RPM 1/35th SdKfz 135
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History
I won't bother repeating the history of this vehicle as you can read
my in-box review for that documentation.
The Kit
 This
kit consists of 301 parts on 5 sprues, plus one sprue of individual track
links, one pair of black vinyl tracks, and one small sheet of decals.
The instructions are of the exploded view variety, utilizing a parts map
for component identification and location. Decals and painting instructions
are supplied for one of three vehicles serving with the German forces
in Normandy, 1944.
Construction
The following is a step-by-step description of the building process,
identifying high points and pitfalls along the way. Overall impressions
will follow.
In step 1, the shackles to be installed on the leaf springs were incompletely
molded on my example. The attachment points are also overly thick and
make removal difficult. Steps 2 and 3 give no problems. Steps 4 and 5
show suspension components installed on marks or in holes in the lower
 hull.
No marks or holes were in evidence on my example. Positioning of these
parts is crucial for later installation of the tracks. Steps 6,7 and 8
posed no problems other than sanding and test fitting. I left off the
smaller parts until final assembly. In step 9, be careful of orientation
and fitting of parts 36. The instructions are actually clearer than the
fit of the parts. Steps 10 and 11 are straightforward. In step 12, "USUNAC"
means cut off, referring to the molded on rings and rivets. Remove all
except the front vertical row. Do whatever it takes to make sure this
assembly is square and level, including clamping to a rigid surface if
necessary to avoid warpage. Step 13 is OK. In step 14, I was unsure exactly
where this bulkhead was supposed to go. Since I didn't leave the front
open, I omitted it. I also had a lot of trouble getting the front and
rear sub-assemblies to mate up square and true. A lot of test fitting
and adjustments are necessary. Steps 15, 16, 17, and 18 gave no problems.
Steps 19 thru 25 cover assembly of the howitzer. Parts labeled "P"
and "L" should be read as "R" and "L", indicating
left and right. Extensive filling and sanding is necessary on barrel and
slide parts. Cut off all  alignment
pins to improve fit. Part B-17 R was, on my example, missing the long
pin onto which the sights and trunnions mount. I felt that the work involved
in using the kit supplied recoil cylinders in step 22 was a waste of time,
and substituted aluminum tubing segments instead. The sight bracket needs
filling and sanding. Steps 26 thru 29 cover the fighting compartment.
The braces do not fill the slots; filling is needed. Part A-28 on my example
was badly warped/twisted. This greatly hampered assembly. The notches
in the side braces rest on the hull sides; this is why the details need
to be removed in step 12. The angle between parts A-06/ A-07 to the sidewalls
is inaccurate, custom fitting and filling needed. I cut an oversized replacement
for part A-05, greatly easing fit problems. Installing the tracks before
joining upper and lower hulls greatly eases this procedure. One of my
tracks had a molding flaw, making it very weak. I cut off the undersized
joiner pins on the tracks and simply glued them to the running gear. Build
the ground spade in step 33, and use it to establish the spacing of the
mounting lugs, narrowing part A31 as needed.
Conclusion
  Frankly,
I really did not enjoy building this kit very much. The combination of
poor fit, extensive filling and sanding, and overall poor detail make
this kit a real challenge. Having to hunt for parts slows down building,
and sometimes-vague parts placement amplifies this problem. The decals
on my example were printed out of register and had to be peeled from the
backing paper no matter how long they were soaked. Paint numbers are called
out, but there is no information on what they relate to. The modeler will
have to want a replica of this vehicle very badly to be willing to invest
the time and effort necessary to correct the flaws of this kit. It will
not be a relaxing, out-of-the-box build. For the above reasons, I do not
recommend this kit.
MMD-Military Model Distributors graciously supplied my sample kit and
my sincere thanks go out to them for doing so.
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