German 20L and 200L Fuel Drums

AFV Club, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Cookie Sewell

Summary

F i r s t L o o k

One thing many of us need is something to either load cargo vehicles or to use in a diorama to give it purpose. This set from AFV Club provides three sprues from an earlier “Special” kit, AF35S50 (Sd.Kfz. 251/3 Ausf. C from 2009), but also adds a set of thin sheet to provide “creases and wrinkles” to give the 200 liter barrels some character.

Each 200 liter barrel comes with three large rings, two small joint rings, and separate ends. The center ring has a slide-molded port in it for either using a screw bung or inserting the manual fuel pump. Can ends are embossed with the details pressed into the originals.

The pumps come with a separate top screw bung and venting for the end of the barrel. The pump itself comes in four parts (body, side plate, operating lever, and nozzle) but no hose material is provided. The modeler will need to come up with his own tubing to use for the hose if he wants to show a fueling scene.

The 20 liter cans are the triangular type and come in four parts - base, top and ends.

The two 10 liter cans come in four parts - ends and sides, but the taller of the two has a separate cap.

Of interest is the thin sticker that provides for wrinkles and creases to show age in the barrels. This beats having them molded that way and permits each one to present its own “personality”.

Overall this is a handy kit for German or Allied modelers (as the Allies also glommed onto any captured material of this type!) and should be popular.

Thanks to Tony Chin of Merit for the review sample.