Tatra 57 Assault Detachment light car, China 1938

Plastic model kit for building a Tatra 57 Assault Detachment light car, China 1938

• Scale 1:72
• clear and photo-etched parts included
• wheels made of resin
• 2 marking options
• unbuilt, unpainted
• paint and glue not included

The Tatra 57 was exported outside of Europe in the 1930s and saw use in various locations, including China, where individual vehicles were employed by military units as light liaison and command vehicles during the Second Sino-Japanese War, beginning in 1938. These so-called "Assault Detachment Light Cars" were not specially armored military vehicles, but rather civilian-based Tatra 57 models adapted for military use. In China, they proved particularly suitable for courier services, troop liaison, and rapid transport on poor road surfaces.

The Tatra 57 featured an air-cooled, four-cylinder boxer engine with a displacement of approximately 1.2 to 1.3 liters and an output of around 20 to 25 hp. A characteristic feature was Tatra's robust central tube frame construction, which provided the vehicle with good stability and reliability. The car had rear-wheel drive, a four-speed manual transmission, and a top speed of approximately 80 to 90 km/h. The air-cooled design was particularly advantageous in hot and dusty environments, as it required less maintenance than water-cooled vehicles.

Although the Tatra 57 was originally developed as a civilian compact car, its simple technology and robustness also made it suitable for military use. Today, vehicles of this type are rare examples of the international use of Czechoslovakian automobiles in the conflicts of the 1930s.