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Built Review
172
Munitions Trailer
Munitions-Anh. für 3,7 cm FLAK, kit #7203
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by: Jan Etal [ TREAD_GEEK ]

Introduction

There are many pieces of military equipment that are often overlooked by most modelers. One of those is the lowly ammunition trailer. These were, and are, used by all armies as the best way to transport additional ammunition without overloading men or vehicles. Smaller versions were light enough to be able to be towed by light utility vehicles such as a Jeep or Kubelwagen.

The German army in World War II made extensive use of these trailers. They were often designed to carry a specific type of ammunition. The design of these trailers was simple for the most part yet numerous variations existed. Depending on the ammunition they carried the trailers could have a single axle with two wheels or multi axles and wheels for heavier loads.

The subject of this review is the Sd. Anh. 58. The base trailer frame and suspension was not only used for ammunition carriages but also other uses, including transporting the 3.7 cm Flak 43. Guns with high cyclic firing rates could never have too much ammunition at hand. These trailers were often towed behind various mobile antiaircraft vehicles to supplement their own on vehicle storage.

The review subject is for the MACO 1/72nd scale Munitions-Anh. für 3,7 cm FLAK, kit #7203.

Contents

The kit comes in the standard MACO cardboard box, with a photo of a finished and painted kit on the box top. The box contains a plastic bag whose contents are a single sprue with 23 parts moulded in a light grey plastic. The bag also contains a single two sided sheet with building instructions. The instructions are in the form of grey scale exploded view drawings and a single unit painting guide appears on the back of the box. There are no decals provided with this kit.

Review

The parts on the kit sprue were flash free and showed minimal and light mould seams. Parts 42 and 43, I believe they are some form of winching mechanism, had what appeared to be sink marks on both sides. This shouldn’t be a major problem as it appears that the back of these parts will not be visible and the front won’t be very visible after the handle (part 44) is installed on them. Part 46, the main trailer body, had a rather large elongated depression on its right upper surface. This last flaw was either a form of sink mark or a flaw caused by the moulding process. I originally thought that a bit of putty and sanding would be required to correct this flaw. After closer inspection and dry fitting the ammunition box on the base there is enough overlap on the box sides to cover most of this mark. I am fairly certain this was an isolated occurrence particular to my kit.

Ejector pin marks are present but for the most part will not be visible after construction. Unfortunately, the ammunition compartment lid has two visible pin marks on its inner surface. This should only create an issue if one wishes to build the kit with the compartment lid in the optional open orientation. The sprue attachment points (gates) are generally amongst the smallest and thinnest that I have seen and this appears to be consistent with other MAKO kits that I have examined. The parts, in general, have decent detail even down to some of the smallest pieces.

This kit's sprue shares 14 parts with the MACO 3.7 cm Flak 43, kit #7202, these parts are for the Sd. Anh. 58 trailer. The first two steps of construction images are the building of the trailer frame and suspension. When removing the main frame (part 39) from the sprue, care will have to be taken when cutting the two sprue gates at the back of the trailer. The desire to cut as close as possible to the frame would be a mistake. If one looks at these attachment points from the top of the sprue they just look like a gate. From the bottom you will see that there is a necessary positioning lug that needs to remain. As with all kits it is best to study parts and instructions before putting blade to plastic. An option for the trailer allows for a support leg (part 45) to be positioned in the folded or deployed position.

With the basic trailer built, the last two instruction illustrations are for the building of the trailer body. This involves the construction of the main ammunition box with its lid in either the open or closed position, attachment of a smaller storage box and two shovels. It should be noted that the smaller storage box also has a separate lid so it is up to the builder whether they wish to display it open or closed. If the model is to be displayed with the main ammo box open the final illustrations note that the trailer’s forward support leg (part 45) should be glued in the down position and that part 51 (what appears to be a jack) be glued in the down position. Depending how the modeler wishes to use this vehicle there can be several combinations of the various options.

The only painting reference appears on the back of the box and is a coloured four angle painting guide for one trailer painted in a three colour striped and mottled camouflage pattern. Colour references are given for Revell Acryl, ModelMaster Acryl and ModelMaster Enamel paints.

The Build

While it wasn’t my intention to do a full build article I felt that for what looked like such a simple kit I’d try at least a partial build to get a feel for this kit. For the most part I followed the exploded view diagrams for assembling the trailer frame and suspension. Removal of parts from the sprue proved to be as I anticipated. The small part attachment points leave very little to be sanded. The light mould seams on some parts were extremely easy and fast to remove.

After gluing the two halves of the wheels together I next turned to the winching mechanisms (parts 42 and 43). Clean up of these parts proved simple and fast. The fit of the parts onto the lugs at the back of the frame required the use of a gel like glue with a slower drying time as the parts are small and I needed some working time to get their orientation correct. The tiny parts that attach to each (part 44) proved to be a test in patience and dexterity with a pair of fine pointed tweezers. The springs for the suspension were next removed, cleaned and attached to their locating holes in the frame. As these parts are quite small the gel glue was again used to allow for proper orientation.

