Bronco Sd.Kfz. 221

After talking to Jenny, she asked for some reviews and here is one for TnT (you won't find anywhere else). I don't think it is complete yet as I am still uncovering details and playing with fit.

The following are the sprues which were individually bagged and no loose pieces. The cover art is very nice reminding me of Vince Wai.
Sprue A


Sprue B


Sprue C


Sprue D


This sprue has a nicely designed gun with sliding mold breech and sliding pin open muzzle. too bad my example has a bit of flash.


The decals are nice even though the stroked of the letters and numerals seem thin. Feldpost markings are also missing.


The clear items are nicely done and the textured headlight lenses are excellent. The springs are a nice gimmick but I wish an extra pair was included as some photos do show spares being carried. The metal guide posts are a nice touch.


The PE is basic but not the best choice for the rear upper hull screen.


The infamous turret which seems to have been corrected on later releases.


There is some flash in the openings to clean up and a lack of welds or the various counter-sunk screws seen on the Horch based vehicles (Sd.Kfz. 221/222/223/260/261)


This rear angle swoops down a bit much and this creates a shallow rear plate when compared to photos. However, the welds are included here and look nice.


The suspension is reminiscent of the Tamiya kit but modified to include the metal springs. It does look nice though...


I do not particularly like the stepped profile of the tires. Fortunately, Hussar Productions is to release a set designed to fit all the Horch based vehicles.


Several of the details, like the helmet, are very well done. However, the driver's panel has some very basic dials so updating using Archer Fine Transfers is in order.


The interior is based on the Sd.Kfz. 222 instead of at least using the Sd.Kfz. 223 as a base. As an early vehicle, the MG canisters are of a different type. Not realizing that Bronco planned to release a Chinese version, I gathered some Adler's Nest MG-13, early visors (Tamiya Sd.Kfz. 232), and PE sets designed for the Tamiya Sd.Kfz. 223.

The turret shape on mine is off but I must modify it anyway to remove the rear lateral vision blocks. The turret interior is crude, reminding me of a 1970s kit with a post to which the gun is added. The gun elevation post and gear is not even attempted. It is simply the AA mount pipe with gear. An old Tamiya weapons set gave up the AA mount.

Fit is quite good but I must decide if I will tackle correcting the rear hull by increasing the height of the upper side panels, and the length of the upper rear panel and vent. Not particularly hard but time consuming.

I will post updates in a few weeks.

Regards,
Saúl

Saúl,

Thanks for the review. It really helps people like myself decide if I can actually build it.

Joe

PS, I know Chris I still might now be able to build it!