das werk 1:35 Faun L 900 including SdAh 115

[James H]

1:35 Faun L 900 including SdAh 115
Das Werk
Catalogue # DW 35003
Available from around €69.00 (RRP) 

 

The Faun was one of the heaviest German trucks in service at the time. It weighed 8,800 kilograms and was 10.4 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 2.6 meters high. It required a crew of only one, that being the driver. It was powered by a 150hp Deutz F6M5171 diesel engine and could carry a total cargo load of up to 8,800 kilograms. The Faun had no armour protection or armament, and it had six wheels, four of which were the drive wheels. Its primary purpose was transporting and carrying small tanks and armoured vehicles, hence the abnormally long body and powerful engine. The Faun could carry up two small tanks at a time using a special vehicle trailer.

The Faun was produced by a variety of manufacturers, including Büssing-NAG, Vomag, Faun, Fross-Büssing, Krupp and MAN. Not many of these trucks were produced, and even less were converted into SdKfz 4 half-tracks. The Faun was mostly used from the early to mid-part of World War II, as it was primarily used to carry and recover small German tanks such as the Panzer I and Panzer II. It's usage throughout the war was then mostly limited to the transportation of heavy equipment, troops, and other light vehicles.
Extract from World War II Wiki

 

The kit

Thanks to Uschi van der Rosten and Das Werk, those of us with a Facebook presence have been watching this kit come together for a short while now, with regular updates on CAD, packaging and also a test shot build from Alex Glass himself. As I write this, this kit is on the cusp of release, and modellers should be able to get their hands on it later this month or early January. You can see why Das Werk are proud of their product. The presentation alone is a bold statement of their faith in the product with an attractive artwork by Jason Wong, who also produces artworks for the likes of Takom. If you look carefully at the lid, you’ll note the product name and company logo are finished in gloss, while the remain is a nice satin finish. On the box side we see profiles and schemes for the vehicle. For those of you who don’t know, Das Werk is a collaboration between Uschi van der Rosten and MBK Distribution. In the case of this release, work has also been done in conjunction with Pete Hamann and CustomScale.

 

The box itself is quite weighty, as it should be as it contains two model kits; the Faun L900 3-axle truck, and also the SdAh 115 flatbed trailer. Inside the box, all sprues are separately packed, except for the two which are supplied twice. In total, there are NINE sprues of light grey styrene, and one of clear. There are also two packets of vinyl tires, a number of brass rods and a small decal sheet. An instruction manual is provided for each of the models, both Faun and SdAh 115. 

Instead of rolling through text for each sprue, bearing in mind that I’m fairly unfamiliar with the characteristics and breakdown of such vehicles, we’ll look at each sprue in photographic form, but now I’ll also explain some of what features this kit offers in terms of options etc. From the outset, it became pretty clear that the Das Werk team wanted to create a model that could be used in any scenario that could be thrown at it, and as a result, the load bearing elements of this kit would need to be able to be modelled in a fashion that was realistic of the completed scenario. With the Faun, there is always the possibility that this flatback vehicle could be travelling empty, or with moderate or heavy load. To that end, the designers of this kit have included three separate sets of leaf-spring suspension arms so cater to all three possibilities, and of course then allowing the finished model to sit lower on that suspension when carrying heavy equipment. That is a fantastic little touch.

You’ll also see that the kit has some lengths of brass wire. These are designed to be bent around a supplied plastic former so as to create the metal hoops that optionally sit over the rear of the Faun, and would possibly be covered by a soft skin. When the soft top wasn’t deployed, the hoops are stowed further forward. It is of course possible to build the model without the sides fitted too, and just the open back. There are so many possibilities. 

What the instruction manual also provides is a series of load images which will give you an idea about which suspension parts to add vs the weight carried. 

Whilst the Faun has a very nicely detailed cab, detailed underside/chassis and some excellent wood grain finish to the appropriate parts, no engine is supplied, so that really isn’t an option unless someone releases an aftermarket solution for this. 

The SdAh 115 trailer is also no less featured, with numerous options for the modeller. These include three load options and the ability to pose the rear axle away from the trailer and fit ramps for loading the trailer itself. 

Like them or loathe them, both the Faun and the SdAh 115 trailer have vinyl wheels, but these are actually very good! Seam lines are extremely minimal or even almost invisible, so shouldn’t be a concern for the average modeller.

