Kit: No. 35050
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: AFV Club, imported by Merit International, 911 Canada Court Building B, City of Industry, CA 91748, 626-912-2212, www.merit-intl.com
Price: $35.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 148 parts (two metal, one vinyl), decals
Pros: Accurate, well-detailed, includes horse-drawn or vehicle-towed options and can be posed as towed or in firing position
Cons: Location of some small parts unclear, fragile model when finished
In 1927, the German Army Ordnance Office requested further development of the World War I-vintage leFH16 field howitzer. The result was the leFH18. Changes included a longer barrel, an above-barrel recuperator, and a new split-trail carriage with an improved suspension.
The new gun was sent to front-line service by the start of World War II. Over 20 variations were built, and nearly 7,000 leFH18s were built in the basic configuration.
The gun was capable of launching a shell six miles. Ammunition comprised a separate shell with powder charges (the more charges added, the longer the shell’s range). Two basic towed versions were built. The horse-drawn one was attached to a separate limber, which contained the gun’s ammunition and carried the crew. For vehicle towing, air brakes and taillights were added. The towing vehicle provided space for the crew and ammunition, so no limber was needed. The gun was also mounted on several armor chassis, the most famous being the Panzer II-based “Wespe.”
Molded in a yellowish-tan plastic, AFV Club’s leFH18 features 148 finely molded parts. Of special note is the excellent turned-metal barrel. Also included is a brass tube for the recuperator. What I originally thought was a small spring turned out to be a vinyl molding for the dust cover on the elevation cylinder. Only the pressed-steel wheels are represented; perhaps the aftermarket will produce a set of wooden-spoke wheels.
The small decal sheet includes four marking variations, basic stenciling, and range placards. No ammunition or figures are supplied.
Before beginning assembly, decide which variation you want; different parts are used or altered depending on whether it is horse-drawn or vehicle-towed.
You should also decide whether to display the gun in its towed or firing configuration. I chose a horse-drawn gun in firing position, as I hope to include it in a vignette with a scratchbuilt limber and some figures and horses.
The metal barrel fits snugly to the breech-block halves. Applying a bit of liquid cement and squeezing gently trapped the barrel firmly against the breech. A few small ejector pin marks appear on the inside of the barrel rails, but they are hardly noticeable once the rail halves are joined. Larger ejector pin stubs mar the recuperator mounts (A3, A4), though, and they must be removed before installation.
I replaced the recuperator shaft (A11) with a small piece of steel wire; it’s sturdier and more realistic than the plastic piece included in the kit. The vinyl dust cover for the elevation piston has to be trimmed to the proper length, depending on what elevation you want for the barrel.
My dust cover had a lot of flash that was difficult to remove. You may want to wait to install the elevation hand wheel (A47 on the right side of the gun) until the gun is married to the carriage. Mine interfered with the right trail when the gun was installed.
The locations of many of the parts are vague, with only slight indentations to mark where the parts go. The diagrams can also be confusing where multiple location lines go through parts. The instructions don’t show both sides of an assembly. Instead, you are often left guessing where the parts on the other side go.
It is important that the rotation shaft (A49) be allowed to move in its mounts. If glued in place, it will affect the mounting of the gun to the chassis.
My original plan was to leave the gun shield off until I had finished basic painting, but it would be difficult to install the gun with the recuperator mount in place. I installed the shield as shown in the instructions and had a few problems getting paint into the tight spaces later. The part numbers for the gun shield braces (A50 and A51) are reversed in the instructions, but it’s not difficult to figure out where they should go.
The main axle assembly is straightforward; just make sure you follow the directions for the version you are making. There are several small, delicate pieces added to the axle assembly, most notably the fine brake linkages.
I assembled the nicely detailed trails following the instructions, leaving off only the pioneer tools and sighting rods to make painting easier. The trails attach firmly to the chassis.
If you plan to depict your gun in the towing mode, you will need to shorten piece B4. No measurements are given in the instructions for this process; you’ll have to use trial and error.
I painted my gun with a mix of 70-percent Tamiya XF-63 German gray and 30-percent Tamiya XF-8 blue to represent panzer gray. I painted the tires flat black, then dry-brushed with grimy black and light gray.
Future floor polish was brushed onto the model just where the decals were going to go. The decals responded well to a coat of Solvaset, and snuggled down over the rivets well. The range placard decals (decals 1 and 2) were slightly out of register, leaving a white line on the right side.
Once the decals were dry, I airbrushed a coat of Polly Scale clear flat over the entire model, then applied a black-and- burnt-umber oil wash to all parts. When the wash was dry, I dry-brushed with old Floquil panzer gray enamel lightened with white oil paint. The tools were added to the trails, and then the major assemblies were brought together.
Attaching the gun to the chassis is difficult because the connection between the two isn’t strong, and both parts are bristling with delicate pieces. The rotation shaft also has to be aligned with its yoke (A48).
Because of all of the variable positions on a field gun, finding accurate dimensions can be a challenge. The finished model compares well to my references. My most useful reference was German Light Field Artillery 1935-1945 by Joachim Engelmann (Schiffer). There are also excellent pictures in Vols. 7 and 8 of Ampersand Publications’ Allied-Axis The Photo Journal of the Second World War.
AFV Club’s howitzer requires care and patience to assemble, but it is well-detailed and accurate. I spent about 12 hours building mine; not bad considering all of the small, delicate parts. Modeling experience is necessary, though. I’m glad to see AFV Club offering models of WWII armor that hadn’t rated plastic kits before.
– John Plzak