Lately Tamiya has been taking a lot of their earlier kits and giving them a make-over, usually by adding new bits and new figures, and in most cases of late if it’s a kit of a German vehicle the make-over has been in the form of giving it a new Afrikakorp theme. Such is the case with this kit which takes their very good Steyr 1500A/01 kit and makes it a little bit better. As this kit uses the original Steyr kit as the start point and then adds some extras most of this review will apply equally to the standard Steyr kit with the new bits mentioned at the end.
The Original Kit comes in a medium sized tray and lid style box containing four medium sized and one small dark yellow sprue, one dark yellow bonnet/hood, one grey sprue, one small clear sprue, a small piece of vinyl mesh, four poly caps, a small sheet of decals and the instructions
The mouldings are crisp and clean with only minor clean up needed of a few very light mould seams and the inevitable knock-out marks, but these are par for the course and well placed, with those that will be visible easily dealt with. The instructions are clear, simple, and very easy to follow and being Tamiya goes together like a dream. One point of note as it’s easily missed if you don’t read the instructions thoroughly, is that this can be built as either an early version A/B/C with the spare wheel recessed into the outside or a later version D/E with the spare wheel mounted on the inside ( from around late 1942 till 1944 ).
Note though that the overall body style is still that used up until around late 1943/early 1944 when it was simplified a lot more ( most notably losing the split windscreen, the indicators, the recessed door handles, the mudboards, and getting squared off corners as more was made from wood ).
The chassis is fully detailed including a very good looking lower half of the engine, though you don’t get an upper half to make a complete engine. The suspension, springs, drive shafts and steering arms are all beautifully produced. The wheels are each made up of one piece that makes up the complete tyre and outer wheel together with another piece that makes up the inner wheel. Together they encase the central hub and polycap which allows the wheels to remain free turning.
The hood is moulded as a single piece with separate vent flaps, and it includes a soft mesh to use in the grille, though it isn’t truely accurate as the grille on the Steyr should be horizontal bars rather than square mesh but it does the job if supreme accuracy isn’t paramount, and if it is Tamiya also makes a photo-etch upgrade set for it as well.
The rest of the body is made up of four pieces, one of which will depend on which version the builder opts for. The side doors can be positioned open or closed and the rear doors, although they come moulded as one, are designed to be easily split into two doors so that they too can be modelled open if so desired. The tilt frame and cover comes moulded in the down position only so if you want to do one with the roof up a little scratchbuilding will be called for.
The interior is very well appointed with full detail in the drivers area and very delicate parts used for the seat frames. The side doors include good internal detail and the rear doors also include sufficient internal detail to model them open though the inside of the rear stowage area has no detailing so again this would need to be added.
The figures include the two from the original kit, a driver and a standing officer, and both are very well detailed, though their uniforms aren’t as suited to the desert as the new figures. The new figures consist of four figures and an extra set of arms, all wearing shorts and ankle boots with socks. One is barechested while the other three wear shirts with rolled up sleeves. The extra set of arms allows you to choose optional positions for the two seated figures. The two standing ones are moulded almost as one piece with one just needing his head and one arn attached while the other only needs half an arm attached. The detailing on all of then is excellent and although they appear to be rather small they measure out at an average 50mm which translates into the right height for a 1/35 scale figure.
Personal equipment included for the new figures consists of four soft caps, a pistol holster, three pairs of goggles, two pith helmets, a DAK canteen, two DAk large metal water containers ( one with the lid off ), a large rolled tarp, and two large bags. No weapons are included which I do count as a small negative as I believe at least a Kar 98K or MP40 is in order.
Also included as part of the new kit is a single grey sprue from the Tamiya German Jerry Can Set which holds three fuel drums with a tap and a hand pump, as well as eight jerry cans which are the later, more correct Tamiya jerry cans with the three pronged handle and separate filler cap.
Decals and a painting guide are included for three vehicles – Special Command Dora, Southern Libya, North Africa, 1942 : 69th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 10th Panzer Division, Tunisia, 1942 : 92nd Independant Panzer Grenadier Regiment, Balkans, Spring-Summer 1944.
All little niggles aside this is a very good kit, especially if your field of interst is the war in North Africa. It’s well made, builds up easily and looks good when done. There are detailing sets and conversion sets galore for this kit to turn it into anything from an ambulance to a radio truck, but even just as it is this is a kit that will not disappoint.
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