The latest title from the Nuts & Bolts team is on the SdKfz 7 series. Although I have other great reference works such as the Wings & Wheels publication for photos and Panzer Tracts for scale plans and production information, this is still a worthy addition to the library. Since the title’s target group includes modelers, I will state that Dragon, Tamiya, and Trumpeter have all released kits of this halftrack in 1/35th scale.
As printed, the book has 184 pages not including the heavier covers which also are used and are bound in a glossy heavy paper. The author is Dr. Nicolaus Hettler but the editor is still Heiner F. Duske , scale plans by John L. Rue, color artwork by Laurent Lecocq, and models built by Vinnie Brannigan and Tony Greenland . Best of all, for me, is the scratch-built KM m 8 by Guillem Martí I Pujol. I love naked models and this unpainted example reveals all the work put into its creation.
The images are a mix of color and gray tones. A total of 334 are provided of which 173 are of the subjects in service, 129 of museum items, and the last 32 of superbly done models.
Text is included which provide a bibliography, some background in the form of chapters. The covers the deployment, Camouflage and markings, Judgment, a short anecdote, surviving vehicles, and models.
It is worth mentioning that the captions are most informative and all text is in dual English/German languages.
The scale plans include the KM 7 A (5 view), KM m 8 (5 view), KM m 9 (5 view), KM m 10 (5 view), KM m 11 Sd. Kfz. 7 Artillerie (5 view plus 4 perspective drawings), KM m 11 armored Sd.Kfz.7 (5 view), KM m 11 Sd. Kfz. 7 final version (5 view), KM m 11 Sd. Kfz. 7/6 (5 view), KM m 11 Sd. Kfz. 7 feuerleitfahrwagen (5 view), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/1 mit 2 cm Flakvierling 38 “early version” (5 view), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/1 mit 2 cm Flakvierling 38 armored (5 view of wooden bed), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/1 mit 2 cm Flakvierling 38 armored (4 view of slatted metal bed), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/2 mit 3.7 cm flak 37 (5 view), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/2 mit 3.7 cm flak 37 armored (5 view of wooden bed), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/2 mit 3.7 cm flak 37 (4 view of slatted metal bed), KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/2 mit 3.7 cm flak 43 (starboard view), and KM m 11 Sfl. Auf Sd. Kfz. 7/2 mit 3.7 cm flak 43 armored (starboard view).
These are followed by 20 color profiles which include an inset with a photograph of the actual vehicle.
The next section covers variants in museums with 129 color photographs and the book ends with a plastic modeling.
The bottom line is simple, pick up this one as it will be invaluable when tackling either the many 1/35th scale mutations with the multiple detail sets available for each. Of course, many of these subjects have been released in other scales.
