The Modelling News: MiniArt offer another delivery of their Tempo E400 Hochlander Pritsche 3-Wheel Delivery Truck

MiniArt's latest offering of the Tempo E400 has a wooden tray, but also now a canvas cover to top off the vehicle. Add to this colour schemes in Junkers, RAD & two in WWII service. We look at the art, colours & decals in our preview...

MiniArt offer another delivery of their Tempo E400 Hochlander Pritsche 3-Wheel Delivery Truck

Tempo E400 Hochlander Pritsche. German 3-Wheel Delivery Truck

From Miniart Models

Kit No #35371

1/35th scale

Injection moulded kit

Product Link on the MiniArt Website

The Subject: Tempo E400 Hochlader Pritsche 3-wheel Truck

On September 25, 1928, the sales company Vidal & Sohn was established to distribute the three-wheelers of the brand Tempo in Hamburg. The name Tempo was attributable to the patented three-wheeler design of Gustav Ehlers. Although the cooperation of both parties ended quite quickly, Vidal & Sohn brought its own three-wheeled trucks on the market after a short space of time. The competition was enormous, but it turned out that both Hamburger had the right sense for the needs of petty traders. After only two years, in November 1930, the completion of the 1000th Tempo three-wheeler was celebrated.

The Tempo "boy" is an early model of the truck. The “Boy” versions had somewhat smaller engines than the man versions; a 10 hp 244 cc motor in order to qualify its use by a Category IV driver’s license, which was immensely easier and cheaper to obtain.

In 1936 a new type, designated with the abbreviation E400, was introduced. The number 400 signified the rounded up capacity of exact 396 cc and the letter E stood for “Eisen” (German for Iron). In plain terms, the new letter gave information about the state of the car body. The former mixed construction of the driver’s cabin and the chassis out of plywood and steel made way for a complete construction out of steel. Besides the choice of materials also the tire size was amplified by 1 inch to 18 inches in total.

With his brothers – the E200 and E600 – the sales could be additionally pushed and Vidal & Sohn were pleased with full order books. The E 400, also known and available under the name "Athlet" at the dealers, was fitted with a water-cooled two-cycle engine, which was mounted on the steering. The engine had a performance of 12,5 hp, which was transferred through a 3-speed gearbox and a chain to the single front wheel.

Tempo E400 from Carl Siesage Upholstery Material Wholesale

Although the E400 was very popular, it could not reach the success of its small Brother; the E200. Totalled up 3,311, three-wheelers of the E400 were produced at the works in Hamburg during 1936 and 1938.

The E400 restored in modern times

The kit from Miniart: The feature set of the kit is already known from the first release that we are showing the build preview. The known features are:

- Two licence plate holder options for customization.

- Two-wheel cover choices and an alternate number plate position on the rear.

- Both the doors and the bonnet can be opened

- The highly detailed engine can be seen through a fine photo-etched grille

- The sides of the tray can be posed up or down...

- The whole structure of the underside of the vehicle is replicated faithfully on this model

- The wooden cargo tray is moulded faithfully to the grainy texture

-The canvas cover is also carefully moulded to capture the look and feel of the real thing.

CAD shots of the truck:

A walk around this truck looking at the CADs of the completed vehicle show us the same qualities we have come to like in all of this series of delivery utilities, trucks & vans. The details of the smaller parts are fleshed out with photo-etch.