Bronco

1/35 1937 Opel Stabswagen (Cabriolet)

Kit Number: 35047

Reviewed by  Tom Jett, IPMS# 46082

MSRP: $44.95 Website: www.bronco-model.com Kit Supplied by Stevens International: www.stevenshobby.com Bronco Models has embarked on the mission of filling a void in the 1/35 modeling world with some unique releases to satisfy both the German and allied builder. Their latest release, the 1937 Opel Stabswagen (Staff Car) Cabriolet is a perfect example. The Stabswagen was a familiar but so far unsung workhorse of the Wehrmacht. We'd seen photos of countless books but never a model, until now. What makes things even better is that this is a completely enjoyable build, but will take a little skill to complete, based on the complexity of the front suspension, more on that later. The kit consists of 14 clear and 87 parts cast on light cream-colored styrene. The tires add another 40 parts cast in black styrene. In addition a small PE fret with 20 parts is included along with a sprue to build 2 jerry Cans. Weapons include parts for a nice MG 34 and MP 40. Decal options include three German and one US version. Getting started. This is a quick build (out of the box), I had most of the kit done in one good Saturday of modeling. The majority of the parts and effort are centered around the suspension, tires and interior. I began with the tires. As mentioned earlier, these come in five sprues of 8 parts each. The tires are cast in "slices" with each "slice" representing the inner sidewall, outer sidewall and each tread of the tire. The remaining parts are the wheel/hubcap and hub. The tires are a little fiddly, the inner and outer sidewalls have a two pair of pegs molded in that correspond to the tread "slices" you'll later sandwich between them. I finished all five tires and set them aside to paint and weather separately, and began the suspension, and undercarriage. Most of this is very straightforward and will present no challenges to the average builder until you get to the front suspension parts. Bronco has done a good job representing the Opel suspension but this creates a rather weak joint unless you add a little stiffness. That's what I did, by drilling through parts B-18 and B-19 and inserting some thin brass wire to provide some added strength to the assembly. Without this, you'll experience a lot of frustration with wheels breaking off etc. (See picture) The final result is a workable front suspension.

After completing the undercarriage and suspension, I turned to the interior. This again is very straightforward, and provided no challenges however, there were a few minor sink marks in the front floor that needed to be filled and sanded. The instructions show you adding the clear windows during the build up of the interior; however, I chose to leave them out until after painting. (Note: The windows are molded with "locating holes" that go over pins on the interior door and rear seat walls. By opening up the holes, you'll be able to slip them into the window frames and down over the pins.) I built up the doors but left them off to paint individually. The exterior did not require much work, just a few PE parts, license plates, Notek light, bumpers etc. I modeled the top up version however you do get the top down option, however I think the detail is rather skimpy, considering pictures I've seen of top-down Opels. A better option would be to sculpt a new retracted top from Apoxie-Sculpt or similar putty.

Painting. Now that construction was complete, I began the painting and weathering process by undercoating everything in red primer. Once that was dry I masked off the exterior windows so that I could paint the interior. I began by applying a light coat of hairspray to the interior to facilitate the paint-chipping process. I wanted to convey a vehicle that had been pressing into military service from the civilian world so I chose to a light yellow interior with red leather seats for color. I used a mix of two LifeColor paints from their Italian Armor line of colors for the interior. The seats frames were given the same color. For the red leather, I mixed up a little Tamiya "Hull Red" and Vallejo Model Air, "Scarlet Red" and "Orange" and brush painted this onto the seats. Later I added a little Tamiya flat white to this mixture and airbrushed on some highlights.

Paint chips. I wanted to convey some gentle use so did not go too aggressively with the paint chipping. I used Tamiya lacquer thinner to soften and remove the yellow interior colors, and created a scuffed look to the floor boards. After a little while to dry, I went back and added some darker chips to the floor and doors with some Vallejo "SS Camo-Black". I also gave the interior a wash with a mix of MiG Neutral and Brown Wash to accentuate some of the floor lines etc. The seats also for a pin-wash of Mig Dark Wash but just to the upholstered folds in the cushions Now it was time to paint the exterior. I chose a scheme shown in the instructions of Schwartzgrau with narrow bands of Dark Yellow. I base coated everything in LifeColor Schwartzgrau, then shot a lighter coat with some LifeColor Matt White mixed in. Next, I cleaned up the airbrush and used LifeColor Dark Yellow to add the narrow bands of camo. For the soft top, I base coated the top in LifeColor Dunkelbraun, then went back and hit the high points again with a lightened mixture of Dunkelbraun and Lifecolor "Giallo" dark yellow. With the basic camo pattern done, I gave everything a quick blast under the hair dryer before sealing everything in a coat of Future floor wax. The Future gives you a smooth surface for decals and pin-washes that would follow. Speaking of pin-washes, these are best accomplished over a glossy surface. A flat surface will only produce tidemarks in your finish. I applied the few decals for my version and then sealed everything up in final coat of Future.

Let the weathering begin. I began the weathering with some oil paint fading using Mig oil paints and Thinner for Washes. Once this was dry, I added pin washes around all the raised details, and panel lines to add depth. From there I broke out the pigments and began layering on various shades of dust, dirt and dried mud to the undercarriage, and along the exterior sides and rear end. (The wheels and tires received the same painting and weathering regiment.) Once I was satisfied with the pigments, I set them in place by air brushing a light misting of Mig Pigment Fixer.

In summary, this is a great little kit, superbly engineered for easy of assembly. Since this is a relatively quick and easy build, you'll have plenty of energy left to go crazy on painting and weathering. This would make a great addition to any of a number of ETO diorama possibilities. Highly recommended! Thanks to Stevens, Bronco, and IPMS for the review sample.