Now to the plastic!

 

Faun L 900

Sprue  A (x2)

 

Sprue B

 

Sprue C

 

Sprue D

 

Sprue E

 

Wire

 

Wheels

 

Decals
A single decal sheet is included which contains markings for the exterior as well as cab instruments. Printing company is unknown, but the decals are nice and thin, have minimal carrier film, solid colour and perfect register. 

 

SdAh 115 trailer

Sprue F (x2)

 

Sprue G

 

Sprue H

 

Wheels

 

Instructions
A separate manual is provided for both the Faun and the SdAh 115 trailer, and whilst there are some commonalities between them, there are some inconsistencies, such as no parts/sprue map for the SdAh 115 trailer manual. No real biggie though. Generally, both manuals are very easy to follow with the various illustrations reminding me very much of Wingnut Wings in their style and colourisation. There is also plenty of annotation throughout and notes on the various options. There are plenty of paint references given throughout too, with codes for RAL, Tamiya, Mr Hobby, Ammo, Vallejo, Humbrol and Mission Models types. 

 

Various schemes are also supplied, attributed to unknown units.

 

Conclusion
Production quality really is superb, rivalling other high-end contemporary kit manufacturers. I think I saw one little bit of flash that wasn’t bigger than a pinhead, and there are no defects such as sink marks etc. A major-league effort has not only gone into some very nice engineering, but also into the research and development of this new kit, and it really shows. With the jig to bend the soft-top support hoops etc. it’s pretty obvious that building this kit will be an absolute joy. If you have some money left in the run-up to, or after Christmas, you should consider treating yourself!

 

My sincere thanks to Das Werk for the review sample seen here. Watch out for this kit soon, from your favourite online model retailer.

 

 

[Fran]

Fantastic review mate!!

I ordered mine in Pre-order and its coming now!

[harv]

Another great review!......harv

[Wumm]

An excellent subject for release. Now we have a smaller alternative to the Sd. Anh 116 trailer from the Tamiya Famo release in IM.

I see one in my future in a derelict state, with a Fly Natter nestled on top!

[[CAT]CplSlade]

You feel qualified to call the kit a disaster made by cretins yet by your own admission have only read that this was so. Good job.

[krow113]

lol

First day on a model forum.

[harv]

[Wumm]

5 hours ago, Magneto said:

Now I’ll wait a few more years before some competent team gets together to bring out a good model.

A couple of points to ponder...

Firstly, we might be waiting a while for another Kit Manufacturer to take on this project; given the size, complexity and nature of the subject.

Secondly, read about hideous errors where exactly? To my knowledge, this kit was produced with the co-operation of Faun. If you're going to cast doubts on it's accuracy, probably best to have that reference at hand to back up your statement.

Because "I heard" or "I read" somewhere usually doesn't suffice. If you expect that this is a place you can visit and straight up start trashing people without evidence, then as a Moderator on another site where this thing happens regularly said only yesterday...

"You'll be disappointed."

S

[Clunkmeister]

7 hours ago, Magneto said:

I read there are some hideous errors with this kit......

Ya know, I WAS going to delete this as spam.  But I’m not going to. However, I’m going to shorten it up and remove the personal insults , etc. 

No biggie if someone sees accuracy issues with a kit, but instead of going off half cocked, maybe try backing up what you say with facts and proof.

And avoid the personal attacks and insults. This is not the place for that stuff. 

[Wumm]

Well done Sir!

You've managed to highlight multiple instances from a single thread on a single website, where a single Individual has used blurry photos and no empirical evidence whatsoever to cast dubious doubt on a subject few care about. How very clever you must feel.

7 hours ago, Magneto said:

Thank you for this very thorough review.  It’s a great that you also get a free kit but doesn’t it makes it a little difficult to be totally unbiased?

This however, not very clever.

You've got to wonder; what motivates an Individual to join a particular website specifically to trash a specific kit, armed with nothing but inuendo as evidence, and then insult the website owner into the bargain?

[JeroenPeters]

7 hours ago, Magneto said:

Oh! Yes, the suspension is totally wrong. I mean really wrong like it would have to be broken.

 

You've made your point.

The wheels are off.