The trailer floor, ammo box and other pieces of the body all cleaned up easily and the fit was exact. Throughout the construction process the wait for the glue to dry consumed the most amount of time. To my great surprise the ejector pin marks on the underside of the ammo compartment lid cleaned up extremely easily with just a fine emery board. While I had no mishaps with the build I must again warn that care should be taken when handling this build. The delicate nature of some of the parts and even the trailer frame could easily lead to damaging your work. The plastic itself seems to be somewhat softer than other manufacturers and possessed no noticeable negative properties.

Conclusion

It isn't often that subjects like this are considered by model manufacturers and this kit will be most welcome by armor fans or those looking for diorama accessories. Despite the minor moulding flaws mentioned above, this kit has not only decent details but a number of potential options for even the moderate skilled individual. This kit should prove an interesting addition when combined with other subjects. It should be a quick and easy build and I cannot help but recommend it.
SUMMARY
Highs: Fine details and good fit of parts. A fair number of build and display possibilities for such a simple kit. Can be built as a solitary stand alone piece or used in conjunction with a towing vehicle and in diorama settings.
Lows: Very few, but the fenders and ammo box side walls could be thinner.
Verdict: It isn't often that subjects like this are considered by model manufacturers and especially in Braille scale. A great kit and subject with numerous possibilities for its use.
Percentage Rating
85%
  Scale: 1:72
  Mfg. ID: 7203
  Suggested Retail: $14.95 US
  Related Link: Maco Plastic Models
  PUBLISHED: Jun 12, 2010
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 84.51%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 84.75%

Our Thanks to Dragon USA!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Jan Etal (tread_geek)
FROM: ONTARIO, CANADA

I've been building models since about age 10 with the occasional hiatus due to real life events. First armour model was a 1/76 Airfix Tiger I and was followed by a 1/72 Revell F4U Corsair. I've built primarily 1/76 and 1/72 armour and aircraft but occasionally have tinkered in other larger scales....

Copyright ©2021 text by Jan Etal [ TREAD_GEEK ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Thank you Alan for looking. As I have concentrated on Braille scale since I returned to the hobby I didn't know what to expect from such a unique subject of a kit. Some older kits from my past had trailers in them but they appeared more of an after thought. They certainly didn't have the detail and options that this kit presented. Thanks Again, Jan
JUN 12, 2010 - 08:03 AM
To AJ and any other interested parties I've added a few pictures here. The trailer is complete and a rough base coat of Tamiya XF-59 has been applied to highlight any flaws. I can see a few and they will be dealt with ASAP. I also noticed in the picture that the rear jack support is slightly askew; looks fine to the naked eye. Next up is to decide on the camo scheme. Don't know if I'll go with the box art one. Cheers, Jan
JUN 13, 2010 - 07:45 AM
Thanks for showing some progress pictures. I particularly like the way you've done the tires. Can't wait to see what you do with the camo. Regards, AJ
JUN 24, 2010 - 05:09 AM
Thanks for your interest, AJ. I am still working on the camo and hope I can do something that won't disappoint interested parties. Cheers, Jan
JUN 24, 2010 - 12:02 PM
Jan what are the marks on some of the ammo box handles, are they damaged/incorrectly moulded?
JUN 29, 2010 - 12:51 PM
Darren, I am not exactly sure what you are seeing and referring to. Is it that some handles look more white on the pre-painted photos? I have read in my research that Maco first cast their original sprues in both white and almost clear. Some handles in my sample were looking quite white as opposed to the predominant light grey. A few other parts were also exhibiting a whitish hue or even marbling. If you desire I can take a picture of the ammo boxes with their current covering of XF-59. Cheers, Jan
JUN 29, 2010 - 01:52 PM
Jan that is fine you hit the nail on the head first time and answered my question as well.
JUN 29, 2010 - 02:25 PM
Only to happy to help. They are a new manufacturer and I surmise, are still getting things worked out. From what I have read, some of their moulding issues are temerature and pressure specific that affect flow of material. However, we must admit that they are achieving some excellant results in detail. Cheers, Jan
JUN 29, 2010 - 02:52 PM
Greetings all! It's been three and a half months since I posted anything here but the time has not been wasted. I've "discovered" in a recent build how to replicate camouflage and appropriate weathering for small scale by brush that caused me to want to start finishing up this little trailer. I have used these new found abilities to paint the trailer in the pattern suggested on the Maco box. At this point I will call it 95% finished. There are still a few minor touches that I want to apply (shovel handles, interior wear, dusting up the wheels a bit more) but here is how the build currently stands. It was a beautiful and sunny fall day so the pictures were taken in 100 % manual mode and should appear as close as one can get to what the eye sees. Cheers, Jan
OCT 10, 2010 - 07:51 AM
   
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