The Panhard Engin Blindé de Reconnaissance, or, as HobbyBoss labels it, the French EBR-10 Wheeled Reconnaissance Vehicle, was based on a pre-World War II design resurrected in the 1950s. Notable features included an oscillating AMX-13 turret and four inner road wheels that could be raised for travel on paved roads.
The HobbyBoss kit is molded in light yellow styrene with vinyl tires and a sheet of photoetched metal. Flash is minimal and the few knockout marks are easy to remove. Overall, fit is good with just a couple of areas that need filler. The hatches are separate, but there is no interior detail. The directions flowed logically, and deviating from them was unnecessary (unusual for me). A color painting guide is included.
Before gluing the hull halves together, be sure to drill the four holes shown in Step 2; they are specific to this version (and a sign that another variant will follow). There are large sink marks on the underside of the fenders that need filling.
The four inner road wheels are made of vinyl, with some visible flash around the inner rim; I used a new, sharp blade and fine sandpaper to remove it as best as I could. There is also a mold seam around the tires, but removing it would damage the detail. So, I left it alone. The rims fit loosely inside of these wheels; a spacer should be placed between parts A5 and A6 to tighten the fit. In all, these wheels would be best replaced by available aftermarket items. Detail on the four main road wheels is crisp, with sidewall detail and the manufacturer’s name well represented. Although the directions do not explain it, by aligning one of the flat edges on parts C6 and C7 with the flat edge in the hole on the hull, the wheels can be shown either up or down.
The hull hatches fit poorly; filler was needed to hide large gaps. The barrel support is designed to be raised; displaying it down would require surgery. The photoetched-metal steps (parts PE-7) are easily broken, so glue them on last. I punched discs out of Bare-Metal Foil for the rearview mirrors.
The turret halves’ fit was poor and needed filler. The turret is designed to oscillate, but if you use the optional dust cover the turret will not move. A slide-molded barrel is included with the flash suppressor molded in place. What looks like a mold seam on the flash suppressor should be left alone, as the gun does have a weld seam there. Vision ports on the turret are hollow; paint them black inside to prevent a view of the empty interior. I used K&S piano wire for the antenna.
I primed the model with Vallejo Russian green. Reference pictures show EBRs painted in various greens or desert yellow, but the instructions show only one scheme — green. Mr. Hobby and Humbrol colors are called out in the paint guide; I chose Humbrol U.S. light green (No. 117), painting to let the primer show in shadowy areas. Only one decal option is given; extras are included. With the help of Solvaset, the decals went down smoothly over rough surfaces. I weathered with Mig dark brown wash and AK Interactive dark streaking grime. Final details are painted with Vallejo and Humbrol colors.
The kit’s design allows a good weekend build or a break from overly complex kits; mine took only 22 hours to complete. I found a page called “Surviving Panhard EBR Reconnaissance Armoured Cars” at www.massimocorner.com that shows EBRs on display in many of the countries that used them. According to George Bradford’s AFV Plans: Cold War Armored Fighting Vehicles (Stackpole, ISBN 978-0-8117-0678-0), the model is about 5mm short and 2mm low. But if you added photoetched-metal tool brackets, replaced the four movable wheels, and reworked the turret vision blocks, this kit could be a real showstopper.
A version of this review appeared in the February 2013 FineScale Modeler.