Trumpeter

1/35 German Geschutzwagen VI 21 cm Msr 18 (sf)

Kit Number: 01540

Reviewed by  Michael Novosad, IPMS# 36721

MSRP: $140.00 Stephens International - Website: www2.stevenshobby.com History and Performance Krupp received an order in 1942 to design a Grille Series of vehicles using components from the Tiger II. The Grille 17 was to use the 170 mm K 72 L/50 gun, with a combined weight of 53 to 58 tons. It was also planned to convert Grille 17 into Grille 21 armed with 210 mm Mortar 18/1 L/31. In 1943/44, production of the Grille 17 prototype was begun, while full-scale production was to start in mid-1945. The end of the war cancelled any further development. The Grille 21 did not enter production. These vehicles had the main armament mounted on a rail platform inside the hull allowing it to be dismounted anytime. Each variant was also armed with two 7.92mm machine guns. These vehicles would be operated by the crew of eight (driver, commander, gunner, radio operator and four loaders). Powered by Maybach HL230P30 or HL230P45, Grille would be able to travel at maximum speed of 45 km/h with range of 250 km. Fuel capacity was to be 1000 liters. Grille was 13 meters long (with gun), 3.27 meters wide and 3.15 meters high. Its armor protection ranged from 16 mm (side) to 30 mm (front). Grille 21 weighted 52700 kg and carried 3 rounds of ammunition. One prototype with the 170 mm gun was almost completed in May of 1945 and was captured by British troops at Haustenbeck near Paderborn. The Kit Trumpeter had previously issued a 1/35th scale model of the 17 cm Geschutzwagen, and this kit appears to share many of the sprues from that kit.

Instructions- There are 28 pages dedicated to the construction of this kit. Two pages show the sprues breakouts (there are 15 sprue, plus the hull bottom, two tracks sections, two springs and small PE fret). Four pages address the hull construction, three pages for the engines and gear boxes, four pages for the installation of the hull interior components, four pages for the hull exterior, and finally eight pages for the construction of the mortar. The remaining pages offer finishing details, with some painting instructions noted. This is going to be a very, very big model. Sprues and packaging- The box is constructed of heavy duty cardboard, with a separate compartment for the tracks. Each sprue or sprue group are packaged in a clear poly bag. The parts are molded in a light grey plastic, with detail not as crisp as that found in the current DML kits. There are small amounts of flash on many parts, and may be found in some unusual locations on the parts. Clear parts- There are no clear parts offered. Photo etch- A small fret is included for the engine grills and radiator louvers. The PE is quite stout. Figures- There are no figures included. Running Gear and Tracks- Two lengths of tracks are included and were packaged in an end compartment within the main box. The examples in this review kit were well formed with a few "soft" kinks. Decals/Markings- There are no markings offered for this model. Part One Construction - the Transport Vehicle Running Gear and Tracks The running gear consists of a pair of drive sprockets and a pair of three-part idlers. In addition, twenty two double road wheels must be assembled. The fit between road wheels parts A-1 and A-5 is a bit loose, and some care is required to make certain both parts are properly aligned. There is some fine flash on several of the road wheel rims. I did not realize this until the painting and finishing was underway. There are eleven axles to install per side, and each axel fits into shaped opening. I found the openings to be slightly oversized and care is required for proper alignment. Once everything was set in place the solvent was applied with a Touch and Flow applicator, checked again for alignment and set aside to harden. I deferred installation of the road wheels, sprockets and rear idlers until the painting was completed. Page 4 contains the first misspelled words (seids" as opposed to "sides"). Lower Hull There was a slight gap between the drive sprocket housings (parts G15 and G16) and the lower sloped hull front. I used short lengths of styrene square section to fill the gaps. I softened the filler styrene with solvent and applied texture with a hobby knife blade to simulate a weld bead. Parts H10 and H11, and later H12 and H13, at the rear of the hull tub were slightly warped and required clamping while the solvent cured. Part G5 forms the floor of the rear compartment. The left front corner of this large part was slightly warped upward and the part was clamped while the solvent cured. Both floor parts fit well, aside from the minor warped noted above. The recess for part G12 had some internal molding defects that were removed with a hobby knife before the insert would fit. By the time the work though page 5 is completed the incomplete hull becomes noticeably weighty. Drive train All of page 8 and part of page 9 are dedicated to the construction of the drive train. Looking ahead in the instructions you will realize that little if any of the drive train will be seen once the upper hull is in place and even with the hatches left open. I did assemble the transmission nonetheless. The fit is not perfect in many instances, but with care, some filler and careful sanding a reasonable facsimile of a drive train will result. Engine Two full pages are dedicated to the construction of the engine. Again, the fit is not quite perfect. This is a complex bit of work and if parts do not fit well there is potential for disaster with the whole subassembly not fitting in the engine compartment. I did assembly the engine, and found some steps a bit confusing initially, but with some study I feel I placed the parts correctly. Upper Hull I loose-fit the bulkhead (part G20) between the engine compartment and weapon area as there were several construction steps that might have been adversely affected if the bulkhead was not placed correctly. This later proved to be a wise decision. Page 13 shows the installation of the seven seats for the gun crew. The seat mounts are quite fragile so once again the installation was deferred. Study the installation instructions closely to see how the seats are mounted to the hull sides. The bow mounted machine gun is quite poor and was not installed. I replaced the grey plastic kit periscope with a clear part also from the spares box. Page 18 shows the crew and drive train compartments roof attached to the hull bottom. A dry fitting of this part revealed a rather significant gap between the front compartment roof part and the mortar compartment front. By placing my thumbs on the front compartment hood and slightly compressing the parts together the gap disappeared. I realized that I needed to progressively glue and clamp the roof to the bottom section to be assured the above noted gap would eventually disappear. I glued the front seam and allowed it to dry completely before moving on to the next section. Starting with the right side I squeezed the parts together to have the joint fit properly, then with taping and clamping I was able to apply the solvent along the join line. The left side got the same treatment and the gap was completely addressed. I reinforced this by applying solvent along the joint between the front compartment roof and the mortar compartment front. Had this not worked a major need to fill and sand would have been Plan B.

