4D Sd.Kfz. 7

I just received the latest 1/72 scale 4D branded quick build model in the mail, so I took a few minutes to do a quick write-up about it. This time, their subject is the Sd.Kfz. 7 8-ton half-tracked personnel carrier (八吨半履带运兵车).

The model is primarily made of ABS plastic, with 53 parts in dark gray, 3 parts in black, 1 clear windshield, and 2 tracks made of vinyl. The black ABS front wheels have the centers pre-painted in dark gray to match the plastic of the rest of the model.

It took about 30 minutes to put the model together, with most of the time spent repairing some unintended damage that occurred while I was making some final adjustments on the model.

Most of this is invisible after assembly

I didn't follow the provided wheel assembly instructions exactly.

Add parts 6 and 7

Add part 4 (pay attention to the orientation)

Add assembly A1 and part 5

Add part 1

I added the front wheels to the chassis, but pushed them too far in so that when the upper body was added they were set too deeply into the wheel wells. I tried to pull them out a bit to adjust the distance, but ended up breaking one of the attachment points, which required some drilling and pinning to fix.

The tracks are pretty bad

My recommendation is to add the front wheels after attaching the upper body, so that you can adjust the proper distance with the fenders as a reference point.

Add windshield first, then instrument panel

The pegs for the steering wheel column and gear levers need a bit of filing to plug into their holes, but all the other parts fit without too much effort. The rifles are pretty rudimentary and don't look particularly good though.

Note the orientation of the rifles

Serious modelers will probably scoff at the kit like they usually do with 4D quick build models, but there are plenty of other choices for them with regards to the Sd.Kfz. 7.

Overall, I think this half-track is a great value for the price, and I will most likely pick up a couple more. I think there may be a version made in tan plastic as well, but I haven't seen it on eBay yet.