Tamiya 35115 - 1:35 Sd.Kfz. 250/9

Plastic model kit of the German Sd.Kfz. 250/9 Ausf.A light reconnaissance half-track in 1:35 scale

The Sd.Kfz. 250/9 was one of the Wehrmacht's more ingenious vehicles: an armoured car turret with a 2 cm cannon mounted on a light half-track carrier. Tamiya 35115 reproduces the Ausf.A version in 1:35 scale from tooling dating to 1980.

The model stands out for its detailed crew compartment and engine, as well as for its tracks, which combine longer sections along the straight runs with individual links around the drive and idler wheels, allowing a realistic track run. A plastic mesh screen for the turret is included, along with a generous set of small arms: an MP40, two MG34s and three Kar98k rifles. The decals cover three vehicles from the Western and Eastern Fronts.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues with hull, turret, interior and engine parts
• Turret with 2 cm cannon and machine gun
• Tracks made up of longer sections and individual links
• Plastic mesh (turret screen)
• Small arms: MP40, 2 × MG34, 3 × Kar98k
• One figure
• Waterslide decal sheet for three options: 116th Panzer Division (France 1944), 23rd Panzer Division (Eastern Front), 24th Panzer Division (Eastern Front)
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:35
• Item number: 35115
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Assembled length: 137 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate (link-and-length tracks, detailed interior and engine)

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This is a kit for self-assembly.

Building the model:

Despite its small size this is a more demanding kit than the typical beginner's model, mainly because of the tracks, which take patience when forming the curves from individual links. It is worth painting the crew compartment and engine before closing up the hull, as access becomes limited afterwards. The small arms are best assembled and painted separately before being fitted in place.

German vehicles of 1943–44 were usually finished in a dark yellow base (e.g. Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow) with green and brown camouflage patches over it. Applying the decals over a gloss coat helps avoid silvering, and a matt varnish makes a good final coat. A wash brings out the interior detail and rivets, while pigments can recreate mud on the tracks.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Precision modelling tweezers (useful for the track links and small arms)
• Brushes in various sizes
• Model paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Wash to bring out detail
• Optional: weathering pigments for mud and dust

About the vehicle – Sd.Kfz. 250/9:

The basis was the Demag D7 light half-track, known as the Sd.Kfz. 250 — agile, relatively cheap and well suited to difficult ground. Experience on the Eastern Front showed that wheeled reconnaissance armoured cars bogged down in mud and snow, so in 1943 the decision was taken to move their turret onto the half-track chassis.

The result was the Sd.Kfz. 250/9: the turret of the Sd.Kfz. 222 armoured car, with its 2 cm KwK 38 cannon and coaxial MG34, on the hull of a light carrier. The vehicle had a crew of three and served with the reconnaissance platoons of the panzer divisions, where its mobility and firepower — sufficient against lightly armoured targets and infantry — were much appreciated.

Original vehicle specifications (Sd.Kfz. 250/9):

• Type: light reconnaissance half-track
• Chassis: Demag D7 light carrier (Sd.Kfz. 250)
• Armament: 2 cm KwK 38 cannon and MG34 machine gun in the turret of the Sd.Kfz. 222 armoured car
• Powerplant: Maybach HL 42 TRKM, approx. 100 hp
• Crew: 3
• Entered service: 1943
• Role: reconnaissance within the panzer divisions

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the centre of the Japanese model industry. The company started out in the timber trade and made wooden models, releasing its first injection-moulded plastic kit in 1960. Two years later came the 1:35 tank that established the world standard scale for military modelling. The brand is known for precise tooling and excellent parts fit, which is why its kits are equally popular with beginners and experienced modellers. The Military Miniature Series, to which this kit belongs, runs to hundreds of releases covering vehicles, artillery and figures. Tamiya instructions are clear and well illustrated, with painting guides referenced to the company's own paint range. Besides kits, Tamiya offers a full range of accessories: paints, cements, tools and brushes. The company is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable names in the hobby.