Trumpeter 1/35 Sd.Kfz.8 DB10 Gepanzerte 12t Kit First Look

by Michael Benolkin

First Look

The Sd.Kfz.8 was a standard towing halftrack used in World War II for moving artillery pieces around the battlefield. The vehicle had a standard ladder-type chassis and bench seating to carry the gun crew while towing up to 12 tons behind it (though this was reportedly pushed to 14 tons in the field). What is interesting is that there was a little-known variant of this vehicle that was all-but-forgotten until an example was fished out of a Polish river and restored to operational condition ( look here). This variant featured a full-hull around the chassis and drive train and was likely a prototype of an armored artillery tractor that was lost during combat evaluations.

Trumpeter has been producing several tow vehicles to support the impressive range of heavy artillery in their kit line-up. Here is an obscure version of the standard German Sd.Kfz.8 that was based upon the vehicle recovered (see above).

Molded in desert tan styrene, the kit is presented on 13 parts trees and two main hull halves, plus 10 trees of individual track links molded in rust color, and a fret of photo-etched parts.

The kit provides some very intricate detailing throughout the model, from a complete engine compartment to the fully appointed interior. It was clear that the Trumpeter team had full access to this unique vehicle during their research. It was also great that the vehicle was in such good condition that it could be restored to the fidelity that made the kit possible.

Among the features in this kit:

• Highly detailed engine
• Detailed ladder chassis with drive train
• Front axle assembly with suspension and steering details
• Individual track links
• Enclosed hull with bench seating and internal equipment stowage
• External stowage boxes
• Detailed driver's station
• Movable driver and commander viewports
• Positionable side and top access hatches
• Positionable rear entry hatches
• Fore and rear gun mounts with machine guns

The driver's station has a complete set of hand and foot controls. With all of the details in the driver's station, you'll definitely want to pose all of those access hatches open to enjoy the view.

If the decal is consistent with the license plate recovered from the full-scale vehicle, this rare example served in Luftwaffe service likely towing 8.8cm FlaK guns around the battlefield.

This is an incredibly detailed model of a unique armored tow tractor and there are lots of possibilities for using this tractor in a nice diorama or vignette. While it didn't get widely produced like its standard truck-bodied cousin, it will make for an interesting show contender with some care and attention to detail.

My sincere thanks to Stevens International for this review sample!