ALL-NEW KETTENKRAFTRAD!
Tamiya has seemingly nailed it again with its freshly-tooled 1/35 Sd.Kfz.2.
CHRIS CLIFFORD explores the kit’s contents.
It’s been 20 years or so since Dragon released its Sd.Kfz.2 in this scale, but although well detailed, its fiddly track links frustrated many. And Tamiya’s first Kettenkraftrad appeared in 1973… so we are certainly long overdue this iteration. Immediately on seeing the box art, it’s obvious the company is paying homage to its first release, as the figure poses are similar.
This brand-new tooling (35377) portrays the Mid-Production version of the Kettenkraftrad (or Kettenkrad for short), which has the round taillight base and rear seat armplates. Five tan-coloured runners are provided, two being exactly the same, along with photo-etched (PE) metal engine cover screens and a decal for the instrument dials. Tamiya must be commended for cramming an impressive amount of detail on such a small subject, and if the firm’s usual engineering and fit are anything to go by, this will build easily too.
Above: Here’s the bare passenger seat part, with neatly moulded rear grilles.
Above: Taillight parts centre and left, and the driver’s instrument grouping, for which a dial decal is provided.
Initial constructions focuses on the floor and body, and a clever inclusion is that of a jig to help bend the PE engine cover mesh parts. Tamiya’s legendary crisp moulding is evident from the start, and truly stands out when you come to the engine and its accoutrements ̶ a beautifully rendered unit, which simply drops into the body and can be viewed by posing the hatch open if desired.
The wheels are notable too, in that those in the middle layer are interlinked and sandwiched by the outer layers of wheels, these being individual items. Plenty of refinement makes the running gear highly authentic, including the drive sprocket. Link-and-length styrene tracks also ease the build process, yet there’s still enough to keep you busy by attaching the separate track pads.
Above: Beautifully moulded side panels for mounting the wheels and drive sprockets.
Above: The well-appointed driver’s floor, which accepts the gear lever and attaches to the engine.
Two parts form the front wheel/tyre, which is held by a delicately moulded three-piece fork unit with splendid little suspension springs. A rolled styrene tarpaulin cover is also supplied, for mounting between the driver and passenger positions. Another bonus is that of the Anhänger 1 trailer, which comprises 16 parts, including the cover with its deft tensioned effect in the corners.
Above: Exemplified by these engine parts, Tamiya’s renowned engineering is fully evident.
Above: Link-and-length tracks are supplied and look superb. Note the individual track pads on the left.
Tamiya has made plenty of effort with the accompanying figures, too; the uniforms are well rendered and will benefit from careful painting and shading. The faces are reasonable but arguably, when the rest of the kit is so good, its possibly worth considering resin heads – but that’s really down to personal taste. The driver figure is relatively unencumbered, but the two-man machine-gun crew comes with all the personal equipment you’d expect to see adorning a German Army soldier, and the standing figures have separate textured bases.
If Tamiya continues to produce new versions of its legacy kits, it will please legions of modellers the world over. This is a terrific new tooling of the Sd.Kfz.2, and should sell like hot cakes.
This and other Tamiya kits are available in the UK via The Hobby Company: www.hobbyco.net
See below for more parts close-ups and shots of the runners...
