Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper (sWS) armoured cargo version. Chapter 2: Construction

 

The kit chassis is a nice solid one piece item

 Front axle and suspension added

 

There is a choice of two sprockets and two idler wheel designs. These are the ones I will be using

 

 Front wheels fixed at full lock

 

Sandwhich design front wheels

 

Drivers side vision port (original plastic part)

 

Reworked passenger side vision port reduced in size

No front vision blocks are provide with the kit so you will have to source/make your own if displaying them open

There is no evidence a radio was ever fitted. The fact that no exteral antenna pot was present on period images, and that the rifle racks shown previously would have filled up space on the side wall where all the electrical boxes offered in the kit were fixed, point towards another kit error. 

Cab floor moulding 

 

Production fuel filler cab extension made from stretched sprue

 

Cab floor, cab roof, and cargo platform mouldings test fitted to the chassis

  Cargo platform assembly

 

Running gear test fitted to the chassis. The individual trank links built up in two runs to aid fitment once painted

 

Track run test fitted

 

 

Extreme wheel articulation with the stub axles dry fitted

 

As mentioned in the introduction the cab bulkhead part is included in the kit but strangely not called out. As per the Nuts & Bolts reference diagram I used it and added the cut outs for the small arms storage. The rifle rack was sourced from the parts bin

 

 

 

Bulkhead to cab welding was added with stretched sprue

 

 

When it comes to the cab interior no mention of any radio device is mentioned in the Nuts & Bolt reference book. However, the kit does supply one as well as a whole bunch of electrical boxes you are instructed to add onto the passenger side wall. This is where you need to make a decision. If you want to add the bulkhead and add both rifle racks, the electrical boxes will be in the way! 

 

I had already added the radio and electrical boxes before I realised it was unlikely one was fitted so, rather than re-work this area I decided a little artistic licence was in order, and simply added weld marks where an outside rifle rack had been removed.

 

 

 

Witness marks on the underside of the cab roof which aids removal of a section of roof instructed to be removed on all the flak variant kits.

 

 

  Chapter 3