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Italeri Horch Command Car SdKfz 15

Here is the latest installment from Marc Hobbs: The Italeri Horch Command Car.

Note: All the thumbnails on this page are active and will take you to the full size graphics.

Marc Hobbs is a founding member of the AABS club. He lives and works in Austin.

History

In the early 1930's the German Army began promoting the idea of the "uniform personnel vehicle". Unlike the American automotive giants, the German automotive industry consisted of many small independent firms. To achieve some level of mass production and to ease the logistics of maintenance, the concept of the uniform personnel vehicle was developed.

Originally these were civilian vehicles modified for military use, but by the late 1930's the Army was receiving more purpose-built vehicles. The SdKfz 15, or more officially, "Uniform chassis for medium support vehicle (with support axle) Type 40 referred to a generally standardized chassis produced by Auto Union or Opel with engines from either Horch or Opel and body work by either Horch or Wanderer. All had 4 wheel drive and 2 wheel steering.

While cosmetically similar, the models still had many differences. The most troubling in the field was that it was very difficult to swap the Horch and Opel engines. So while the vehicle was a great step forward for German industry, the German Army still did not enjoy the level of logistical simplicity as that of the American Army. The complexity of maintenance along with mediocre cross-country performance led to the type being discontinued in 1943 in favor of the Horch Heavy Personnel Vehicle Type 40 and the Steyr 1500.

The model

My model is the Italeri Horch Command Car SdKfz 15. This kit has been around for some time. I think the initial release was in the 1970's, but my example is dated 1996. The kit consists of 113 parts in dark green plastic, four windows and two headlights in clear and six black vinyl tires. Included in the 113 parts are a driver and officer figure and a nice little folding map table.

In spite of this kit's age, the overall molding is excellent. There are some punch-out marks in some rather annoying places, but I haven't built a kit yet that didn't suffer from this. Also the mold seams are heavier than on modern kits and there is one major fit problem around the bonnet, but the quality of detail is unmatched even today. Where this kit really shows its age is in the figures and accessories, they do not begin to compare with the sets now available.