1:35 German Sd.Kfz.223 Leichter Panzerspahwagen (1st Series)

A radio car with a frame antenna

The family of light four-wheeled armored cars of the German army grew from the mid-1930s on an off-road chassis with an eight-cylinder engine mounted at the rear. The version designated Sd.Kfz. 223 was meant for signals troops: it carried a more powerful radio set and, above the hull, a folding frame antenna by which it can be told at first glance. The armament was limited to a single machine gun in a small open turret, because the crew's main task was to report, not to fight.

Where the vehicles served

Reconnaissance units took them through Poland, France, North Africa and the Eastern Front. The light armor protected only against splinters and infantry ammunition, but the vehicle was fast and nimble on a made-up road. The first series differs from the later ones in the form of the chassis and the layout of the front end, so the designation in the name is not just a formality but a real difference in the shape of the parts. In period photographs the vehicle is often to be seen with baggage loaded on and a rolled tarpaulin, which is a rewarding detail for building a scene.

The build and the interesting places on the model

The antenna frame is the most fragile and at the same time the most striking part of the whole model; it pays to glue it on right at the end and to prepare a support in advance. Work with a file and a brush is an inseparable part of the build, and you will not find a finished vehicle in the box. The open turret lets you look inside, so the interior and the radio set are worth picking out. In 1:35 scale the model comes out at about fourteen centimeters and suits a scene with signals figures. The dirt settles first on the off-road tread of the wheels and on the fenders, so that is exactly where it pays to start with the dust.