Roden 1/72 Vauxhall D-type, previewed by Scott Van Aken

The Vauxhall 25 h.p. chassis code D type is a car manufactured by Vauxhall from 1912 to 1922. More than 1,500 were supplied to the British Army in World War I for use as staff cars. Each Vauxhall chassis was sold with a three-year guarantee including regular inspections.

The 25 hp car appeared for the first time at the Olympia Motor Show in November 1912 alongside two of its three stablemates: the 6-cylinder 5-litre 30 hp car and the lighter weight 25 hp Prince Henry. All cars had a new tapered bonnet which "runs flush into the body". The smallest Vauxhall 16-20 was not displayed.

I came across this kit at a vendor during the IPMS Gateway show. Did not know that the kit existed and it looked like it might make for an interesting build. I have a few 1/72 car builds, but nothing from this time frame.

There are two grey and one small clear sprue in the kit. Molding is quite good as is the norm from Roden, with some fairly petite bits so removing things from the sprue will take care. You can see a bit of flash, but nothing major. One starts with the two frame rails by attaching the leaf springs. This then goes on a flat part that includes the lower engine. A fuel tank and pair if large fore and aft are then put in place along with a forward cross rail and then the front suspension. The rear end and driveshaft with axles and brake drums are a single piece that fits atop the rear leaf springs. Only one suspension piece holds all this in place.

Attention is then focused on building up the interior. There is floor pan onto which one puts the seats, firewall and steering. The side and rear body panels trap this in place along with the radiator. One then returns to the chassis to attach the fenders, hand brake and spare before gluing on the wheels and the body. The rest of the build deals with lights, windscreen and the top, which can be displayed raised or lowered.

Instructions are well done and provide Vallejo color references. Basically this car is a dark green with a polished brass radiator and headlight housings. Roden calls for these to be gold and that will work as well as polished brass does look golden in color. Decals are for a generic car in 1917 and is based on a museum vehicle. The other is King George V's car from his visits to the front. The small decal sheet is well printed and since it fits over flat surfaces, should work just fine.

An interesting kit to say the least. One sees not much in this scale in terms of cars, so it is nice to see this one done. Perhaps we will see a few more like this from Roden.

KIT #:	735
PRICE:	$
DECALS:	Two options
REVIEWER:	Scott Van Aken
NOTES:	1995 release