1:35 Rommel's Mammoth DAK AEC Armored Command Car

Rommel's Mammut - the AEC Armoured Command Car (DAK) in 1:35, AFV Club

A plastic kit of the AEC armored command vehicle in 1:35 scale from AFV Club, and in its most interesting form: as a British machine in German service. The package is rich - twelve sprues of plastic (three of them identical), a sprue of clear parts, a set of nine resin German radio sets, photo-etched parts and rubber tires. The model has a finely worked out interior of the command compartment, the roof hatches can be built open or closed, and the equipment of the cabin includes a cipher machine and a map. The decals cover three particular vehicles of the Afrikakorps, among them two known by the nicknames Max and Moritz.

The real subject

Great Britain was the only country in the Second World War that built purpose-made armored command vehicles - mobile staffs with a map compartment and radio sets. In April 1941 several of these machines fell into German hands in North Africa, and Erwin Rommel made one of them his command vehicle. Because of the tall, angular hull the crews of the Afrikakorps (DAK = Deutsches Afrikakorps) nicknamed them Mammut, meaning mammoth. The result is one of the most photogenic curiosities of the desert war: British equipment with German tactical markings and Afrikakorps insignia, in desert camouflage, with German radio sets in place of British ones. It is exactly these details that make the model what it is - and that is also why period-correct markings matter as much on it as the build itself.

Building and painting tips

The vehicle is wheeled, so there are no tracks to deal with - which gives all the more weight to the interior. Plan the sequence so that you paint, drybrush and weather the inside of the command compartment before you close the hull; with the hatches open you will then see into the model. Wash the resin radio sets free of mold release residue before gluing and bond them with super glue - cement for plastic has no effect on them. The same goes for the rubber tires. Painting: desert camouflage is rewarding for dust, fading and chipped paint on the edges and where the crew touched it; a fine sand pigment on the wheel arches and the underside of the hull gives an impression of weight. The fine photo-etched parts and thin frames are fragile - handle the finished model as little as possible.

Who the model is for

• Enthusiasts of the North African campaign and the Afrikakorps - this is a vehicle with a story.
• Modelers who enjoy captured equipment and unusual combinations of markings.
• Slightly advanced builders: the kit is rich and fragile in places, but not extreme.
• Diorama builders - a command vehicle positively calls for figures, maps and a staff scene.
• Collectors who want an interior, not just a shell.

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.