The hull of the vehicle is very detailed both inside and out and what I have been able to visually verify looks to be accurate but I could not find the needed reference to verify all aspects of the model. I have found myself considering that the detail may be more akin to the field gun version as that would be easier to check with the needed access and it may be the same in all variants. I did like that the reinforcing pressed marks have been faithfully replicated even in areas that will not be readily seen. The road and drive wheels look to be accurate and you must note that the front gog is different to the rear cog and this is accurate which I was surprised by due to the spares chain which was problematic. The tracks are very nicely detailed and supplied as link and length; this provides the modeller with excellent detail and keeps construction time and ease of assembly acceptable. A snow shoe was designed for these tracks which can already be purchased from the after market providers. I suspect that in time MiniArt will release a version with these as well, but that is just my suspicion. The track links are very accurate when compared to online images of the real thing. The suspension appears to be unconsidered for the crew unless rubber is inside the axles I think this could be a hard ride.
The cab appears to be accurate as regards form and the doors look to be the right shape and size using visual comparison. The doors are very large on this vehicle and so a quick escape should be possible. Looking at the panel details I have checked these against an example on the Imperial War Museum site and like what I see in all respects. The steering of this vehicle was via tillers that are again has been faithfully replicated. The seats are also well replicated and to my mind again comfort has not been considered. The foot pedals are correct for this version but are different on the Pak gun variant so do not get caught out. Decals are provided for the instrument panel and these should be acceptable.
Mounted in the cab is the engine and I initially thought I don’t like that, but on the Russian Front I would rather be warm and so the engine is well placed for that purpose. I am led to believe that a petrol V8 engine and a diesel engine were used on these vehicles and this is a petrol engine version, I did some digging and it seems that the petrol V8 was the initial power plant, but a diesel engine is far more reliable in the scope of combat where the vehicle was used and so a natural progression to diesel. The detail of the engine is of a high standard and should meet most modeller’s expectations. But it could be further dressed up with some detailing to replicate wire and pipes that would be present.
The truck bed is nicely detailed with the option of a bare wire frame or and canvas cover, I would expect a canvas cover would be most often seen on this vehicle but the choice is yours. The rear and side gates of the vehicle bed can be shown open or closed you just need to make sure to hang them correctly as regards interior and exterior faces. Four finishing options are covered with this release with two of the four being in Luftwaffe use and the other two being unidentified units.
This offering of the 7.5cm anti-tank gun is I believe a mid production model. The Pak 40 started going into service in the early 1940s and was rushed at the end, due to the need for a larger calibre gun following Operation Barbarossa. Due to German forces coming up against Russian heavy armour, against which the 3.7cm gun being in-effective against these tanks, requiring the use of the 88mm gun to be used which took too much time to set up. The difference between the mid and early production 7.5cm anti-tank gun is I believe limited to the split trail which on early productions had a 3rd wheel.
Assembly of this model is straight forward, however the very small parts used and photo etched pieces will require a reasonable level of skill to get the most from the model. Some highlights of the gun model, is that the twin shield layers are well replicated and the centre shield is provided with a photo etched part to better mimic the thickness. The main barrel is moulded as a single piece and is one of the corrected lengths, and so will only require clean up at the connection points. You are also provided with 2 versions of the muzzle brake, and a 3rd option is provided with a canvas cover on it. The split trail can be shown in the used or towed positions, and the rubber detail on the wheels has the Continental emblem on them only requiring the removal of a zero at the end which I believe is there in order to get around copyright law. While on the subject of the rubber wheels, the rubber took quite a lot of damage over its lifetime and so some gauges in the rubber detail will add a realistic touch.
The figures for this release from MiniArt have some age to them. However, looking at the examples in this offering the figures are clean, the uniform is accurate for an artillery crew, although in theory due to the fact that they are wearing what we used to refer to as Jack boots., it would place it early to mid war. This items were still out and about at the end of the war, but are becoming rare due to limited resources. Another reason that I place these resources to early/mid war is that the pockets are the pleated versions with the double scalloped pocket flaps. One of the figures is shown as a driver, with another placed beside him in a natural position for the seat style. I suspect, that as the driver has not been specifically designed to drive this vehicle accurate placement may be problematic. The final 3 figures are placed in the rear in seated positions. I am very pleased to see MiniArt has provided a small number of ammunition boxes and some un-packed shells. There is not enough ammunition boxes to show a full load, and indeed you could have a truck behind shown bringing up more ammunition. However a home-made canvas over what has been supplied and just some shaped foam to indicate more boxes behind will give the correct impression.
MiniArt has provided 4 finishing options for this vehicle:
21st Luftwaffe-Field Division, Eastern Front, Winter 1942/43
168th Infantry Division, Operation Zitadelle, Summer 1943
Artillery-Abteilung (RSO) 602, Italy 1944
Artillery-Abteilung (RSO) 860, Eastern Front 1943
I would suggest that if you are finishing this as the first option, you find an alternate crew as they are not equipped for Winter fighting clothing wise.