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BRONCO MODELS
Product Specifications.
CB-35009, Humber Scout Car Mk.I. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit containing 237 styrene parts, five vinyl parts, one resin figure, one photo-etched brass fret, six decal/markings schemes and 16 pages of instructions in multiple un-numbered steps.
Introduction.
Ever since I saw Sir Richard Attenborough’s classic film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan’s WW2 saga, “A Bridge Too Far”, I have had a soft spot for this diminutive wheeled AFV. Its squat, asymmetric shape and low, sporty profile is quite attractive in an “ugly” sort of way. That it was also quite widely-used by a number of nations (including in the post-WW2 era) added to its attractiveness, since it wore a variety of markings and color schemes.
Released earlier this year by Bronco Models, this little scout car has been replicated in an extremely detailed manner, to include interior details for both the engine and fighting compartments. And, as we shall see, it’s a jewel of a model.
Wheels.
These are provided as soft, hollow vinyl parts, which enabled Bronco to replicate the angled tread details quite well. The use of this material enabled the parts to be pulled from their mold with the tread detail intact; this would not be possible if the tires were molded in hard styrene. One bugbear of this method is the left-over mold seam and/or a sprue gate, which may, or may not be difficult to clean from vinyl. Bronco has done good work here since there is virtually no bothersome seam to remove and there is no damage from the sprue gate. The tires are finished with manufacturer’s logo and other lettering on the outer sidewall. They all fit very well to the hard styrene hubs; all that was required was a bit of a “jiggle” here and there to get them to seat properly.
The wheel hubs have crisp bolt detail on their outer faces, as well as separate hub caps. With care during assembly, the wheels can remain movable.
Suspension System and Drive Train.
This consists of drive shafts that run from the belly to the axle housings. The front unit has a transverse leaf spring, wish-bones and inner hub/brake drum units as well as steering linkages. The latter can be carefully modified to simulate a steering motion, but will need to be fixed in position once the modeler has figured out what that should be. The rear axle is set conventionally on a pair of fore-to-aft leaf spring units. A note about the front and rear leaf springs is in order. Each bundle is in two halves, split longitudinally. While this prevents the shrinkage that often occurs on an overly thick part (try filling it without obliterating the spaces between the individual leaves), care will be required in cleaning the parts prior to assembling them, since there are sometimes prominent ejector pin marks on their inner joining surfaces. I also recommend removing the alignment pins at that time since their corresponding holes are not deep enough in some instances.
A separate frame is fitted to the lower hull, which also has two plates fitted over it. A three-part exhaust muffler is then fitted, which will require careful clean-up so as not to obliterate the mounting strap detail. In addition, since the pipe opening is in two halves, some attention will be required to ensure it winds up having a unified profile at the bore end.
Hull and Superstructure.
The hull belly plate and the lower half of the superstructure is one piece, minus the rear plate, which is a separate part. To the latter is fitted a large louver unit, while beneath it, on the rear-most part of the belly, is fitted another smaller louver assembly. Small details such as lift hooks and towing eyes are then fitted. Curiously, the actual vehicle (apparently) lacked rear-mounted brake lamps. The rear fenders are each one-piece affairs to which a two-part pair of POL “flimsies” and their attached racks are fitted, as well as a fire extinguisher on the front face of the port-side set. According to official stowage drawings, the “pair” of POL cans on the starboard fender actually consists of only one can; the other is a “condenser”. These will look better if the handles are removed and replaced by styrene or brass strips, but that will require careful trimming. It may be better to simply remove all details and add new racks and handles.
Up forward, a separate upper bow plate is fitted, which also contains parts of the fender/stowage locker units. This unit has beautifully-rendered overlapping plate and weld detail, but since it is angled, in order for it to “pull” from the mold, some of the tiny rivet heads are somewhat elongated. These can be left as is, or replaced by the rivets provided on sprue B. To this assembly are added additional parts to complete the locker units. On the lower plate, a separate (and I presume, armored) front axle guard is also fitted. Tow hooks, various marker and black-out lamps, a horn and side-view mirrors complete this area.
The lower superstructure side plates feature nice, restrained weld bead details, while all doors are separate parts. Various tools and stowage items are then fitted to liven-up the area.
The upper superstructure assembly is a one-piece affair, with a separate front plate. All doors and view-port flaps are separate, with the smaller flaps having separate frames. The latter have cross-shaped knock-out pin/sprue gates within; careful cutting on a flat surface with a new blade will be needed so as not to distort them during clean up. All flaps are also detailed with some very fine etched brass parts, which will need particular care in their fitting. The roof features openings for the separate sliding hatch lids as well as their rails. Other items added are antennae mounts (but no rods) plus a styrene/etched brass PLM pintle and mount for the provided Bren gun. To the rear, the engine deck comprises a total of six parts and can be depicted opened. If this is done, there is some detail on the inner face, but the ejector pin marks will need to be dealt with. This will be necessary since the kit includes a fairly detailed engine and accessories (see below). Furthermore, since the doors were held open by struts, sitting on pads positioned on either side of the radiator, which are not given in the kit, the modeler must add them according to references. When the doors were down, the struts were hinged to fold up into them and were held in place by clips.
Interior.
Bronco has paid a great deal of attention to the kit’s crew compartment interior, with nearly everything seen on the prototype provided in the box. This also includes some minor options, notably the ability to fit a stowed Thompson SMG or a Sten SMG. Other stowage includes ammo racks with magazines for either MG, drum-shaped magazines for the external Bren gun, various boxes, satchels, water bottles, racks, engine related accessories and bins. A multi-part No.19 radio set with mounting frame, accessory module and etched brass guard also graces one side wall. Seats for the driver and the commander, as well as the latter’s observation step are also included. A three-part transmission tunnel/fairing is also supplied and includes separate shift levers; the driver gets his steering wheel, brake lever, foot pedals and an instrument panel (which is actually an integral part of the upper superstructure’s separate front wall).
