WesternOutlaw
Major
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2012
- Messages
- 6,658
Good morning all:
I'd like to start my Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and a King & Country (K&C) review of item AK035 German Afrika Korps Motorcycle Combo. Rather than calling this vehicle/set a "German Afrika Korps Motorcycle Combo", I will hence refer to it as the Zundapp, and a beautiful one it is.
First Impressions
I was excited to acquire the zundapp because the item has been retired. It was originally released in 2007 and becoming more expensive and difficult to find new. As most fans of the Afrika Korps/WWII North African campaign would likely attest to, no collection can be complete without a zundapp. Unlike some K&C items, this particular model came in an standard box without any historic pictures of the zundapp making its way along black and white countrysides. Rather, random pictures appear on the box of which is simply marked with a small AK035 sticker for identification. Fortunately, this review is not about the box but the splendid zundapp contained within. The first thing I noticed upon carefully lifting the zundapp from the box was its weight. This is a heavy piece! I also had to straighten the machine gun which was bent when I removed the model from the inner packaging. It straightened pretty easily.
Rating
Assembly/Components: 4.5/5 - Some who do not own this zundapp may expect the figures to be removable. They are not. The two figures are set in place as is the machine gun. (-.5)
Color Scheme: 5/5 - Outstanding! K&C does a fantastic job on their consistency with Afrikakorps tan vehicles and some brown/grey scuff marks appear for weathering. Other colors include brown for the saddle bags and dark brown for the seats. The motor is a dark to medium metallic grey and the machine gun slightly lighter. The wheels are a dark grey/light black and some accent colors like white and black are used to add detail.
Design/Mold: 5/5 - The design is very nice and I like the overall size. Sometimes these smaller vehicles can be too small, especially compared to trucks and tanks. This zundapp is sized "just right". What really stands out in terms of the design is the action poses of the figures and the large machine gun attached to the sidecar. Who doesn't like a big gun? When I first placed this zundapp on the table to take a closer look, something seemed missing toward the front handlebars. I couldn't figure it out. I brought up a few pictures and then realized what it was. K&C did not place any side mirrors on this bike. Being clumsy with small pieces and hating to handle models with extra extra care, I'm completely okay with this.
Paint Quality: 5/5 - Perfect! The nice thing with weathering is that any mark/flaw/imperfection in the paint can be viewed as intentional. Overall, the paint is nicely done with little to no overpainting with accent colors/details. In fact, the details look nice, especially the license plate in the back and legible WH-188 802 on both the plate and front fender.
Decals/Emblems: 5/5 - This zudapp has three emblems. The first is a 21st Panzer Division emblem that appears on the front of the sidecar. The other two emblems are the Afrikakorps palm with swastika located on the front of the sidecar wheel fender and the back of the sidecar. The white emblems are set on a light grey base color adding to the detail. I especially like the large 21st Panzer Division emblem and if anyone can add what the emblem below it means, it would be appreciated as I was unable to locate.
Details: 5/5: Accent colors, a tachometer, emblems, weathering all give this a solid 5!
Figures: 5/5 - I really like the figure poses, especially the figure in the sidecar. Wearing light green shorts and a rolled-up tan shirt with tan tropical cap with goggles, he holds the machine gun tightly in firing position. On his left wrist is a wrapped bandage with some blood adding to the nice detail. The driver wears tan pants and green field jacket with a green helmet and goggles. A machine gun hangs by his side in case of trouble. He has the time on his left hand and his right is raised to tell Hans in the sidecar that he must fire is shorter bursts or he will jam the gun. Okay, I embellished there but with splendid figures like these, they easily tell a story.
Playability: 5/5 - The wheels of this K&C zundapp turn, and turn pretty well at that. The front wheel has a little resistance but just slightly. The figures are not removable but it would have been nice if the machine gun could be turned as well. A different pose would have been needed for the figure, however.
Price: 4.5/5 - A three inch long zundapp with a $139 price tag, ouch! And that's if you could still find one for close to this original price (-.5). It's a beautiful little piece but it's not cheap.
Display/Eye Appeal: 5/5 - Fantastic! I love this little bike and can't wait to place it next to a desert building or larger scene for photographs. The colors, design, and details are well done.
Score
Adding up the rating, that's 49 out of 50 points possible giving this K&C zundapp a 98% - a high A.
Summary
Afrika Korps is my personal favorite theme from K&C. In fact, it's my favorite theme for other Toy Soldier companies as well. As mentioned above, I do not think that any Afrika Korps collection is complete without a zundapp. I think I own four now if you count other 1/32 scale makers. Having a genuine Afrika Korps desert version with authentic figures is a great selling point for me. I've had to use an Eastern Front zundapp from Forces of Valor for my 1/32 scale N. Afrika diorama. If you're a "swoosher" or a "pusher", this little bike can be moved around your tabletop diorama with its movable wheels. How great is that! If you're not a swoosher or a pusher, you can simply picture the zundapp in your diorama or favorite display case to admire and photograph. AK035 has outstanding details but they do not come cheap. Good luck finding one if you're still in the market. If you have one; however, you certainly picked a nice piece for your K&C Afrika Korps collection.
Some other zundapp's for comparison:
Forces of Valor Grey Version:
Forces of Valor Tan Version:
The K&C version is my new favorite!
