Trumpeter 1/35 Sd.Kfz.6 Halbkettenzugmaschine Pioneirausfuhrung Kit First Look

by Michael Benolkin

First Look

The Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd.Kfz) 6 was a German 5-ton halftrack designed to tow heavy field artillery and a crew of up to 15 across the battlefield. First developed in early World War II, the type was phased out of production in 1941 in favor of simpler to produce half-track designs. Powered by a 115 horsepower Maybach engine, the Sd.Kfz.6 was capable of 50 kph and was usually paired up with the leFH 18 105mm howitzer.

Trumpeter has released another installment of the German half-track family, the Sd.Kfz.6 artillery tractor. The kit is molded in desert yellow styrene and presented on 24 parts trees plus the chassis, one tree of clear parts, and one fret of photoetched parts. According to the specs, this kit is comprised of 580 parts including 230 individual track links. Duplicate parts trees are not shown in the images to the right.

So let's get to the features:

• Detailed Maybach engine
• Detailed chassis frame and equipment including fuel cells, winch, and details suspension
• Individual track links
• Detailed driver's station
• Bench seating for the crew including personal weapons racks
• Positionable hood
• Fold-down windshield
• Full set of crew personal weapons

Simple markings are provided for a single example of an Sd.Kfz.6 assigned to an SS artillery unit.

As a simple artillery tractor and crew transport, this kit will be a simple build, though the 230 parts needed to build up the two runs of track will be a bit tedious. Nevertheless, this kit coupled with the previously released leFH 18 kit and the half-track rider figure set released by another company will build into a nice display.

My sincere thanks to Stevens International for this review copy!