I recently purchased a toy German SdKfz.222 armoured car on Ebay, intending to rebuild it
as a scale model (as with the Sherman and Bradley). It arrived today and, though I knew it
was large (it is an "Action Man" toy) I wasn't prepared for how HUGE it was - the vehicle
is 19 inches long, which works out at roughly 1/9 scale. I'm still not sure where to put it :) - particularly since I have also purchased the Scorpion and Sheridan tanks in the same toy series (haven't received them yet though)
On the other hand, its huge size gives it equally huge potential for adding scratchbuilt detail both
inside and out. The AFV Interiors website has a large number of B&W and colour photos of the vehicle,
both archive pictures and photos of a restored example, and I have printed these out for reference.
Though it's a toy, the 222 seems pretty accurate in terms of shape and external detail. All the hatches,
etc. are in the right place. The surface even has a quite convincing "rough steel" look with weld seams.
The headlights and tools are very crude though and will have to be sawn off and replaced with scratchbuilt ones.
Also, the gun is missing, but from photos I've seen, the gun on this toy is very oversized and inaccurate, so it would have to be replaced anyway.
Unfortunately like all the Action Man vehicles it is made from a slightly soft, non-styrene plastic which means I'll
have to use cyanoacrylate to attach the scratchbuilt parts.
I may try to motorize the model if I can find a suitable motor and gears. Unfortunately, being a wheeled vehicle,
it isn't really suitable for converting to RC, as there is no way to steer it (adding a working steering system is a bit
beyond my abilities) but a simple on/off motor powering the rear axle would be feasible.
Anyway I'll keep you updated on progress with the model.
Here are some pics of the armoured car - in its "out-of-the-box" state, no work done yet..
To give an idea of its size, see if you can spot the Airfix 1/72 SdKfz.222 in this picture :)
