Tristar

1/35 German Panzer I Ausf A Late Sd.Kfz.101

Kit Number: 35008

Reviewed by  Robert Morales, IPMS# 35135

MSRP: $50.00 Review kit provided by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) (www.modelrectifier.com) The Panzer I remains an iconic symbol of German military resurgence during the 1930s and the early war period. Tristar's first full armor kit is a welcome addition for modelers interested in pre- and early war vehicles, as this is the first time the Ausf A has been produced in plastic. This kit is a special edition release, including parts to make the early or late versions. The kit is extremely well molded in light gray plastic, with the addition of Modelkasten individual link tracks and a small fret of Aber photo-etch detail parts. One additional sprue in light tan is included to allow the builder the option of making the early version superstructure, although the instructions do not indicate this whatsoever. The kit also includes two sets of decals, one from the original boxing of the kit to include a Spanish War, Polish campaign or Afrika Korps Panzer, and a second, smaller sheet for the Polish and African campaigns. The kit only includes painting and marking illustrations for the last two tanks, however. The assembly process is conventional, with undercarriage assembly first. I could not get the left drive sprocket to fit in it's mounting in a snug manner, so it ended up being glued in place. I found that Step 3 and 7 have errors, concerning the middle wheel assemblies. In step 3, part A6 should be replaced with A7, and in step 7, the remaining A6 will replace A7. Also to note, the first road wheels, parts D8, need to be secured to the axles with cap D3. I was not able to glue D3 into place without the wheel also being glued on; the axle does not protrude far enough past the wheel to meet the cap. Upper hull and turret assembly follows, and poses no significant issues to the builder. Although it is not illustrated, remember to add one vision plate D14 to the forward right side opening. One other thing not clearly illustrated is the hull hatch placement. The instructions show the hatches closed, but with the addition of the crewmembers in the kit, showing them opened in the proper position would benefit the builder. For the time frame I was representing, I omitted steps 15 and 16, the air-cooling intake/outlet cowls and the smoke candle rack, although these are wonderfully reproduced. The Aber photo etch muffler screens are a great addition.

I saved the track assembly for later, just before painting. There are 180 track links included in the kit, but one must be careful as 90 of these are for the left side and 90 are for the right. The difference is where the molded-in link pin is located; if it's on the right with the guide horns up and the wider end forward, that's the right-hand link. After carefully snipping away the links from the sprue and ejector pins, I followed the directions' advice by mating the links together, adding the pins in through the holes, gluing them in place, and allowing them to dry before snipping the sprue from the pins. I built runs of twenty, and then joined the sections together. I test-fit them to the tank, noting that the kit recommendation of 87-88 links per side provides a good fit. I went with 88, which only leaves 2 spares per side. If all goes well, they will remain workable, producing realistic sag.

About this time, a few near-disasters occurred. I primed the lower hull with black enamel, and the interior in Testors Panzer Interior Buff. Not priming the upper hull proved costly, as a few drops of lacquer from an old bottle of Floquil primer splashed on the upper hull, causing some plastic crazing. My next near-disaster came as I primed the tracks. I sprayed them Vallejo Black Gray acrylic, and while removing them from the spray jig, the left run separated into three sections. Each break was caused when the small molded pins let go under slight pressure. These separations needed to be glued in place, which slightly affected the workable nature of the tracks. I base coated the tank with Model Master panzer gray acrylic, feathering in panzer gray lightened with white on the upper surfaces to represent fading. I added the decals, choosing the Polish Campaign scheme illustrated on the box. The decals worked wonderfully, using Micro Set on all and Micro Sol on places where I needed the decal to conform to irregular surfaces. I did need to trim the top part of the rear turret cross, as it came to rest on the lifting hook. I touched it up with Polly Scale white. After a sealing coat of Future floor wax, I proceeded with an oil wash using blue black, followed by a series of pin washes using burnt umber and raw sienna. I dry brushed the highlights using a combination of Payne's gray, yellow ochre and titanium white. I added the tracks to the kit, which again separated into three sections, requiring another cement job. Somehow, I was able to keep from throwing the kit across the room. The entire undercarriage was lightly airbrushed with Tamiya buff, simulating a light dust coating. I drilled out the center headlamp, painting the concave surface in silver and adding Testors Clear Cement to make the lens. A few shots of Testors rattle-can Dullcoat sealed the works.

The kit figures are superbly molded. Both figures each have a choice of two heads, one with the panzer beret and one with the field cap, so that the figures can represent either pre-/early war or North Africa panzer troops. The facial expressions are clear and distinct, the overcoats are well replicated, and the fine details such as buttons and crests are finely detailed. There are no assembly issues, and painting them is a real pleasure. I would put them on par with Dragon's Gen2 figures. I finished mine using Vallejo and Andrea acrylics.

On the whole, this is the finest armor kit I have built to date. Crispness of molding, fidelity to detail and optional equipment make this kit top notch. My two quibbles are the fragile tracks and at times incorrect or vague instructions. Thank you to Tristar and their distributor, MRC, for providing this kit for review.

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