1:35 Sd.Kfz 222 spare wheel rim (2 pcs)

A scout with a cannon in an open turret

The reconnaissance armored car designated Sd.Kfz 222 was among the most characteristic machines of the German forward units. On four driven wheels it carried a crew of three, a 20 mm automatic cannon and a machine gun, while the turret stayed open at the top and a folding wire screen covered it against hand grenades. The fast and nimble car proved itself in Poland and in France; in the sand of North Africa and in Russian mud, though, it was already running into the limits of what it could do.

The rim of the spare wheel

The package offers two pieces for the wheel the car carried in addition. On an armored car this is a detail that does not get lost: the spare was mounted on the side of the hull or at the rear and its face stays clearly visible on the finished model, often closer to the viewer than the running wheels themselves.

How to get the most out of the part

The face is a rewarding field for patina. Dust settles on it differently than on an upright armor plate, and if you are building the car into a field scene, this is just where it pays to grade the shade from a cleaner center to a fouled edge. The loose piece can also be laid on a fender or propped against the wheel of a standing machine, which adds another layer of narrative to the scene without your having to add figures. Before fitting, compare the thickness of the part with the place it is to seat in.

When the machine faded from the front line

From the middle of the conflict it was gradually replaced by eight-wheeled and half-track reconnaissance cars with better protection and range. It did not go entirely, though: it served on in the rear and with training units, so scenes from the whole period can be built with it.