6666 - 1/35 Neubau-Fahrzeug Rheinmetall-Fahrgestell und Krupp-Turm Geanderte MG-Turme-review

Kit, Cyberhobby 6666, Neubau-Fahrzeug, Rheinmetall-Fahrgestell und Krupp-Turm Geanderte MG

Product Specifications.

6666, Neubau-Fahrzeug, Rheinmetall-Fahrgestell und Krupp-Turm Geanderte MG-Turme. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit. Contains: 630 styrene parts (including 50 clear and 280 individual links), two etched brass frets, two water-slide decal/markings schemes and six pages of instructions in 15 steps.

Introduction.

In the years after the Great War, several countries developed tanks that had multiple turrets, which, in essence, were land-based warships. Multiple turrets allowed for several targets to be engaged simultaneously either by cannon or machine-guns, an ability that gained the Neubau-Fahrzeug praise from its unit commander in Norway. Although the entire concept eventually proved to be a dead-end, some of these archaic machines actually saw combat, particularly in the hands of the Soviet Red Army in Finland and later during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Germany deployed four prototype Neubau-Fahrzeuge during the brief campaign to conquer Norway in the early spring of 1940, including the subject of this kit, which was a mild steel pre-production example. The other three Neubau-Fahrzeuge were fully-armored and reports are that a kit of this version will be a future release, probably by DML.

Regardless, the modeler who desires to do so, now has the opportunity to add this unique and rare AFV to his collection without going the more expensive route of acquiring a resin/multimedia kit.

Tracks.

These are given as individual links, but in a departure from the usual DML/Cyberhobby habit of including Magic Tracks in their kits, these are attached to sprues, which will require cleaning three attachment gates from each of them. Perhaps this is why this offering is not designated as a Smart Kit. Regardless, these are a 38cm type very similar to those seen on the early Pz.Kpfw.IV models. The major difference is that the guide horns are solid and the cleat faces are plain, so using any manufacturers 38cm Pz.Kpfw.IV tracks without suitable modification would not be strictly correct.

Suspension System.

The suspension system is based on coil springs; these come five per side, each of which carried two pairs of steel, rubber-tired road-wheels on pivoting bogies. Each bogie consists of two side plates (inner and outer) as well as a pair of swing-arms. Thus, there are twenty road-wheels to clean-up and paint. In addition another pair of wheels are fitted forward, just below the idler wheels. These are not sprung, being mounted on an A-frame, rigidly attached to a separately-fitted hull side plate, along with a conventionally-molded, front-mounted, two-part idler wheel. On the opposite end of the vehicle, a three-part drive sprocket is fitted, again to a separate hull-side plate. The return rollers are next fitted to the top run of the hull sides. There are four pairs of them on each side and they are all rigidly-mounted to A-frames.

Hull.

Most kit manufacturers create a tanks hull using a slide-mold, with a separate roof plate added. This kit, due to its configuration, has reversed that process: the belly plate is separate. Both moldings come complete with all bolts, rivets and panel lines molded in place. The hull side walls feature several separate access hatch lids, with an axe mounted on the starboard side plate. The separate rear plate also features a separate access hatch lid, while a pair of separate towing eyes and their associated U-shaped tow clevises are seen fore and aft.

Track-Guards and OVM.

Typical for DML/Cyberhobby, the track-guards are separate parts with detail on both sides. Also, typically, they are completely devoid of ejector pin marks on both surfaces. The port side mounts a separate axe and track-tensioning wrench, followed by a sledge-hammer, multi-part vehicle jack, fire extinguisher and pry-bar. The starboard side mounts a shovel, another track-tensioning wrench and six mounting brackets for the engines exhaust pipe/muffler assembly. The latter is a two-part assembly with partially bored-out openings at its end. A third part connects it to the engine deck. The front end of each track-guard has a separate, four-part mud flap assembly, complimented by an etched brass bracket.

Superstructure.

The superstructure sides and top are, as previously-noted, molded as one piece, with complete details on all sides. Up forward there are weld-beads and a head-lamp mount molded in place. A separate head-lamp, with a separate clear styrene lens can be depicted raised or lowered; behind it is a separate horn. There are also separate plates and brackets associated with the track-guards, fitted on either side. The drivers view-port visor is also separate and features an etched brass rain-guard; a second visor is situated on the superstructure side plate, to his left. His overhead hatch lid is also separate and is complimented by a separate grab-handle. Further aft, on both sides, is another visor as well as what I presume are marker lamps; the port side also mounts a one-piece bore-swab/staff assembly.