Finishing/Painting-the Transport Vehicle I began to plan the painting process of this model when fixing the first parts together. I did leave the left side of the mortar compartment off while the interior was painted. I knew by installing both sides my ability to airbrush all the various nooks and crannies would be severely limited . I mixed my own blend of red oxide and painted all exterior surfaces with that color. I used Tamiya acyclic paints, oil paints for the weathering and finally Floquil Flat Finish for the seal coat. Part Two Construction - the Mortar Several of the major parts had large ejector pin marks that were mostly impossible to eliminate. The majority of the parts fit well, but often filler was required to eliminate large seams and voids. A few of the parts were not labeled on the instructions, and a crank handle is shown being installed on the wrong side. Page 21 addresses the construction of the mortar tube. The small sub-assembly fitted to the depression in part P8 (lower tube) did not fit well. I filled the gaps with styrene stock, but there was another problem discovered later. The third subassembly shown in the upper right hand corner of page 21 requires as least three hands to assemble. The mortar tube and slide assembly fits into this third subassembly--not quite. I found the tips of parts P16 (two parts) must be trimmed a bit before the tube would slide into the main slide. The construction of the rear foot pad is shown on page 24. The rib assembly is a bit confusing, therefore do not commit the solvent to any parts until everything is fitted in place and is in proper alignment. If it looks like the instructions apply the solvent. Then clamp it!! Several subassemblies are dedicated to the mortar being dismounted from the transport vehicle. Therefore one should decide early in the build how the kit will be displayed, or build everything and gain the practice. The additional parts used for the dismounted mortar become surplus if the gun is installed in the weapons compartment.

