Italeri's 1/35 SdKfz. 232 6-rad |  |
SdKfz. 232 6-rad
Developed from commercial dual axle trucks, the 232 series of 6 wheel armored cars was less than totally successful. They were underpowered for the weight of armor and equipment they carried, and lacked sufficient cross-country mobility. They did see service during the Austrian Anschluss, as well as the Polish campaign. After being withdrawn from front-line service they soldiered on in training units. They also served well enough to validate the combined arms "Blitzkrieg" war fighting style.
The Kit
The kit is comprised of 161 injection molded parts on 4 sprues of dark gray styrene, 37 light tan resin parts, 3 photo-etched pieces, and one piece of transparent film showing driving instrument dials. The 20 step instruction booklet calls out parts by sprue letter and part number. A Closer Look: The kit exhibits very little flash and shows only a few ejector pin marks on exterior surfaces or those that will not be covered. There are a few slight shrinkage marks on the onboard tools, but 
the larger parts are OK. Overall surface detail is fairly crisp, about average for the newer crop of Italeri releases. The large frame radio aerial is badly warped in two dimensions on my review sample. The tires exhibit nice surface texture and maker's name. The photo-etched dash board looks very nice, although the transparency for the dials is quite dark and only one dial can be easily read.
Assembly steps 1 through 4 cover assembly and installation of interior parts and subassemblies. Step 5 
joins upper and lower body parts. Steps 6 and 7 cover attachment of major exterior parts. In steps 8 through 14 the suspension, wheels, exhausts and fenders are joined. Steps 15 through 17 cover exterior body details, while 18 and 19 deal with turret assembly. Finally, step 20 deals with installation of the radio aerial and accessories. Paint and decal schemes for 4 different German army vehicles are provided.
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Conclusion
Being a German armor fan, I was charged to see this kit come available, and even more so when the deluxe version arrived. It is vastly superior in detail and ease of assembly over earlier multimedia and injection kits. Upon closer inspection, my ardor cooled slightly. All of the resin parts could have been done in plastic resulting in less clean up, and some have been in other Italeri kits, i.e. seats and personal equipment. Of the 3 photo-etched parts, only the instrument panel really benefits from that treatment. The others are a horn ring and a radiator shroud. Despite these minor issues, the inclusion of interior parts is a definite plus, allowing the builder to exhibit the model with hatches open and not have to scratch-build an interior or purchase an expensive after-market item. With a suggested retail price of approximately $100.00 dollars, this one may stress your budget. If it's too harsh, get Italeri's non-deluxe version. Either way, German armor buffs will want one (at least). This one is recommended for sure. Many thanks to Testor's for supplying this review sample.