I just looked at your profile and all the posts you've made concern critique on new kits. 
I friendly suggest you earn some merit by building a kit and posting it. 

Regards,

Jeroen

Staff member

[krow113]

Model forum.

Day 2

[Clunkmeister]

I apologize for not checking back with this.

I thought once would have been enough.

Jeroen, good catch and thanks.

[Clunkmeister]

Magneto, I feel the best solution would be for you to purchase this kit and give us a detailed WIP on these pages.

In dong so, you’ll guide the rest of us through the rocky spots. 

I’m looking forward to seeing that come to fruition.

[Wumm]

If you don't know what I'm talking about, how do you know I'm being bigoted and defensive? Make up your mind.

43 minutes ago, Magneto said:

Maybe I was a little too assertive with my comments but at least I provided the link that you were all clamouring for.

Yes. Over and over in multiple links. Like a petulant child tugging at Mother's apron.

Go play somewhere else, the Adults are busy.

[HubertB]

Magneto,

Unlike many other modelling forums, the tone here is pretty much laid back and tolerant. And I have never seen any such thing as « bigotry » on LSM. 

You are the one who has come with rash statements, complaining that a new kit is not torn to pieces and not described as the PoS you claim it is. You are the one that feels compelled to answer each one telling you in one way or another to adopt a different attitude by making further statements one the verge of derision and snickering. You are the one that makes multiple posts with each a link to the same unique thread ...

I think you should think about your expectations relating to what a modelling forum should be:

1) Not everyone, reviewers included, is an expert in every field and every modelled subject

2) Box-opening reviews are what they are: they show what is inside. This alone, with good photographs, and decent text, requires some work from the author, that deserves some respect

3) Receiving free kits for review is a common practice. It does not imply that the reviewer is corrupt or dishonest. There are some reviewers around here who are « attaboys » who will claim how great any kit is, just for the sake of keeping a steady flow of free kits - and the flow can be significant, sometimes many kits a week. But this is not what I have seen from James here.

4) Many self-professed experts are just that: self-professed, but not necessarily with the real substance to back the claim. Finding out who is what is as difficult on forums as in real life.

5) Modelling is a hobby: it is a source of relaxation and fun, mostly. You do not need to be a forum member to practice modelling and build kits. If you add being a forum member to you modelling time, it is to find additional pleasure in sharing and learning, in finding kindred spirits, in making friends with identical interests. Well, at least, this is what I am looking for.

True, some just relish in finding another place to boast their ego, to catch a fight, to assert their dominance over the others, to find a surrogate way of expressing a power they don’t have in real life. When a modelling forum gets too many of those, it’s becoming hell for everyone, members flee if the trolls aren’t banned, and the said forum becomes yet another - virtual - fighting ring for a bunch of old frustrated boys ... 

You can find both types of forums on the net. Just pick which one you prefer ...

6) It is only when a kit is being built, and the experience shared, including the identification of errors and inaccuracies if the builder is knowledgeable and passionate enough to research the subject, that others get a real feeling of what they could expect from building - as opposed to owning - the kit. But then, even this can be misleading. I have seen too many « unbuildable » or « fatally flawed » statements made by some builders, which in the end were just a reflection of the ineptitude of the builder ...

7) if it goes without saying, it is still better saying - and repeating - it : not everything you see on the net is true, whatever your inclinations and beliefs are ...

So, I think you should take a step back, a deep breath, a glass of whatever your favorite brew is, and rethink about how your attitude could have come across to other members here on LSM. If you see nothing wrong or worth of criticism, fine with you, But, hopefully, the rest of LSM members will remain what they are: relaxed, friendly, laid back, and fun. Which is why they are here rather than on other forums. 
Again, you can choose where and how you want to spend your time on a modelling forum.

Hubert

 

[krow113]

Model Forum

Day 3

I have an even  better idea.....

[PliciPlici]

Anyone building this kit? Is the top part of the back of the engine missing? They just left it empty there?

 

[Artful69]

Okayyyyyyy lol ... I jump on here to read through one of James' thorough inbox reviews ... well done James - again  ... I get to the bottom and ...

What. The. Actual ... ??

LMAO .... we had a live one huh? ... and I missed the party!!! ... Bummer.

You all seemed to carve him up pretty well though   

Nice kit ... thinking about possible diorama deployment 

Rog