Tamiya 1/35 Steyr 1500A/01 Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The German Army made good use of a variety of utility vehicles to move men and supplies around the battlefields. To make logistic support of these vehicles easier, the Army standardized on specific vehicle classes ranging from one to 6.5 ton vehicles. One of the key 1.5 ton class vehicles was the Austrian-built Steyr 1500.

The Steyr 1500 was an all-wheel-drive design which compensated for the primitive roadways these vehicles would frequent. The transport configuration could seat six people or some combination of men and supplies. Like many such versatile vehicles, the chassis was used to render a wide range of utility vehicles ranging from ambulances to communications vehicles, from mobile workshops to simple tow vehicles for artillery. The Steyr saw service on all fronts from North Africa to Russia and became well-regarded for its reliability in the field.

Here is Tamiya's Steyr 1500A/01 in 1/35th scale and initially I thought that this may just be another reissue. While this kit shares many of the parts trees from the original Steyr 1500A/01 release (kit 35225), Tamiya has added some updates to make the kit interesting.

Molded in tan styrene, the kit is presented on six parts trees plus one tree of gray styrene parts. A die-cut sheet of acetate parts are included for the windshield.

While there is no complete engine under the hood, there is enough of an engine to be seen from underneath which complements the detailed chassis, suspension, drive train, and exhaust system. The wheels mount onto the axles with poly caps which will allow for the model to roll as well as allow for removal of the wheels should you need to do so.

The body comes with alternative left side panels, one with the standard recessed well for an externally stored spare tire, the other that clamps the tire into roughly the same spot on the inside of the vehicle.

Bench seats are provided for the rear area and are nicely detailed. Likewise the front seats and stowed soft-top that sits on the rear deck.

The four entry doors are molded separately and can be positioned open or closed.

Exterior detailing of the kit is well done with the full range of pioneering tools, external stowage of Jerry cans, and the usual array of night convoy and regular black-out lights.

New to the kit is the tree of six figures dressed in hot-weather North Africa attire. Four of these figures are seated and two are standing, and the stock kit also has a single standing figure as well.

The grey styrene tree provides eight Jerry cans and three fuel drums to set up a refueling point vignette.

Markings are provided for three examples:

• Steyr 1500A/01, Special Command Dora, Southern Libya, North Africa, 1942
• Steyr 1500A/01, 69th Panzer Grenadier Regt, 10th Panzer Div, Tunisia, 1942
• Steyr 1500A/01, 92nd Independent Panzer Grenadier Regt, Balkans, Spring, 1944

Unlike many recent reissues from other kit makers that provide the same plastic and different decals, Tamiya is changing up its box contents to keep the selections interesting. This vignette in a box is a good example of one of these kits and is a good value to boot!

My sincere thanks to HobbyLink Japan for this review sample!

References:

• Steyr Modeler's Online Reference