Zvezda 1/35
German Halftrack Crew

This new figure kit from Zvezda (in Russia) is of four crew figures that are intended to be used in any variant of the German Sd.Kfz. 250 or 251 halftrack. You get four figures: an officer with binoculars, a crewman manning an MG, a seated driver figure and a kneeling radio operator.

The box art is miss-leading, because you do not get some things pictured there. The kneeling figure shown has a rolled tarp and a mess kit on his back. You don’t get these in the kit. Also, bayonets in scabbards are not provided. None of the four figures has the national breast eagle and swastika molded on their uniforms. The officer shows he has a iron cross, a infantry assault badge and a wound badge on his jacket. Only the iron cross is on this figure in the kit. The officer also has a ammo pouch for the MP 40 machine pistol on him. A map case is substituted for this in the kit. The detail on the uniforms is a little soft, but not too bad. Insignia on their hats is pretty fair.

The machine gunner in the box art is shown manning a MG 34. You don’t get that one in the kit. You get the later MG 42 and the detail on it is very good.

The kit comes in an end-opening type box. It has color illustrations on the back of the box of the four figures, assembled, as two-views of each. Unlike the box art, these illustrations show you exactly what’s in the box.

The box contains one sprue of medium gray colored parts, the instructions sheet and a small sheet of warnings. The warning sheet is in no less than 20 different languages, including English. The instructions consist of a single large sheet, folded in the center into four pages.

Page one begins with a black and white illustration of the box art. This is followed by the statement that the kit is designed for Zvezda’s kit of the Sd.Kfz. 251, kit no. 3572. This is in five languages, including English. The bottom of the page gives “Useful Advice” in the same five languages.

Pages two and three give five assembly drawings for the four figures, the MG 42 and the radio.

Page four has the parts tree drawing and painting instructions. Only the officer and the MG gunner are pictured, but the colors used on them would be the same on the driver and the radio operator. Model Master paint colors are called out.

The single parts tree holds: the four figures (divided into separate heads, torsos, arms and legs), two steel helmets, two spades in carrying pouches, the field radio parts, two 98K carbines with two ammo pouches, a soft field cap, a side cap, an officer’s peaked cap, two canteens, two bread bags, a pair of binoculars, a map case, two pistols in holsters, a MG 42 with a folded or an extended tripod, an ammo drum for the MG 42, an odd equipment case, a MP 40 machine pistol, two gas mask canisters and earphones for the radio operator figure.(56 parts)

You will have to fabricate straps for the rifle and MP 40 and some wires for the headsets and radio. An aerial for the radio should be made too.

Although a pretty fair kit, it would have been better with some more detail on the uniforms. In particular, the missing breast eagles and award medals. I guess the DML Gen-2 figures have spoiled me rotten and I expect more from figure kits now.

I recommend this kit, if you are willing to do some extra work on them to bring them up to snuff.

I purchased my kit at my local hobby shop for a few bucks below the MSRP.