentz and Doyle but also contemporary photos. There were many different tyre patterns and I’m sure that aftermarket alternatives will be forthcoming.

The chassis and running gear will build into a stunning little model in it’s own right, already I am thinking of a workshop scenario with the upper hull removed......................

 

 

Lower Hull and Interior:

Yet again Tristar’s thoughtful approach earns maximum points from me. The lower hull is a one piece moulding, with a post onto which the completed gun assembly will sit, with a separate interior floor on to which the driver’s position is built up with levers pedals battery etc. This just makes painting so much easier for the modeller. All the interior fittings appear to present, including the flare gun holster, I think this is the first time I have seen it in a kit interior!  The driver’s seat even has the distinctive springs on the seat back, very impressive, indeed. All the doors and visors can be modelled open or closed with the mechanisms faithfully reproduced. There is no engine in this kit, but that wouldn’t put me off buying this kit. The external stowage, spare wheel in it’s cover and mudguards with the tool stowage are assembled and attached separately, again making painting easier.

I would recommend a visit to David Byrden’s excellent site: http://byrden.com/panzers/Colours/index.html for interior colours.

 

The Armament:

The 2cm Kw.K.38 main gun with MG34 machine gun and the associated items such as the mount, mechanism and gunner’s seat are beautifully rendered. The 2cm muzzle-brake is hollow with the holes and slots moulded in place, the MG34 has a separate upper receiver so that it can be depicted open for loading, cleaning maintenance etc. or closed .  There are ven the bags to collect empty cartridge cases under the weapons.

On a point of procedural accuracy the German army had a strictly enforced regulation that weapons were to be kept unloaded unless in contact with the enemy, Tristar again cater for this as both weapons can be depicted loaded or unloaded. Yet again this subassembly could sit on it’s own as a completed model.

 

The Upper Hull and Exterior:

In contrast to the busy and cluttered interior the exterior of the upper hull looks authentically bare, capturing the look of the real vehicle. This is accentuated by the exquisitely rendered weld beads. If you get a chance to look at one of these kits have a look at the weld beads under a magnifying glass and you will see what I mean. All the engine access hatches are separate and maybe modelled open or closed.

 

The Turret:

Inside the turret is a beautifully moulded Fusprech short range, combined receiver and transmitter  radio set and commander’s seat. On the exterior, it has blanking plates over the side visor positions and a rear visor which can be posed open or closed.

I’ll freely admit that when it came to the turret I had misgivings about the grenade screens on top. They are photo etched brass, which I am happy to work with but I thought may be off-putting to modellers who have not yet or do not like to work with this material. Tristar have ingeniously designed these assemblies with injection moulded top frames to not only be accurate, but also hide any operator errors.

 

So what do we think?

Tristar has, true to form, gone it’s own way and produced an outstanding model kit this iconic German vehicle. I would class this as a build which should not be rushed, but rather savoured.

There are endless possibilities with this kit as the doors can be left open to display the interior and each subassembly is a model in it’s right just crying out for a workshop scene. The prospect of the grey Bulgarian vehicle in Hungary 1945  late war camouflaged German vehicles is also very appealing.

The acid test of any review kit for me, is the question would I have purchased it with my own hard earned cash? The answer is definitely yes and with the Bulgarian and camouflage schemes, I think I will buy another one! I look forward to building this one.

 

Overall:

My original misgivings about the vinyl tyres and etched grenade screens, proved to be groundless so it has to be 10/10

 

 

I wish to thank LuckyModel and Scale Plastic & Rail for my review sample.

 

This kit currently retails for £24.77 and the link to the item can be found HERE.