The engine deck features panel, fastener and filler cap details molded in place. Several separate armored guards are provided for the engine air intakes, as are grab-handles. The engine deck air exhaust is covered with a large, triangular armored guard. It features separate baffles either in styrene or etched brass.

Turrets.

The sub-turrets are unique to this version, featuring one-piece (separate) lids. These are D-shaped and mounted on an angle. Movable mantlets each mount a single MG34, which is slide-molded and therefore features proper cooling jacket perforations as well as a pre-bored muzzle. All view-ports are separate multi-part items, including clear parts for the armored glass blocks. The guns can elevate and the turrets rotate after finishing. A shield fits above the mantlet on each turret and it can be replicated using either the styrene or etched brass parts provided.

The main turret shell comes from a slide-mold and it is complimented by a separate base part. The shell has recessed panel lines and fastener details, as well as a false periscope head molded in place. Separate grab handles are then added to the roof plate. The turret side hatch lids are separate as are their accompanying view-ports; a third separate view-port flap is fitted on the front face, as is a mantlet part. The commanders cupola is a four-part assembly with a hatch lid that can be left open. Next to it is a separate part which I assume is some sort of vision device. A multi-part rod antenna finishes off the assembly, while several etched brass parts detail a few small areas.

The main turret features co-axially-mounted 3.7 and 7.5cm KwK main guns and a separately-mounted MG34. All are slide-molded, so they have their bore ends opened up. The MG34 also has proper cooling jacket perforations. It is fixed in one position in its ball mount, while the main guns can elevate when assembled.

Molding, Fit and Engineering.

Molding is typical for a new DML/Cyberhobby product. There are no sink marks or visible ejector pin marks, while mold seams are fine and easily cleaned-up. I did not test fit any parts since this kit is being passed along to another modeler. See Tom Cockles comments below.

Accuracy and Details.

The kit hull matches well with plans in the cited references, for a Neubau-Fahrzeug of the Nr.3, 4 & 5 production variant. The sub-turrets are different from the plans, as are the main turrets finer details. Those details seem to match the available photos of the Nr.2 Neubau-Fahrzeug fairly well.

Instructions.

These are in the common line drawing style and are rather simple compared to some other DML/CH kits. Tom Cockle has some comments that are relevant:

In Step 2, C4(C5) are reversed. It should read C5(C4).
In Step 4, you will need 127 track links if you want to have any sag at all. Also, parts A7(A6) should be installed the reverse to the diagram, i.e., the two close together rivets towards the outside and two wide towards the hull.
In Step 7, you have to drill a hole in the hull for the light D2. You also have to add a strip of Evergreen styrene in front of fender support A23 with four round bolt heads.
In Step 11, parts D45(D46) should read D46(D45).

Tom further states that he also made front fender supports using the two spare triangular front fender gussets A4 and 5 instead of the PE parts MA2 & 3, which are incorrectly shaped. These were added after Gary's comment on M-L. I also drilled an optic sight hole in the two MG turrets. Otherwise the kit went together beautifully.

Thanks Tom!

Decals and Markings Information.

These are from Cartograf and are simple, consisting only of four white-outline Balkenkreuze national insignia. They are crisply printed with matte carrier film, trimmed close to the edges of each individual design. The color schemes (which are correct) are properly called-out using war-time German paint codes. But, the commercially-available hobby paints that are keyed to the colors may not be correct. The modeler will have to do some research in that regard.

Conclusion.

This is certainly an unusual kit subject, which is why Cyberhobby exists. This specific vehicle, Neubau-Fahrzeug Nr.2, was sent to Norway as a replacement, so it was deployed into a combat zone for a time; this should add to its appeal. A kit of the Nr.3, 4 & 5 Neubau-Fahrzeuge will probably follow soon for those wanting the armored version in their collection.

- Frank V. De Sisto

Neubau-Fahrzeug - Rheinmetall-Fahrgestelle und Krupp-Turm Geaenderte MG-Turme

Summary

Stock Number and Description	cyber-hobby.com 1/35 scale Kit No. 62 (Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6666); Neubau-Fahrzeug - Rheinmetall-Fahrgestelle und Krupp-Turm Geaenderte MG-Turm (2011)
Scale:	1/35
Media and Contents:	627 parts (569 in grey styrene, 44 clear styrene, 14 etched brass)
Price:	pre-order price US$69.95 via Dragon USA Online
Review Type:	First Look
Advantages:	First kit of this vehicle in styrene; extensive use of slide molding for the upper hull and details
Disadvantages:	Model is prototype No. 2 and not an armored O-series vehicle
Recommendation:	Highly Recommended for "real" German armor fans

FirstLook

One of the items many people either ignore or do not know is that prior to their open rearmament the Germans had a clandestine program of cooperation with the Soviet Union on armored vehicles and artillery weapons. Both countries were fascinated by armor developments in the UK and as such tried their own versions of things.

