GBModelli

Sd.Kfz.6 (m.Zgkv 5t)

When I first laid eyes on this kit, I was thrilled as this was the first kit (to my knowledge) of the Sd.Kfz.6. Pretty soon, joy gave way to an eerie feeling that something just wasn't right. The picture on the bag just didn't look like the mental image I had of an Sd.Kfz.6. A hurried google search confirmed my misgivings.

Left: picture of completed model taken from GBModelli website, right picture found on [2].

Obviously the running gear was all wrong, with two road-wheels missing. How was such a glaring error possible?

Fortunately my copy of Panzer Tracts 22-3 [3] arrived just a couple of days after the kit, and to my stupefaction I discovered the existence of the Sd.Kfz. 6 Typ BN15, DB15, BN17 and DB17, which were produced in 1935-1937.

Left: picture of completed model taken from GBModelli website, right picture found on same website.

Obviously the kit was a very close match to the early types.

The kit

This resin kit comes in a plastic bag, with a manual, but without decals or painting instructions. The manual is simple, hand-drawn, of the "exploded" type and sufficiently clear, especially as it is complemented by pictures of the completed model (not shown below, but also found on GBModelli's website, as well as pictures of the original vehicle).

Detail of the parts is nice, although somewhat less crisp than on other GBModelli kits. I have the impression a bit too much release agent was used for this particular copy, which softened the detail. Flash is minimal, but removing it from the holes in the roadwheels will still be painstaking work. Flash is non-existent, but pin-holes can be found. Not that many, but more than I am used to from GBModelli.

The lay-out of the interleaved road-wheels is done in the way that has become the standard over the last few years: a single piece for the rear row, to ensure alignment, and separate outer wheels for better detail. The tracks are made of two pieces per side, which will have to be fitted like a clam-shell around the running gear. Detail on them is very nice.
Pegs are provided in the road-wheel assemblies to ensure alignment of the holes of the inner and outer halves.

The instruction of the kit is done as two sub-assemblies: lower and upper hull. The latter has a nice anti-slip pattern in the crew compartment. The instructions don't tell you to mate them, but that should be obvious. What might be less obvious is that you need to remove two triangular plates of resin from the front of the fenders (which are there to ensure rigidity of the part). If you don't, then the upper hull will sit too far back.

Note that the kit includes a part that is rarely seen: a holder for a command pennant on the left fender.
According to my references, the Notek light (which is included) only appeared in 1940. If you want to build the vehicle as it appeared when leaving the factory, you should leave it off. Most pictures show the vehicle without Notek, but proof exists that it was fitted to at least one vehicle.

Not yet having built the kit, and basing my judgment solely on the pictures of the completed kit on the GBModelli website I have noted the following.
- The engine grilles seem somewhat smaller than on the real thing.
- The tracks should run closer to the fenders; the kit has the vehicle sitting a bit too high. I hope to be able to correct that during construction.
- The windshield should be slightly angled backwards. (This being a separate part, that's just a matter of gluing it that way.)

References

[1] http://gbmodelli.blogspot.be/2011/11/news-kit-72011-sdkfz-6-m-zgkv-5t.html#more

[2] http://www.lonesentry.com/ordnance/m-zgkw-5t-sd-kfz-6-medium-semitrack-prime-mover.html

[3] Panzer Tracts 22-3 mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 5t (Sd.Kfz.6) and Schwerere Wehrmachtschlepper, T.L.Jentz & H.L.Doyle

[4] Die Halbkettenfahrzeuge des deutschen Heeres, Band 6 der Reihe Militärfahrzeuge; W.J. Spielberger.

Thanks to Georgio Briga (GB Modelli) for the review sample.

Briga (GB Modelli) products are available at

Article Last Updated: 21 August 2012