Trumpeter – 07404 – Sd.Kfz.8 Gepanzerte 12t

Description:

Sdkfz.8/DB10 12t

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a German WWII heavy armored tractor based on the Sd.Kfz.8 half-track towing tractor but fully armored, a subject with little information about but with some interesting evidences about its existence.

The kit is based on the recently released Trumpeter – 07403 – German Sd.Kfz. 8 schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12t, reusing chassis and drive train from the kit, which include rubber tires for the front wheels and tracks are tooled in a single piece.

Many sources not even mention an armored variant of the Sd.Kfz.8, but there are several pictures of such vehicle in service with Luftwaffe units, towing a 8.8cm Flak (one of the purposes of the standard Sd.Kfz.8) and showing at least two different rear doors configuration, which suggests several vehicles were modified to this armored variant over time. But the most interesting evidence is a real vehicle found in 1999 in Pilica River in Poland, the vehicle was restored (to running conditions) and is exposed in the Pilica River Open-air Museum. Modeler Marcos Serra has a nice article and a nice work over an 1/35 scale kit of this subject in their Panzerserra blog article about the Gepanzerte 12t. The article is either an inspiration for modeling and a good summary of the Sd.Kfz.8 history including several pictures of the armored version. Trumpeter kit features the “4 doors” rear configuration, same as the real example found at Pilica, which is the best source of information for this kind of vehicle.

Same thatTrumpeter 07403 was the first 1/72 scale injected plastic Sd.Kfz.8 available in the market, this armored variant is the first of its type in our scale.