UM 1/72 Ammunition Carrier 38(t) By Kent Kirkpatrick

Ammunition Carrier 38(t)

When the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia they took control of the Skoda tank production works. The Germans used the Praga LT.38 chassis for other vehicles such as the Ammunition Carrier 38(t). This vehicle was used on all fronts in World War II. The all-riveted hull weighed just 7 tons. The 150 horse powered diesel engine gave the vehicle good mobility and cross-country capability

The Kit

Since I have previously reviewed UM's 38(t) ausf. C light tank I would suggest you read the March issue of Internet Modeler for more detail on this chassis. The obvious difference is this kit does not include the turret assembly. The hull compartment cover, part 71 on sprue C, replaces the turret. Sprues are molded in a light gray styrene. There are no sink marks or flash and the injector pin marks are on the inside surface. Parts detail is very crisp and to scale. There are a total of 104 parts in this kit. You will also find one photo-etch fret containing 9 parts. The kit also includes a decal sheet. Typical of UM is the colorful box art that gives you an idea of how to paint and decal your Ammunition Carrier 38(t). As the norm, you have a multi-lingual (Ukraine, English and German) instruction sheet. You will find it is very well illustrated. To assist in assembly is a symbol legend for gluing, painting, drilling, etc. Included is a numbered parts location diagram. The thirteen-step instruction sheet begins with the five-step lower hull assembly. The level of detail here is top notch. Even the suspension arms show individual bolt and leaf spring details. Step 5 is the most time consuming as you attach the length and link tracks. These tracks are very well detailed for this size. Once you are finished with the tracks assembly of the upper hull begins. Steps 6 through 9 is where you will assemble the upper hull and use the photo-etch parts that include a stowage bin and fender braces. Hull rivet and other surface detail are very good here also. The molded fenders are very thin so be careful when removing them from the sprue. There are also a number of stowage tools that are quite small and delicate to handle as well. Step 10 finishes the kit assembly by setting the compartment canopy to protect the ammunition stowage.
When you come to steps 11 through 13 you have a choice of three Ammunition Carrier 38(t) vehicles to choose from before paint and decals. The thin decal sheet is of very good quality. UM includes a Humbrol paint reference calling for eight colors to use with Panzer Grey as the main vehicle color.

Conclusion

This is another very unique vehicle for the UM line of kits. With an excellent 38(t) chassis as a basis UM will be able to offer other vehicles such as the Hetzer, Grille, Marders and others. Those should be coming soon. Their quality is very consistent all-around. Crisp detail and scale affect has become a trademark. I give this kits two thumbs-up. I would like to thank Squadron Mail Order for the review kit.