Ace 1/72
Kfz.21 Staff Car

Background

If you search the internet for information on the Kfz.21 staff car, you'll find a variety of conflicting information. If most of this information is correct, the Kfz.21 was a class of staff car with examples built by Horch, Mercedes, and Krupp Protze. A variety of body variations were the result as well as power train variations. The standard two-axle from Horch is the subject of this kit, but you'll also see three-axle versions as well (if the photo captions are correct).

As with most utility vehicles in the Wehrmacht, the combat command cars were typically 4x4 or 6x6 powered as the commanders would have to transit through less than ideal road conditions to commute between their troops and headquarters. Nevertheless, the Wehrmacht tried to use or adapt existing designs in order to field usable vehicles in the shortest time.

The Kit

Here is an interesting kit from Ace. This is a 1/72 scale production of the Kfz.21 Staff Car. The kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on three parts trees. Windows will need to be fabricated from clear acetate using the templates provided in the instructions.

Assembly is straightforward with the chassis, interior, and body all relatively simple to pull together. You'll spend more time cleaning off the flash on some of the suspension parts than building this kit.

Markings

The instructions depict three different examples for this kit:

• Kfz.21 Staff Car, Army Group Pennaut, Russia, Dec 1941
• Kfz.21 Staff Car, Guderian Panzer Group, Russia, Summer 1941
• Kfz.21 Staff Car, Unknown unit, Italy, Summer 1944

Conclusions

This looks like a nice little kit and this release provides 1/72 modelers with a distinctive staff car to place on their vignette or diorama.

Check out the low retail price from HobbyTerra.com! If you've purchased Ace kits in the past, you know that some of the US importers place a hefty mark-up on the price. HobbyTerra.com has excellent service to North America and abroad and they offer these same kits at far more reasonable prices.

This kit is definitely recommended!

My sincere thanks to HobbyTerra.com for this review sample!