The underside of the roof plate is also provided with the inner workings for the PLM mount as a separate part. There is also some nice frame detail under there as well, but there are also a number of ejector pin marks to deal with, IF the modeler plans on leaving this as a separate assembly in order to fully display the interior.
As an added attraction, there are extra weapons and personal gear on sprue F, to include packs, water bottles, ammunition pouches, encased entrenching tools, steel helmets, Lee-Enfield rifles and a holstered pistol. These can be used as additional stowage items wherever the modeler desires.
The engine compartment features a very nice fuel tank with embossed rib details as well as a radiator with its associated water pipes. The engine itself is made up of well over a dozen parts, including the odd etched brass bit. It is meant to be assembled and then attached to the radiator prior to fitting in the compartment. A starter crank is also provided to accessorize the area. Stowage drawings indicate there are a number of items missing to include a vehicle jack, oil can, jack handle and spare spark plugs with their stowage rack. Certainly wires and hoses will need to be added by the modeler for a complete appearance.
Figure.
Bronco has included a nice resin figure of a vehicle commander, standing with his posterior resting on the rim of his hatch opening. He is attired in simple battle dress and a beret, and wears binoculars on a strap around his neck; he is all in one piece. There is a styrene holstered pistol (mentioned above) that can certainly be fitted to his belt. To my eye, his beret seems a bit small or oddly-shaped, especially in profile; otherwise the molding is crisp and well-detailed. Casting blocks need to be removed from his shoes and with a bit of clean-up, a proper paint job and maybe a new head, he will look quite respectable.
Molding, Fit and Engineering.
The molding on this kit is very well-done, with very crisp detailing throughout. Ejector pins are minimal and will only be a headache if certain panels (upper superstructure and engine deck hatch lids) are shown lifted off the model. Fit was good with the proviso that the modeler must ensure that all parts have been properly cleaned and that their edges are “dressed” with the sanding medium of choice. The side walls of the lower superstructure needed to be spread a bit and held in place when fixing the upper part in place; your results may vary. As previously mentioned, I removed alignment pins and ejector pins in several areas to ensure a better fit. I also removed the alignment pins from the bottom of part A8, the transmission tunnel fairing, so it would seat properly against the compartment’s rear bulkhead.
Accuracy and Details.
Overall accuracy appears to be very, very good, according to photos and drawings in the cited references. In general, details are delicately and rather exquisitely-rendered. There are omissions internally, particularly in the engine compartment, as mentioned above; and of course, some added wiring and piping in that area (by the modeler) will not go amiss. Reference 11 details the many smaller bits needed to complete the engine compartment as well as the crew compartment; if this kit has any “sins”, they are merely those of “omission”.
Instructions.
These are clearly drawn. There are no numbered steps and some assemblies are presented out of sequence. This is particularly noticeable where items added on page 15 are shown already in place two pages earlier, and vice-versa. Several assembly sequences are depicted twice, although the only difference is the angle at which they are shown. This is wasted effort on the part of the kit’s production staff and can be confusing to the modeler, so beware. There are also no color notes for the instrument panel dial faces, which I would have preferred were given as decals anyway. Likewise, no color notes are provided for the majority of the interior bits as well as most interior walls.
The verdict: Bronco needs to pay more attention to their instructions.
Decals and Markings Information.
Water-slide decals are provided by Italy’s Cartograf. These are typically of extremely fine quality and feature crisp, perfectly-registered designs, with thin, matte film, cut close to the edges. Color saturation is also excellent. Markings for the following seven vehicles are provided:
I can confirm the markings for the Guards and 11th Armoured Divisions as being correct as far as the essentials are concerned; the Lulworth School markings are also confirmed. I have no references for the vehicle in Italy or the two post-war schemes.
Conclusion.
This is a fine kit of what I consider to be an interesting subject. As with any kit, details can be added, but what is in the box is really very well-presented. There are quite a few glitches in the instructions, but they are not much to get overwrought about. Finally, this kit represents an Allied subject, and a BRITISH one at that! Life is good…
Frank V. “Curly Stooge” De Sisto
References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:
1. “The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II”, Osprey Elite 152, by R. Doherty & R. Chapman.
2. “Armoured Cars: Guy, Diamler, Humber and A.E.C.”, AFV Weapons Profile 21, by B.T. White & M. Lee.
3. “British Tanks of WWII, (1) France & Belgium 1944”, Concord 7027, by D. Fletcher & A. Wrobel.
4. “British Tanks of WWII, (2) Holland & Germany 1944/1945”, Concord 7028, by D. Fletcher & A. Wrobel.
5. “The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, an Illustrated History”, RCACA/RBS, by J. Marteinson & M. McNorgan.
6. “Canada’s Fighting Vehicles, Europe 1943-45”, Canadian Military Historical Society, by W. Gregg.
7. “Blueprint for Victory”, Canadian Military Historical Society, by W. Gregg.
8. “Polish Armoured Forces 1939-1945”, Pegaz-Biz, by Z. Lalek.
9. “Od Acromy Do Zwyciezcy, Vol.1”, F.H.U. Phantom, by A. Kaminski”
10. www.warwheels.net.
11. “Humber Mk.I, II Scout Car”, Army Wheels in Detail AW02, Capricorn Publications, by P. Brojo.
12. “British Tank Markings and Names”, Squadron 6021, by B.T. White.
13. “British Military Markings, 1939-1945, Cannon Publications, by P. Hodges & M. Taylor.
Bronco Models are available from retail and mail order shops. For more information, visit their web-site at: www.
