AMT/ERTL 1/9
Zundapp KS 750 Motorcycle w/Sidecar

Background

The Zundapp KS 750 was mass produced in more than 18,000 vehicles, from 1941 to 1944. It can doubtlessly be considered as one of the most up-to-date and modern creations of this period, in the field of motorcycles. Thanks to it’s essential line and structure and the rationality of it’s technical concepts, it’s exceptional specifications and performance made it possible to use it widely on all fronts during WWII.

Tech Data:

• 4 stroke engine: cc 751 CMP
• 2 driving gears
• Weight: 400 KGS (with sidecar)
• Weight allowed: 540 KGS (with sidecar)
• Gears: 4 + reduced and reverse
• Performance: 25 hp at 4400 revs per minute
• Constant Minimum Speed: 3 km per hr
• Maximum Speed: 95 km per hr
• Fording capacity: 400 mm
• Consumption: on road – 7 liters every 100 kms. Off road – 9 liters every 100 kms
• Fuel distance: 350 kms

The Kit

“Blueprinters” was a newsletter that Ertl published. It was sent to subscribers that predominantly built car and truck models. As part of the subscription to it, every so often, Ertl offered limited re-issues of older car and truck model kits that were ONLY available to subscribers. The dug the molds of these older kits out of their mold archives and ran small quantities of them, which they thought would all sell.

They went wrong with offering the 1/9th scale Zundapp KS 750 with side car as one of these exclusive Blueprinter specials. The car and truck buffs did not snatch them up and
mail orders were very poor. Ertl, thus, was left with a lot of the run of the kit left at the factory. They hauled skid loads of this kit to their factory discount store, near their plant in Dyresville IA and sold them to the general public. They still moved very slowly and Ertl reduced their price at least twice. In the end, they were going for 4 bucks apiece. Quite a bargain! I bought a large number of them, back in the early 90’s, when this happened and re-sold them on the internet (pre-eBay) for a tidy profit each time.

These blueprinters came in a very sturdy, end opening generic all white box – with just black text on them. This box has 3 end flaps and a locking tab. Some of the kits were even sold with the generic brown shipping box, that they were further put into to mail them to subscribers that purchased them. Strangely, the return address on the brown box is not Ertl’s address in Dyresville, but another firms address in Cedar Rapids IA. Maybe Ertl farmed the job of mailing out the kits to this outfit? I have never figured that one out.

Ertl at one time owned all of ESCI’s 1/9th scale line of various military motorcycles, a Kubelwagen (reviewed elsewhere here), and a Kettenkraftrad. These molds later went to DML dragon and Revell of Germany. For a while, they were re-leased by both of them.
DML even included vinyl figures in some of them, of their own molding.

The kit has 7 very light gray parts trees, 1 black vinyl tree, 1 clear tree, 4 black vinyl tires, a length of black wire sleeving, a couple of metal springs, the decal sheet and the instructions in it.

One of the trees was only ever offered, previously, in ESCI’s kit of the solo version of the KS 750 (without the sidecar). Ertl grabbed this tree from their mold archives by mistake or as a BONUS. It is mostly weapons and personal gear used by fallschirmjager troops,
The problem is that Ertl did not also include the black vinyl straps and buckles for this stuff too. You will have to make those out of lead foil or paper.

The instructions consist of 2 large sheets, that are folded in the center into 4 pages each.
A smaller sheet, printed on one side, gives assembly drawings for the BONUS parts.

Page 1, of the first instruction sheet, begins with a very inky and dark photo of the model made up with Grossdeutschland Division markings. This is followed by telling you about the optional winter version you can build, with heating on the sidecar and the bike steering handles. This is in 5 languages, including English.

Page 2 is the parts tree drawings.

Page 3 gives the first 4 assembly steps and a list of the lengths you have to cut the wire sleeving to for plumbing and wiring the bike. Assembly steps also include written instructions, on how to do that particular step, in multiple languages – including English.

