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Built Review
148
Staghound AA
T17E2 Staghound AA armored car
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by: Roman [ BIZARRE ]

Introduction
Following the release of their 1/48 Staghound Mk. III Bronco models gives us another version – Staghound T17E2 AA, which was designed to be a mobile anti-aircraft vehicle. Due to total Allied superiority on the Western front the vehicles were often used to support the infantry against soft ground targets. The Staghound AA had two M2 cal.50 MGs and required a crew of three. The compartments were reorganized due to the new turret basket, and relocation of the radio set meant the bow-mounted Browning MG was removed.

contents
The kit comes in a cardboard box with artwork on top and some information on the sides. Inside there are five tan styrene sprues, one clear sprue, one PE fret, a decal sheet, vinyl ammo belts and a piece of twine. Comparing them to previous release, the two sprues are new and the PE fret is different. The black and white instruction manual contains a brief annotation in English, German and Chinese; color chart for Humbrol, Tamiya, and Mr. Hobby paints; parts layout; assembly instructions; and paint guide.

The moulding is comparable to Bronco’s recent 1/35 releases and the parts on the sprues have crisp detail and no flash, so minimal clean up is required.

review
The hull consists of nine parts and has excellent detail on all surfaces, except the interior. Should there be any AM interior later – there is excellent detail on the inner sides of hatches and engine access doors and there is a possibility to glue them open or closed. The fit of the parts is excellent - location points are present and almost no putty required. The hull sides, front armor plate and the hull’s top plate are new parts comparied to Mk.III kit. The dimensions of the hull correspond to plans in the book “Armored Car, A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles” by R.P Hunnicutt.

The suspension is nicely detailed and features axles, steering linkage, suspension mountings, and suspension springs. Some of the parts are really small and tiny, so sharp sprue cutters and precision tweezers are a must for the assembly.

Each of the four large wheels consists of two parts and there are three locating pins inside to ensure the proper tire pattern. If you want to replace the wheels, the chained version is available from Black Dog. I recommend gluing the wheels instead of making them rotatable for better stability.

The exhaust mufflers consist of several parts and have PE covers as an option. The driver's compartment roof has separate visor ports and periscopes as clear parts, and these can be also showed open or closed.

Four fenders come as separate parts and have optional PE mud flaps. Other details included are: jerry can, OVM tools, head and tail lights, towing eyes. The headlights have PE guards and there is a plastic part that should be used to bend them into proper shape. Be sure not to glue the Browning MG tripod on the side of the hull since this is appropriate only for non-AA staghounds.

The new smaller turret ring is provided and has excellent detail with casting numbers. The turret itself is build up of multiple parts and has an incredible level of detail for 1/48 scale. The M2 cal.50 has OK detail for the scale, but metal barrels from RB Model have far better detail as well as separate cooling jackets. The MGs are glued into gun cradles which are inserted between two cradle bearings. The vinyl ammo belts can be glued at this stage or later. The assembly of the bearings themselves is complicated since you need to align them properly. To do so I dry fitted them into lower turret ring and glued only when I could align other parts. After that I joined the bearings with their connecting parts in the middle as well as with front support parts. Some PE details are included here and you should be very careful when working with them. Surprisingly, the guns are supposed to elevate but I simply glued the cradles at the desired level.

For the sight you have two variants – an early version that builds up from four plastic parts plus a PE sight and a late version that has three parts only. I couldn’t find any early sights on the reference images so the late version is the most appropriate for that model. The assembled sight is fixed with connecting rods to gun cradles and placed between the mounting brackets on the turret ring. Next comes the assembly of three armor plates and an armor shield in the front. The turret basket is also present and consists of the gunner’s seat, basket floor, ammo bins and side walls.

Once you are through all the build steps according to the instructions you might wish to add weld seams to the model since it is completely missing them. Just check the walkaround from the Jacques Littlefield Collection.

painting and markings
Two options are available – Royal Canadian Dragoons, Italy 1944 and 11th Hussars, Normandy 1944. Both variants have British olive drab no. 15 overall.

Conclusion
With the help of Bronco I discovered 1/48 scale models and I hope the others will do that too. Don’t be afraid of the complicated turret assembly - once you manage it you will be proud of yourself! For sure the addition of metal barrels and some stowage will make this model stand out in your collection.

What’s next Bronco? How’s about an M24 in 1/48?

References
R.P. Hunnicutt, Armored Car, A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles (this book has 1/48 drawings of the Staghound)

Armorama walkarounds one and two

Jacques Littlefield Collection walkaround

Armorama 1/48 Bronco Mk. III feature article
SUMMARY
Highs: High detail level, excellent quality of parts, previously uncovered subject in 1/48.
Lows: Assembly can be demanding for beginners, MG barrels require replacement, twine for towing cable.
Verdict: Highly recommended
Percentage Rating
88%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: ZB48002
  Suggested Retail: 30 USD
  Related Link: order online
  PUBLISHED: Jan 15, 2012
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 89.61%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 87.97%

Our Thanks to Dragon USA!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Roman (Bizarre)
FROM: AKERSHUS, NORWAY

Copyright ©2021 text by Roman [ BIZARRE ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Excellent review Roman - I enjoyed reading this. cheers Mark
JAN 24, 2012 - 05:30 AM
I am glad it was helpful. Thanks for feedback!
JAN 24, 2012 - 08:35 AM
Thanks for the review Roman. I really like these kits, but some of the parts are a bit too delicate. The brackets for the mirrors are very difficult to clean up without breaking them, and the separate hinge bases aren't really necessary. I actually lost one for the turret on the original release model, and I don't normally lose pieces. I fully agree with you on gluing the wheels in place, especially the pair with the floating caps inside of them. I really like how well the parts fit together as well. The wheels in particular are easy to clean up and don't need filler after gluing and sanding.
JAN 24, 2012 - 06:09 PM
Good review Roman, Many thanks. Al
JAN 26, 2012 - 07:17 PM
Thanks Alan and Jeremy, it's great to get comments
JAN 26, 2012 - 07:58 PM
I am painting this model right now and I found a problem that the decals for Canadian vehicle are oversized - the flags that go on sides and the lettering on the front armour plate. Looks like they are from 1/35 scale without downscaling.
APR 07, 2012 - 09:47 AM
   
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