Finishing/Painting - the Mortar All the subassemblies were painted separately. I decided to paint the mortar assembly "Dunklegelb", as Krupp most likely would have been the manufacturer and probably pulled one off the shelf for this vehicle. The Tracks As noted above the tracks and running gear were a major disappointment for me and therefore deserve a few separate paragraphs. The single-piece tracks are a glue able plastic. I used Testor's solvent on the join and clamped them to cure over night. Throughout the painting and installation the join remained a concern as a potential weak link (so to speak). Although the joint was thoroughly glued and cured, the joint worked as a "hinge". The tracks were first primed with Rustoleum's Painter Touch white, sandable primer, and again allowed to cure for several days. I used a mix or Tamiya acrylic paints to represent track color. During the installation process the paint uas a solid bound and received a good deal of abuse during the fit operation.

My initial effort at installing the tracks appeared to reveal the tracks to be too long. The plastic retained a natural spring that made installing the parts onto the road wheels rather difficult. The kit is furnished with 18-tooth sprockets and I found the teeth did not fit the tracks properly. To allow the tracks to fit some of the teeth would need to be removed, and the track top and bottom would need to be glued to the bottoms and tops of the road wheels. Production Tiger II vehicles were equipped with 9-tooth sprockets, so it might be assumed this vehicle would also be so equipped. The extremely poor fit of the tracks and drive sprockets in my opinion were the deal breaker. Fruil makes replacement tracks for this vehicle. If you plan to spend over $100 on this model, spend the extra and get tracks that fit!!.

Conclusion This is a very, very big model. The price tag will put off many modelers, but nonetheless there are a lot of parts included in this kit, that with some effort and patience (skill not withstanding) will result in a very impressive, and big build. Modelers may wish to limit the painting to the factory primer scheme, while others will use a hypothetical camouflage scheme. Either way the model will be impressive. Clear the work bench and make room for the work, and when finished clear off a shelf, or move to a larger house, for the display. Here are some items for your consideration: Details are a bit "soft". For the most part the instructions are clear and can be easily followed. The parts connectors on the sprues are often substantial and require some cleanup for a good fit. Many of the sprue attachment points are not well planned and minor damage to the parts result when removed.

Many of the major parts have large ejector pins marks that would be visible on the completed model and must be filled. Some marks are somewhat inaccessible while filling and sanding of others risk removal of adjacent surface detail. Some ejector pins marks have raised rims that require removal especially when the adjacent surface is a mating surface. Minor flash can be found on many parts. Some parts just do not fit well together. Often cleanup of the mating surfaces is required to provide flush mating surfaces before the solvent can be applied. Many parts require clamping until the solvent sets up. Smaller subassemblies require care during assembly for a good fit later in a larger subassembly. Filling and sanding of joints is required on many parts. Several subassemblies are comprised of many tiny parts. Test fit everything. I cannot emphasize this enough. Delay installation of the small, fragile parts until painting and weathering is complete. Give thought to the sequence of painting after a good, thorough study of the instructions. This model is for the experienced builder. If you buy it be prepared to work for the finished product: lots of work for each subassembly. Although the parts count is high, the quality of the molding leaves something to be desired. Replace the very poor tracks and drive sprockets. This was a challenging build. At times my skills were tested, but I did enjoy the effort up to the track installation. Is this kit worth the $140 price tag? If there were no flash on the parts, if the parts were more crisply molded, ejector pins marks were concealed or eliminated, if the parts all fit well, and the tracks and sprockets fit then you would have a kit for $140. But, this is recommended with caution for the diehard builder of German World War II armor, who has the experience and patience for the effort. The poor fit of the tracks and sprockets are the deal breaker for me. I looked forward to the completion of this model, but when the tracks proved to be so challenging the wind went out of my sails. I thank Stephens International and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to build and review this kit. I apologize for the negative review, but for the money spent a much better fit, especially of the tracks and sprockets should be offered.