I'd like to start my Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and a King & Country (K&C) review of item AK035 German Afrika Korps Motorcycle Combo. Rather than calling this vehicle/set a "German Afrika Korps Motorcycle Combo", I will hence refer to it as the Zundapp, and a beautiful one it is.
First Impressions
I was excited to acquire the zundapp because the item has been retired. It was originally released in 2007 and becoming more expensive and difficult to find new. As most fans of the Afrika Korps/WWII North African campaign would likely attest to, no collection can be complete without a zundapp. Unlike some K&C items, this particular model came in an standard box without any historic pictures of the zundapp making its way along black and white countrysides. Rather, random pictures appear on the box of which is simply marked with a small AK035 sticker for identification. Fortunately, this review is not about the box but the splendid zundapp contained within. The first thing I noticed upon carefully lifting the zundapp from the box was its weight. This is a heavy piece! I also had to straighten the machine gun which was bent when I removed the model from the inner packaging. It straightened pretty easily.
Rating
Assembly/Components: 4.5/5 - Some who do not own this zundapp may expect the figures to be removable. They are not. The two figures are set in place as is the machine gun. (-.5)
Color Scheme: 5/5 - Outstanding! K&C does a fantastic job on their consistency with Afrikakorps tan vehicles and some brown/grey scuff marks appear for weathering. Other colors include brown for the saddle bags and dark brown for the seats. The motor is a dark to medium metallic grey and the machine gun slightly lighter. The wheels are a dark grey/light black and some accent colors like white and black are used to add detail.
Design/Mold: 5/5 - The design is very nice and I like the overall size. Sometimes these smaller vehicles can be too small, especially compared to trucks and tanks. This zundapp is sized "just right". What really stands out in terms of the design is the action poses of the figures and the large machine gun attached to the sidecar. Who doesn't like a big gun? When I first placed this zundapp on the table to take a closer look, something seemed missing toward the front handlebars. I couldn't figure it out. I brought up a few pictures and then realized what it was. K&C did not place any side mirrors on this bike. Being clumsy with small pieces and hating to handle models with extra extra care, I'm completely okay with this.
Paint Quality: 5/5 - Perfect! The nice thing with weathering is that any mark/flaw/imperfection in the paint can be viewed as intentional. Overall, the paint is nicely done with little to no overpainting with accent colors/details. In fact, the details look nice, especially the license plate in the back and legible WH-188 802 on both the plate and front fender.
Decals/Emblems: 5/5 - This zudapp has three emblems. The first is a 21st Panzer Division emblem that appears on the front of the sidecar. The other two emblems are the Afrikakorps palm with swastika located on the front of the sidecar wheel fender and the back of the sidecar. The white emblems are set on a light grey base color adding to the detail. I especially like the large 21st Panzer Division emblem and if anyone can add what the emblem below it means, it would be appreciated as I was unable to locate.
Details: 5/5: Accent colors, a tachometer, emblems, weathering all give this a solid 5!
Figures: 5/5 - I really like the figure poses, especially the figure in the sidecar. Wearing light green shorts and a rolled-up tan shirt with tan tropical cap with goggles, he holds the machine gun tightly in firing position. On his left wrist is a wrapped bandage with some blood adding to the nice detail. The driver wears tan pants and green field jacket with a green helmet and goggles. A machine gun hangs by his side in case of trouble. He has the time on his left hand and his right is raised to tell Hans in the sidecar that he must fire is shorter bursts or he will jam the gun. Okay, I embellished there but with splendid figures like these, they easily tell a story.
Playability: 5/5 - The wheels of this K&C zundapp turn, and turn pretty well at that. The front wheel has a little resistance but just slightly. The figures are not removable but it would have been nice if the machine gun could be turned as well. A different pose would have been needed for the figure, however.
Price: 4.5/5 - A three inch long zundapp with a $139 price tag, ouch! And that's if you could still find one for close to this original price (-.5). It's a beautiful little piece but it's not cheap.
Display/Eye Appeal: 5/5 - Fantastic! I love this little bike and can't wait to place it next to a desert building or larger scene for photographs. The colors, design, and details are well done.
Score
Adding up the rating, that's 49 out of 50 points possible giving this K&C zundapp a 98% - a high A.
Summary
Afrika Korps is my personal favorite theme from K&C. In fact, it's my favorite theme for other Toy Soldier companies as well. As mentioned above, I do not think that any Afrika Korps collection is complete without a zundapp. I think I own four now if you count other 1/32 scale makers. Having a genuine Afrika Korps desert version with authentic figures is a great selling point for me. I've had to use an Eastern Front zundapp from Forces of Valor for my 1/32 scale N. Afrika diorama. If you're a "swoosher" or a "pusher", this little bike can be moved around your tabletop diorama with its movable wheels. How great is that! If you're not a swoosher or a pusher, you can simply picture the zundapp in your diorama or favorite display case to admire and photograph. AK035 has outstanding details but they do not come cheap. Good luck finding one if you're still in the market. If you have one; however, you certainly picked a nice piece for your K&C Afrika Korps collection.
Some other zundapp's for comparison:
Forces of Valor Grey Version:
Forces of Valor Tan Version:
The K&C version is my new favorite!
