Introduction:

The leFH18 10.5cm Howitzer was used in large numbers by the German Army on all fronts during WWII. It could be towed by a horse team or the Sd.Kfz.11 3 ton half track. It was an accurate and reliable weapon but due to its heavy weight and relatively short range was out classed by similar Soviet weapons. Later versions of the gun were fitted with the carriage from the 7.5cm PAK 40 Anti-tank gun to improve mobility; this new version was given the designation leFH18/40.

The Kit:

The kit represents the version of the leFH18 used in the first years of the war on all fronts from France, Africa, Italy and the initial Russian campaign.

It consists of 148 parts in light tan plastic, an aluminium barrel, brass rod for the recuperator plus a short piece of vinyl dust cover for the air equalizer and a small decal sheet.

Decal sheet Negative view showing the white markings

The standard of moulding is simply sensational with virtually no pin ejector marks on the parts, this is most noticeable on the large gun shield which is completely free of pin ejector marks (see detail images below). There are quite a few very small pieces that are well moulded and will require care when removing from the sprues.

Many of the sub assemblies are broken down into multiple parts for excellent detail definition, an example is the breech which is made up of nine separate parts and also features engraved production numbers on the breech face while the main gun sight has four parts and is especially well detailed.

The cradle and lower carriage are again very well detailed with many separate small parts for excellent detail, with alternate parts for the horse drawn or vehicle towed versions.

The main gun shield as mentioned is devoid of pin ejector marks and has nice details moulded on both sides along with other details parts, including the ‘tail light’ for the towed version.

The 105mm barrel is in aluminium with the muzzle hollowed out to a depth of 1/4inch (6mm); this is trapped between the two halves of the breech block assembly, but there is no rifling on the inner barrel. Added to this is a brass tube for the upper recoil cylinder and a section of concertina vinyl material for the dust cover on the air equalizer cylinder on the right side of the gun assembly, the length of this will vary depending on your choice of building the gun in firing or towed configuration.

The split trailing arms have an interesting feature in that they have the two sides and top moulded as one with a hollow centre; this eliminates any sink marks sometimes seen on thick parts moulded in one piece and also means there are no seams to be filled while keeping a good level of detail definition on all faces. There are again many smaller detailed parts fitted to the arms as well as the two large recoil spades. These are also free of any pin ejector marks while the holes are cleanly moulded and the arms and spades can be positioned in the firing or towed position.

The main pressed steel wheels are moulded in one piece except for the separate inner rubber tyre section for good definition of the tread pattern. The wheels have excellent detail on both sides and again there are no pin ejector marks to be seen.

The decal sheet has some data blocks and numbers for the inside of the gun shield and apart from this there are no other markings but these can be used on what ever version or theatre you wish to model the gun in.

Conclusion:

A very detailed and well moulded kit of the leFH18 which along with the metal barrel and recoil cylinder will build into an excellent model, the number of parts for what is not a big gun should indicate the level of detail included.
As AFV Club have already released the Sd.Kfz.11 3 ton which was the usual towing vehicle for this gun we have the perfect pair for some interesting dioramas.

Highly recommended

The Sprues:

Click on thumbnails for larger view
Sprue Images

Detail Images

Click here for a full Construction Review of the kit.

References:

	Leichte Feldhaubitze 18, GW II für le.F.H. 18/2 „Wespe“ and „Hummel-Wespe“ Nuts & Bolts Volume 33 by Joachim Baschin, Martin Block, Heinz Tippmann soft cover german & english texts 184 pages, 353 photos, (198 historic, 40 model, 115 modern), 40 blueprints, 13 camouflage schemes, tactical markings, table of organsisation (KStN)
	Le.F.H. 18/18M Model Detail Photo Monograph No.16 Published by Rossagraph Superb photo coverage of the le.FH.18/18M Highly recommended Polish/English text
	WWII German and Soviet Field Howitzers in detail Wings & Wheels Publications. Special Museum Line No25 ISBN 80-86416-24-0 Published by RAK, Czech Republic. 60 pages all in colour. It should be noted that this book features the leFH18/40 which is based on the 7.5cm Pak 40 carriage as well as having a muzzle break fitted and slightly different gun shield from the AFV Club kit. The gun and cradle are basically the same so can be used as a reference for those details.
	Allied-Axis The Photo Journal of the Second World War No.7 Ampersand Publishing. The publishers of MMIR magazine.
	Allied-Axis The Photo Journal of the Second World War No.8 Ampersand Publishing. The publishers of MMIR magazine.
	German Light Field Artillery in World War II Schiffer Military Books ISBN: 0887407609 Size: 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" b/w photographs, line drawings 48 pages

Thanks to my credit card for the review kit.