¹⁄35

Scale Comparison - 1/48th vs. 1/35th

Build

In general the kubelwagen is a simple straight forward vehicle. Both kits are quite adequate in fit and build quality. There are things I needed to address in both kits.

On the Bandi kit the joint between the sides and engine compartment was misaligned. The tabs on the interior of the side walls are too thick and force the engine deck too high. This is nothing a file can’t adjust. The added suspension and engine all went together very easily. During the build I had to be careful because of the delicate nature of the parts. The smaller parts should take two steps to remove; 1. cut the connector rod off the main sprue with a razor saw first, 2. snip off the part from the connector rod with a pair of cutters. Two steps are better because a pair of cutters ‘wedge’ and compresses the plastic, this can bend the detailed parts. Using a razor saw actually removes material from the sprue. Being free from the sprue eliminates the compression stress.

The Tamiya kit went together very easily. There a couple of gaps at the engine bay that you should be filled and sanded. Outside of that there is nothing that a modeler with average skills can’t knock out in a hurry. As mentioned in the Detail section above this kit has very simple components.

Build adjustments because of scale did exist. I did add a few extra steps because of the size and delicate nature of the parts. The tabs on the smaller scale kit were something I think is prevalent in older small scale kits. I think ‘fit tabs’ will lack the manufacturing attention that will force you to pay attention to the fit.