Page 4 has the decal markings identities and a 4-view drawing that shows the general placement of what markings you may choose for the very large decal sheet.

Page 5 through 8, of the second instruction sheet, gives us a total of 27 assembly steps.

Parts trees are not alphabetized or have part numbers molded on them. This means that constant referral to the parts tree drawings will have to be done. However, parts are chronologically numbered on the drawings and it looks like you go through one tree at a time to build stuff. It will make for some extra tedious work and care will have to be taken to not grab the wrong parts.

The first tree holds: the sidecar halves and its fender. Its tail light, its tie down rings and three storage boxes that mount on the sidecar and bike. (32 parts).

The second tree holds: the sidecar frame, it’s trunk lid and wood floor slats, a leaf spring, a headlight housing and a MG 42 machine-gun etc. (47 parts).

The third tree holds: the bike frame halves, its fenders and fuel tank etc. (30 parts).

The fourth tree holds: the bike’s front fork (which you put the 2 metal springs into, to make it compress), fender braces, a jerry can, the bike’s handle-bars, control linkages, engine dome etc. (78 parts).

The fifth tree holds: engine parts and fittings and some tools etc. (77 parts).

The sixth tree holds the spoked wheel rims for the bike, sidecar and spare tire (8 parts).

The next tree holds black vinyl seat cushions for the bike and sidecar, a tool box etc. (17 parts).

The seventh (very light gray) tree holds the BONUS parts (as already mentioned, only previously offered in the solo version of the Zundapp kit by ESCI). You get: a canvas saddle bag to go on the bike, a canteen, mess kit, gas mask canister, fallschimjager helmet with liner, a folded tarp, a shovel, a bayonet, a panzerfaust, a potato masher type grenade and a MP 43 assault rifle with it’s ground bipod and bayonet. Sadly, Ertl did not include the vinyl straps and buckles for this equipment, that was always in the solo version kit.

41 markings are given on the large decal sheet:

• 1 to 7 markings are of Zundapp logos, the speedometer face, a couple of information plates and tire pressure stencils.
• 8 to 13 markings are license plates for Wehrmacht, SS and Luftwaffe.
• Number 14 markings are alternate numerals to create your own license plate numbers.
• Number 15 is a white letter “K” for Kliest Corps. vehicles.
• Number 16 is for the 1st Cavalry Div. (later the 24th Panzer Div.)
• Number 17 is for the 78th Sturm Div.
  Number 18 is for the 100th Panzerjager Div.
• Number 19 is for the 334th Infantrie Div.
• Number 20 is for the 2nd SS Div. “Das Reich”
• Number 21 is for the 5th SS Div. “Wiking”
• Number 22 is for the 8th SS Div. “Florien Geyer”
• Number 23 is the symbol worn by Norwegian contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 24 is the symbol worn by Danish contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 25 is the symbol worn by Dutch contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 26 is the symbol worn by French contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 27 is the symbol worn by Belgian contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 28 is the symbol worn by Estonian contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 29 is the symbol worn by Croat contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 30 is the symbol worn by Finnish contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 31 is the symbol worn by English contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 32 is the symbol worn by Russian contingents of the Waffen-SS “Vlasov”
• Number 33 is the symbol worn by Russian contingents of the Waffen-SS “Kaminsky”
• Number 34 is the symbol worn by Italian contingents of the Waffen-SS
• Number 35 is the badge of the 1st Fallschirmjager Div.
• Numbers 36 & 37 are badges worn by motorcycle units.
• Numbers 38 & 39 are badges worn by motorized infantry divisions.
• Numbers 40 & 41 are badges worn by radio transmission units.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this kit to those modelers, like me, that wear tri-focals. Big parts, easy to see. I is, however, only for advanced modelers – due to the large amount of parts and assembly complexity. Although currently out of production, this kit…and others in the ESCI 1/9th scale line…may still be found on eBay or we can hope for a re-issue of them by DML or Revell of Germany again.