Tamiya's all-new 1/48 scale
Citroën Traction 11CV

+ Hauler Photo-Etched Detail Set (HLX480038)

Reviewed and Built by Brett Green

Tamiya's 1/48 scale Citroen is available online from Squadron.com

Tamiya's 1/48 scale Citroën Traction 11CV

Tamiya's brand new 1/48 scale mid-production Citroen Traction 11CV features good detail, superb fit, link and options to permit the car to be finished as a French civilian, French Military or German Military vehicle.

This is a welcome release for aircraft modellers as well as armour aficiandos, as the Traction was used as an airfield hack and staff car by Luftwaffe units in the East and the West.

The model is simply broken down into the three basic components of upper body, front mudguards (also incorporating the firewall/dashboard) and chassis. Details such as bumper bars, wheels, steering wheel, exhaust, spare tyre and headights are supplied separately.

Overall detail is very good, with crisply raised surface features (hinges, door handles, window sills etc), and recessed lines representing the doors, trunk and engine access panels. The doors are moulded shut.

There are a few compromises. For example, there are no door handles or pedals on the inside of the cab, and the number plates are a little thick. Also, mirrors - interior and exterior - are missing.

Even so, Tamiya's 1/48 scale is an excellent little kit that will go together quickly and offer some interesting possibilities for dioramas.

If you want to lift the level of detail and finesse, there are already several photo-etch detail sets available (including the Hauler set that I used on mine).

Hauler Photo Etch for Traction 11CV

Czech company Hauler continues to pump out accessory sets for Tamiya's new generation of 1/48 scale vehicles almost as soon as each model hits the market.

One of Hauler's recent releases is a single fret of details for Tamiya's Citroen Traction 11CV.

This set addresses a number of the omissions and simplifications of the Tamiya kit. Without a doubt, the most impressive component is the exquisite, two-part photo-etched grille. The extra effort and care required to prepare Tamiya's kit part is well worthwhile. These parts alone transform Tamiya's kit.

In addition to the grille, Hauler supplies a new windscreen surround and acetate windscreen, replacement number plates (now nicely in scale), separate handles for doors and the trunk (including handles and winders for the insides of the doors, mudflaps, windscreen wipers, positionable engine vents and, importantly, an exterior and an interior rear-vision mirror.

Construction

In common with Tamiya's earlier 1/48 scale vehicle releases, there is almost nothing to say about construction except "superb".

Fit of all parts was uniformly excellent. No filler was required anywhere.

I did, however, deviate from the instructions in one respect. Instead of gluing the front mudguards to the chassis, I secured this part to the upper body. This simplified painting, in that the entire body could be painted separately to the chassis.

I used all the Hauler parts except for the mudflaps and the engine vents. Many of the Hauler parts are tiny, and extreme care must be taken to avoid sacrificing brass to the ravenous Carpet Monster. I lost one of the windscreen wipers despite exercising (obviously not quite enough) caution.

The left tail light was cut off the kit's plastic rear number plate and glued to the brass part.

One more Wehrmacht touch was added to the model. Hauler also sent their resin and brass Notek light set for review. I guessed that this piece of equipment might have been retrofitted to some Luftwaffe cars, so I used one of the two lights on the front left mudguard.

Even using the Hauler set, I estimate that construction took no more than 4 enjoyable hours, including a cumulative total of maybe 20 minutes crawling on the floor chasing dropped parts!

Painting

I wanted to create the impression of a well-used airfield hack, so some weathering would be necessary.

The model was painted with a base coat of German Grey, followed by a thin, random mottling of Dark Grey. Next, I mixed approximately 20% white with the grey for a third random colour. The trick to this diffusion technique is subtlety - the mottle should not be too stark. Keep in mind, however, that the next step will tend to blend the mottled appearance somewhat.

The entire vehicle received a wash of Raw Umber (50%) and Lamp Black (50%) oil paint thinned with odorless thinners. This messy coat was permitted to dry overnight before proceeding.

Once dry, any dust and lumps were wiped off lightly with a damp fingertip.

Smaller details were now picked out with a fine brush, and the two main assemblies were brought together.

The final stage of weathering was a light dusting of pastel chalk around the lower half of the rear body.

Without wanting to sound repetitive, Tamiya's 1/48 scale Citroen Traction 11CV is a beautiful kit that is easy to build yet matches the detail of many 1/35 scale models.

The whole series so far seems to be the antithesis of the 1000+ super kits being released in 1/35 scale today. You can build these 1/48 scale Tamiya kits in less than a day. It will not take much more than that to paint them.

If you want more detail, Hauler has already come to the rescue with their excellent range of photo-etched sets

I can only hope that we see even more figures (pilots and ground crew? Pretty please?) and diorama accessory releases in the coming months.

Both Highly Recommended.

Model, Text and Images Copyright © 2005 by Brett Green
Page Created 18 October, 2005
Last updated 19 October, 2005

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