Historical Background

Though commonly associated with the VW Type 82 car, the term Kübelwagen actually applies to a number of German military cars of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Kübelwagen is short for Kübelsitzwagen and translates to ”bucket car”, for its bucket seats. This particular 4x2 medium weight military car is reported to have been very rare and I have found only one photo of it, with what appears to be large white racing numbers on it. Fortunately this chassis was also used for the much more common 4x2 Phänomen Granit-25 Kfz. 31military ambulance. The number of photos for the ambulance versions I have gave me helpful guidance as to details for the wheels, chassis and hood (bonnet) areas. Being produced in the early to mid-1930’s this vehicle would most commonly be in dark gray (dunkelgrau). If it lasted till 1944 it could have been repainted in dunkelgelb, though I have read that many rear-area vehicles never did get re-painted in dark yellow.

JV Model of the Czech Republic produces seven different Phänomen Granit vehicles of various body and chassis variations. Most were produced as ambulances, which I understand were largely used by the Luftwaffe. I would guess that a number were also supplied to Axis Allies. A more modern early 1940’s Phänomen Granit 1500 has not been released by JV at this time though I hope they do at some time.

1. The Instructions: The instructions above come written in both Czech and English. The English translation could use a little polishing but is understandable. As I speak no Czech I am not in a position to criticize badly. Assembly instructions are clear enough to successfully get the kit together after study. Many resin kits come with no instructions at all so I am very appreciative JV included them.

 



2. First Impressions. The kit is composed of 20 white resin parts, one white-metal steering wheel, and several pieces of clear windshield/windscreen material (an appreciated and often not-included item in model kits). The resin is a soft chalky resin unlike that used by Milicast, MarS, LEVA, TP and others. The resin was fine to use, it cleaned up well and I had no breakage problems.

No decals are supplied with the kübelwagen kit though the ambulance Phanomen Granit does come with decals of red crosses.

Construction

• I used both liquid and gel cyanoacrylate (super glue) during assembly.
• There was large amount of flash to clean up, visible in the parts-scan above, which was not too difficult. The wheels were accurately formed and look good. The back of the wheels must be drilled out a bit for a proper fit on the axles. Following completion all four tires sat flat on the base.
• The dash board and engine firewall fit well and looked right. For detailing here I suggest you add gearshift levers to the floor next to the drivers seat; and a grab-rear bar across the back of the front seat. The rear bar, I have noticed is common to kübels of this period and was used by passengers to hold on to during a rough ride. This bar also seems to have been a convenient hanging place for gear.
• The front bucket seats and rear bench seat fit well and look good when installed.
• I did have some fit problems with the body & frame around the fenders that required filling and sanding.
• For additional detailing adding an exhaust pipe, width indicators on the front bumpers, turn signal indicators, windshield wipers and a sideview mirror spices up the model.
• In the photos you should notice little ”wings” off the sides of the windscreen. These small glass wings I presume are to deflect wind & rain from the passenger area? Scratchbuilding them from the clear plastic sheet certainly add character and more realism to the model. I have noticed these small wings on the Mercedes Type 260 kübelwagen also.

Finishing

I completed my Phänomen Granit kübel in Model Master acrylic dunkelgrau in preparation for a planned July, 1941 Barabarosa diorama. An Iwata double-action airbrush was used, which I am very pleased with after throwing away my third Model Master/Aztec airbrush. The wheels were painted Poly Scale Grimy Black (actually a very dark gray). The seats I painted a medium brown, a color I thought would contrast with the gray vehicle. A point-wash and subtle post-shading of a much lighter gray followed.

Decals for the license plates were procured from an ESCI Opel truck kit and applied over a glosscoat to keep down decal silvering.. The forward license was mounted on the front and center of the radiator as in the photos of the ambulances. White stripes should have been added to the front and read fenders, used to aid in night navigation in a vehicle convoy.

Following the decals I added a variable coating of Ukrainian dust using thin acrylic paint and powder paint pigments. Model Master dullcoat was used over any remaining glossy areas.

Conclusion

Overall I am very pleased with my little kübelwagen and recommend it for a nice static display or wargaming piece. Many aspects of this review would also apply to JV Model’s ambulance kits. I thank Milan for getting me this kit though a trade. Also available from JV are 1/72 kits of German wheeled tractors and armored railroad cars.