My apologies everyone as I meant to post this first, before the first assembly of the 1/16 Kubelwagen. Here is the beginning.....
OVERVIEW: (Copied in part from Wikipedia and other sources)
The Volkswagen Kübelwagen was a light military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the German military. Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped as the Type 62, but eventually became known internally as the Type 82. This body style had first been developed by Karosseriefabrik Nikolaus Trutz in 1923. Mercedes, Opel and Tatra also built Kübelsitzwagen. With its rolling chassis and mechanics built at Stadt des KdF-Wagens (renamed Wolfsburg after 1945), and its body built by US-owned firm Ambi Budd Presswerke in Berlin, the Kübelwagen was for the Germans what the Jeep and GAZ-67 were for the Allies.
DEVELOPMENT: (Copied in part from Wikipedia and other sources)
Although Adolf Hitler discussed with Ferdinand Porsche the possibility of military application of the Volkswagen as early as April 1934, it was not until January 1938 that high-ranking Third Reich army officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, light-weight military transport vehicle, that could be operated reliably both on- and off-road, in even the most extreme conditions. Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle ready within the month. In order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel-drive vehicle with a 1,000 cc FMCV 1 engine, it would have to be lightweight. In fact, the army had stipulated a laden weight of 950 kg (2,090 lb), including four battle-dressed troops, which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than 550 kg (1,210 lb).
Developmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes designated as Type 62 in November 1938. Despite lacking four wheel drive, a mainstay of the American military Jeeps, the vehicle proved very competent at maneuvering its way over rough terrain, even in a direct comparison with a contemporary standard German army 4×4, and the project was given the green light for further development. Further development of the Type 62 took place during 1939, including a more angular body design, and pre-production models were field-tested in the invasion of Poland. Despite their overall satisfaction with the vehicle's performance, military commanders demanded that a few important changes: the lowest speed had to be reduced from 8 km/h (5.0 mph) to 4 km/h (2.5 mph) as an adjustment to the pace of marching soldiers. Second, it needed some improvement of its off-road ability. Porsche responded to both requests by mounting new axles with gear-reduction hubs, providing the car with more torque and more ground-clearance all at once. Revised dampers, 41 cm (16 in) wheels, and a limited slip differential, as well as countless small modifications, completed the specification. In order to reflect the changes, the vehicle was renamed Type 82.
Full-scale production of the Type 82 Kübelwagen started in February 1940. No major changes took place before production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel-drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in performance or capability over the existing Type 82. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131 cc engine, developed for the Schwimmwagen, that produced more torque and power than the original 985 cc unit. When production ceased at the end of the war, 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced.
Long after the end of the war, VW resurrected the basic Kübelwagen design as the 1969 Type 181, developed for the German Federal Armed Forces and later also produced for the civilian market, known as "Thing" in the US, "Trekker" in the UK, and "Safari" in Mexico. Although similar in looks and design, almost no parts were interchangeable with the Type 82.
THE MODEL KIT: (Partially copied from the Scalemates and missing-lynx sites with my input and photos)
One word.. LARGE; when you open the box, it is full with no dead air space. The kit consists of 8 large sprues with extremely crisp molded parts, 2 sprues of clear parts, 5 hollow rubber tires, a decal sheet and nice 24 page instruction booklet. The parts layout is quite similar to the smaller 1/35 scale version Tamiya makes of this kit, except that there is a significant amount of added detail. Markings are included for 5 vehicles: sPzAbt 501 in Tunisia, a Luftwaffe AA unit in Tunisia, Ramke’s brigade in North Afrika, 999 Light Divison in Italy and a vehicle from an unknown unit.
A large number of parts on sprue “F” deal with a beautifully detailed engine. Molding quality is top notch as excepted from a recent Tamiya tool. The cooling fins on the cylinder heads, flexible hose heating ducts and transmission are beautifully rendered. Suspension detail is excellent and the front wheels can be displayed “turned”.
Sprue “A” deals with the main body side panels. Mold ejection pin marks are kept to a minimum and usually located in areas which will never be seen once the model is assembled. This sprue really gives you and idea of how large this kit is. The finished model will be longer than a 1/35 Tiger I.
Sprue “B” deals with many of the interior parts. A nice touch is that the seatbacks are separate so that the knockout marks are hidden. The 1/16 Kubel seatbacks have nicely rendered springs. The texture on the seats themselves is restrained as they should be for the type of material used, the detail of the folded roof is excellent.
Sprue “K” contains the hood (or bonnet), wheel rims and some accessories.
Sprue “E” contains the main chassis pan and doors. One of the best features of this kit is that the wood floorboard of the Kubel is molded separately making painting much easier. You can simply paint the model interior gray or tan and insert the wood coloured painted floorboards after. The doors themselves have separate handles, a nice touch.
Sprues “J” and “Z” contain a very nicely done driver figure and the previously released figure of Rommel. Sprue “Y” contains personal equipment.
The windshield comes on a clear sprue, but also included is a clear taillight which allows you to mask off the clear areas before painting. Also included is a normal plastic tailight in case you don’t want to mask a clear part. The speedometer is supplied as both a standard plastic part you have to paint in or as a flat part in which a decal is applied and then sandwiched between a clear face.
Now if you read this prior to the previous message things will be OK.
Until next time...