The Review Revisited - An Addendum

My original review of this kit was rather unfavorable: at the end of the build I found the sprockets would not fit the tracks properly, and the tracks were too springy to fit around the road wheels and rear idlers. The kit sprockets were the 18-tooth variety, whereas the production versions of the Tiger II used 9-tooth sprockets. The Geschutwagen Grille series were vehicles based on components of the Tiger II. I searched the internet for information on this vehicle to determine if the problem lay with the kit or if it were me. I found several none-too-clear images of the Geschutzwagen Tiger 17cm K72. The actual vehicle did indeed have 18-tooth drive sprockets. The vehicle in the images did not have tracks in place, and therefore made it easy to determine the sprocket type. I also checked other reviews for the Geschutzwagen Tiger 17cm K72. 18-tooth drive sprockets were included in the kit, and images of the completed model revealed 9-tooth sprockets with tracks that appeared to fit. There was nothing in the reviews to noted fit problems with the sprockets and tracks. Another review showed the completed model in side view. It was evident the tracks did not fit the sprockets properly. The kit retails for about $140, and I was extremely disappointed by the fact that the finishing portion of the project revealed such a major ill-fit of parts. Fruil offers metal replacement tracks and drive sprockets for this model, but that would mean an additional expenditure for an already expensive model. This could be most discouraging for anyone considering the purchase of this kit. I submitted my review with the kit tracks left off, but had it in the back of my mind that I must complete the work for the satisfaction that it could be done using the kit sprockets and tracks. Adding to the challenge was the fact the model was completed and painted. Installing the springy tracks ran the risk of damaging the painted finish. Perhaps I share the blame in not checking this before painting the model, but nonetheless the problems existed. I needed to develop a reasonable and satisfactory solution. I wanted to display the model complete with tracks installed. The Kit Parts Here are the unmodified kit parts. The poor fit is quite evident. The sprockets The kit-furnished 18-tooth sprockets did not properly fit the kit tracks. The first third of the sprocket circumference lined up with the track tooth opening, but after that the alignment no longer existed. The teeth did not fit the track openings and pushed the track away from the sprocket in an unnatural manner. This image shows the unmodified kit sprocket on the left and the modified kit sprocket on the right. Every other tooth was removed, and the surface was sanded smooth. As the image shows I had earlier painted and weathered the sprockets, completely oblivious to the potential problem of fit between the sprockets and tracks. This is another case for test-fitting everything!! After removing every other tooth from the sprocket the fit is not quite perfect, but much improved. There is still a gap between the track and sprocket. The Tracks The one-piece tracks are a glue-able plastic. I used Testor's solvent and clamped the join for an overnight curing. I remained concerned that the joint would be weak, especially as the joint acted as a "hinge", and therefore some care will be required to avoid having the plastic break. As the image shows the tracks were rather stiff and would require some means to hold them in place on the sprockets and road wheels. I was also concerned that the tracks might be slightly too long. Tools Used Here are the tools used to remove the surplus teeth from the sprockets and finish the surfaces. Also, Gorilla super Glue was used to bond the tracks to the road wheels. Installation of the Tracks and Sprockets First, I fitted the sprocket in the track and threaded the track loop over and around the road wheels and rear idler. The track had a tendency to spring away from the road wheels unless held in place. I realized the track and sprocket fit could be further improved by the removal of two more teeth. Ultimately four adjacent teeth would be removed with only two or three teeth actually fitting the tracks. With the additional teeth removed the track wrapped more closely around the sprocket. With clamping the top and bottom of the tracks against the road wheels I soon realized the track was a bit too long. I took a gamble and removed one link, thus eliminating the looped track. A test fit showed the track to fit around all the wheels and sprockets much better than earlier. Now it was time to fix the tracks in place. Clamping the track to the sprocket I made an effort to align the track joint on the center of a road wheel (third or fourth from the front). I felt I could better conceal the break in the track this way. I applied Gorilla Super Glue between the individual road wheel tops and bottom (the first three or four), then fitted the tracks in place, and again clamped everything to allow the glue to set up. Once the glue had cured the last half of the tracks were glued and clamped in place. The Finished Model Here is the finished model. Track and sprocket issue not withstanding the model completes to a rather unique and impressive build. And it is BIG.