My Beef With the Greif
Early this spring, I purchased Warlord Games' 250 German halftrack model. My first beef is not with Warlord Games; it is with the seller. Warlord boxes are pretty flimsy, and this was shipped in a soft envelope rather than a box. It arrived slightly crushed.
This irritates me on a very basic level. When I buy something new, I expect it to arrive in pristine condition. I don't always build my models, and I sometimes resell them if I decide not to continue with a project.
I have some leftover DAK infantry from a starter army, so I decided to build this one as Rommel's Greif command halftrack. This led to the discovery of my second beef, this one firmly the fault of Warlord.
The crew for the halftrack is really small and poorly proportioned, nothing like the "heroic" proportions of the big heads and hands and squat bodies of their standard WWII fare. Rommel and one crewman actually look like dwarves, and the radio operator is a halfling buddy they brought along to cram into the floor of the vehicle.
The third and final beef is again with the shipping. While cutting the parts from the sprues, I found that the rear panel of the halftrack around the door had been bent and would not fit properly. A few minutes with a heat gun and some creative cursing, and it was straightened well enough to continue. I did partial assemblies, leaving the interior accessible for painting.
The interior painting went well enough, with the exception of a minor user error. When I test-fit the top and bottom, I realized that I had forgotten to paint the upper interior. More painting ensued, and while the wash on these parts was drying, the demi-human crew was painted.
The only hangup with the final assembly was filling the gaps left by the warped upper hull. A little bit of putty and some smoothing, and I was ready to mask the interior and prime the beast.
Next, I painted the basic colors, added a wash and a highlight to the vehicle, and test-fit the crew. The final beef was discovered at this stage. The two crewmen fit in well. They are snug, but they stand on the decking correctly. There is no proper way to fit Rommel with his feet on the deck. He ends up balanced on top of the back of a seat. Probably due to the fact that he's a dwarf.
At this point, all that was left was to add the decals and weather the model. Positioning the Greif wording was a little tricky. Some Vallejo weathering powders were added for dust and mud, and a spray of flat sealant completed the build.
Sure, I have some issues with the manufacturing and shipping of this model, but all in all, this was a really fun project, and I like the look of the end product. The assembly and fit of most parts are well thought out, and the instructions are clear. It will make a fine addition to the DAK troops when they arrive on the gaming table.