One of the first efforts where they both tried their hand at copying British ideas (which the USSR felt too expensive and the Germans of course were not supposed to be doing at all) was the Vickers "Independent" design with five turrets. The Soviets used it as motivation to built the T-35 heavy breakthrough tank, and the Germans built a prototype of a large rhombic single-turret tank dubbed "Grosstraktor" (large tractor). The prototypes were shipped to the Kama River area in Russia for testing.

While both countries were also looking at the Vickers "Sixteen Tonner" again nobody wanted to pay the seemingly exorbitant prices Vickers wanted. Germany and the USSR then both designed a medium weight (20-25 ton) tank with twin machine gun turrets and a single turret for a heavy gun.

But where the Soviet design evolved into the T-28 medium tank, the German design only produced five prototypes: two in mild steel and three pre-production models with face-hardened armor plate. But these tanks were not shared designs with the Soviets and were totally German in nature.

Dubbed the "Neubaufahrzeug" (new construction vehicle) or Nb Fz for short, the vehicles used Rheinmetall developed hulls and first a Rheinmetall rolled plate turret and then a faceted Krupp one; Prototype 1 hade the former and Prototype 2 the latter design, and all three pre-production machines used the Krupp design. The Rh-B turret also mounted its unique twin gun arrangement (one 3.7 cm antitank gun and one 7.5 cm support howitzer) one above the other, whereas the Krupp turret placed them side by side (7.5 cm on the right). Initially the small turrets mounted twin MG 13 7.92mm machine guns, but later they changed to single weapons. A fifth (third) MG 13 was mounted in the mantlet of the main turret as well.

While all of them were built between 1934-35 they were still under test in 1940 when it was decided to send the three O-series tanks to Norway. One was destroyed but the other two were later returned to Germany.

The Nb Fz is one of the ugliest of German tanks, but when viewed with contemporaries is no worse than the Soviet T-28. As such, hardcore German tank fans have always wanted one even though it was decided it was not going to sell like Tigers or Panthers. Now cyber-hobby.com has provided a full new kit, and I can only recognize two small sprues in this kit from previous releases.

Basically DML did the molding and cyber-hobby.com the marketing on this kit. The model is of Prototype No. 2 with the squared-off Krupp turret and side-by-side guns and the single machine gun turrets.

The entire upper hull and sponsons are molded as a single piece with many of their details in place, and it is a spectacular piece of work. The lower hull is actually a single piece belly and two running strips for the suspension units; each one consists of a four-piece bogie assembly that attaches to a spring on the running strip and twin swing arms for alignment (note the directions are typically DML in this area - e.g. unclear.) Step 2 also indicates a number of small rivets must be removed from the side sponsons. A rear section (A30) completes the lower hull in Step 4.

Tracks are a unique single link style but one which comes on seven 40-link sprues - no DS and no "Magic Tracks" here. The tracks are Step 5 and the fenders Steps 6 and 8. Exhausts go on the right fender and are part of Step 8.

Step 9 covers the fender tips and Step 10 the rear radiator air exhaust shroud (another hidden nub needs trimming here). The vent grilles may either be styrene or etched brass (the option needing that nub shaved).

Step 11 covers the two "wing" turrets but while they come with lovely clear styrene viewer assemblies there is no breech or ammo for the MG 13 and therefore will have to be either built up from the parts box or the turret hatch sealed shut.

The main turret comes with a four-piece "dustbin" cupola and separate side hatches but again, no interior. The sight aperture comes with a separate flap, but again no sight. Each gun is a single part which cement together and then to a mantlet rotor with the entire assembly then attaching to a rotator/peg inside the turret.

Odd for a DML/cyber-hobby.com kit - this one came missing a single piece. That was MB 1, which is an etched brass "eyebrow" rain guard for the driver's position viewer.

Technical credit is given to Notger Schlegtendal, Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson.

Only two bare finishing options are given: Versuchsfahrzeuge (prototype) in Germany, 1935 (green, sand and brown camouflage) or Versuchsfahrzeuge in Norway 1940 (grey with brown, standard early Wehrmacht camouflage). A tiny sheet of four Cartograf decal white crosses is provided.

Overall this is a nice idea and a totally new package - as noted only two small reused sprues (the OVM and early jack) out of more than 600 parts speaks of a dedicated project.

