Before World War 2, during secret maneuvers in the Soviet Union Wehrmacht recognized that a suitable recon car was missing, which should replace the Sd. Kfz. 13 in the near future.
In 1/72 scale there are 2 models of Sd. Kfz. 13, one from ACE, a producer from Ukraine:
And one from RPM, a producer from Poland:
The result was the "Leichter Panzerspähwagen" (Light Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle) Sd. Kfz. 221.
(As far as I know, there is no 1/72 scale production of this vehicle.)
It was produced 1935 to 1944.
The vehicle had a rear mounted engine with a 67 kW (90 hp) Horch 3.5 petrol engine.
This motor gived it a road speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h (25 mph).
It had a maximum range of 300 km (186 mi).
Used by the reconnaissance battalions (Aufklärungs-Abteilung) of the Panzer divisions, the type performed well enough in countries with good road networks, like those in Western Europe.
However, on the Eastern Front and North Africa,this class of vehicle was hampered by its relatively poor off-road performance.
In those theaters, Sd. Kfz. 250 half-track vehicle replaced his reconnaissance role.
The Sd. Kfz. 250/9 has the same turret as the Sd. Kfz. 222.
It was armed with a single 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 (MG34) machine gun, manned by a two man crew, and had 4-wheel drive.
Armour protection was originally 8 mm thick, but increased to 14.5 mm later in production.
The updated version of this vehicle was Sd.Kfz. 222, which Dragon is producing.
This version of the vehicle was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon and a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun.
It manned by a three man crew, in which the third crew member was the gunner, relieving the commander of that task.
From the beginning of the production in 1936 the front armour protection was originally 14,5 mm thick, but increased to 30 mm later in production. The sides and rear had 8 mm. armour.
The new vehicle had a road speed of 90 km/h and a maximum range of 347 km.
This vehicle was used till the end of war and sold also to Bulgaria and China.
Some versions included a 28 mm armored piercing cannon.
A prototype version included a 50 mm cannon. Two armored prototype versions were completed.
There is another model in 1/72 scale from ICM, a producer in Ukraine:
Maybe, someone will buy both of them and can write a review to compare!
A lot of info is from Wiki, the photos from "henkofholland"-website!
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