- Cookie Sewell

Neubau-Fahrzeug
Rheinmetall-Fahrgestell und Krupp-Turm Geanderte MG-Turme
Manufacturer: Cyber-Hobby
Scale: 1/35
Material: Styrene & photo-etch
Serial Number: 6666
Price: Unknown

FULL BUILD: CYBER-HOBBY - Neubau-Fahrzeug

Introduction
Cyber-Hobby is a sister company of Dragon Models and Concord Publications, and owned by the same parent company UML. Whilst Dragon produce the plastic kits, Cyber-Hobby has become an on-line retailer that sells their own versions of those Dragon kits as 'special' releases in any one of a number of different series. This particular kit is being released as a white box kit, i.e. it is a limited edition kit, and once it's sold out...it's gone and no more will be released...there will not be another production run, at least not until a part is changed and it can be called something else slightly different.

The Neubau-Fahrzeug was a series of vehicles manufactured by Germany around 1934, in an attempt to produce a heavy Tank. Neubau-Fahrzeug translating into 'New Construction Vehicle'. The tank was multi-turreted, the main turret being armed with a 75mm KwK L/24 main gun, and also a smaller 37mm KwK L/45. Two manufacturers produced examples, Krupp and Rheinmetall, each differing only in the placement of the secondary gun in relation to the main one - Krupp had their 37mm nest to the main gun, and Rheinmetall had theirs above the main gun. In total only five vehicles were produced and used mainly for propaganda purposes, although apparently three of them were used in the invasion of Norway. As far as I can discover two of the vehicles were made from mild steel as prototypes, this model representing one of them, with, as the kit title suggests, a hull manufactured by Rheinmetall, but the turret by Krupp.

The Kit Contents
The kit contents consist of five large sprues, of which two are the same, seven sprues of individual track links, two small tool sprues, four transparent sprues consisting of two pairs, a large lower hull, one photo-etched fret along with a single PE part on a separate fret, decal sheet and six-sided instruction leaflet.

Somewhat unusually for a Cyber-Hobby white box release, this is an all-new kit, all of the main sprues consisting of new tooling. Interesting too, in that although they're new, they contain some parts marked as 'Not for Use', indicating that we can look forward to the Rheinmetall version being released at a later date, probably under the Dragon label.

For most Axis modellers, building this one will probably be a pleasant experience, in that about the only thing they'll find familiar will be the MG34. The running gear and suspension are like nothing found on any other WWII German tank that I know of, and are a welcome change to the Pz.III Pz.IV etc.

Cyber-Hobby really have gone to town in terms of using slide-moulds with manufacturing this kit, for example, the large one-piece lower hull viewed from above looks fairly normal, but it's actually a fairly hefty bit of plastic, those side sponsons being slide-moulded. Various other structures and parts being slide-moulded too, allowing for greater detail whilst using a minimum of parts.

The quality of the moulding hardly needs mentioning, being up to the standards you would be entitled to expect of a new tooling from this manufacturer.

Construction begins with the assembly of the running gear, which in this case resembles slightly that of a Churchill, in that it consists of a series of small road wheels semi-enclosed with the sponsons. There are five pairs of these road wheels for each side, plus a single one that is raised as the track travels from what I suppose must be the idler wheel since the drive sprocket on this vehicle was at the rear. A sub-assembly is constructed for each side and once complete each slots into a recess on the lower hull. Another indication that the other version is already well-advanced is that the instructions make it clear to remove a series of moulded boltheads on the outside of the lower hull for this version. The tracks, as mentioned above, are neither 'Magic Track nor vinyl, instead consisting of individual links supplied on seven identical sprues, so lots of cleaning up!

The fenders, supplied as separate full-length parts, have pattern detail showing on both upper and lower surfaces, and thankfully they haven't gone overboard with the locating holes for the various items of tolls or equipment carried on these, instead leaving it to the modeller to decide whether or not to drill through the fender completely to open them up.

The main turret is another of the parts where Cyber-Hobby have made use of their slide-moulds, this being supplied as a shell onto which the turret floor is fixed, and then various other details. Although obviously all the hatches and vision port covers are provided as separate parts, there's absolutely not internal detail supplied, but even if there was you wouldn't be able to see much of it, such are the size of the hatches.

Markings-wise, there are two schemes illustrated. One in a two-colour and the other a three-colour camouflage scheme. The first is that of one of the vehicles that was sent to Norway. Apparently, after on of the three armoured ones was damaged a mild-steel one was used to replace it. The other is that of a vehicle in Germany around 1935.

Conclusion
I am really...really looking forward to building this one. There's just something about that multi-turreted appearance. I suspect a lot of other modellers will feel the same. It's all a question of how many will try and hold off until a Dragon version appears. Well worth getting though!

- Vinnie Branigan