The Konflikt ’47 updates continue! We’ve already taken a look at the Firefly Airborne Infantry – a new plastic version of an existing K47 unit. Next up we have a brand new unit – the Vogelspinne Light Walker. An evolution of the existing metal & resin Spinne Light Panzermech, the Vogelspinne is bigger, comes with more options, and is in glorious hard plastic. Let’s dive in and build ourselves an Axis Tarantula!

The Sprues

The Vogelspinne Light Walker is a two sprue kit that includes several armament options.

• Turret weapon loadout options include:
  • Light AT Gun with coax Light Autocannon
  • Maschinen Schwere
  • Flamethrower
  • Twin Light Autocannons
• Can be built with the Commander’s hatch closed or open including three different Commander head options.
• Antenna option to mark as a Command Vehicle.

This is a quality vehicle kit. The sprue is well laid out and the instructions are a massive improvement over previous Warlord/Italeri productions. The optional parts are all clearly marked, each weapon option is fully explained, and multiple fully painted examples are also included in the booklet.

The Build

First the hull – it’s built as a hollow shell. No issues getting the shell glued together and I like the angular look. After the hull was constructed I was struck by its size – the walker is much larger than I thought it would be. Next, the legs. There are six legs to build, each in two parts. There are two distinct front legs, and the back four are all the same. There is a pretty nasty mold line running down each leg and it was especially annoying to clean along the teeth. There was a lot of filing and trimming involved.

To add the legs to the hull I flipped the model upside down, put some glue into each of the joins, held each leg on for about five seconds and then flipped the model back over. I put some supports under the hull to hold it in place, making sure all of the feet were touching the ground, and left it there for about an hour. It wasn’t a very smooth or pretty process, but I must say, it already looks great. Although I attached the legs in standard way, each one is on a ball joint and you could go wild with the posing. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to have your Vogelspinne climbing up and over some battlefield debris.

The Weapons
The Vogelspinne can be built with three different turret options for its four different loadouts:

• Turret A: Light AT Gun with coax Light Autocannon
• Turret B: Maschinen Schwere or Flamethrower
• Turret C: Twin Light Autocannons

I am thrilled to report that all three turret options can be fully built and swapped with ease. I don’t recall ever seeing this in a previous Warlord vehicle kit with every weapon option being fully interchangeable. It’s fantastic. You can also add a Commander to Turret A (with three different head options). Turret B and C do not have the option for an open hatch. And shoutout to whomever sculpted the Commander, the fit is perfect. I’ve never had vehicle crew from Warlord this well designed. The Maschinen Schwere and Flamethrower on Turret B each have a pair of pegs on the back of the gun and you can just pop one off and swap to the other. It’s worth repeating, you do not need to decide which loadout you are giving your Vogelspinne when you build it – just build them all! You can decide which turret to use when you are getting your force ready for a game. No wasted weapons.

Scale

The Vogelspinne is big. Not big as in bulky, but big as in it takes up a lot of real estate. It’s wide and tall, especially if you use Turret A with the Commander. The Warlord Games Matilda II (shown above for scale) is a fairly tall tank and the Vogelspinne towers above it. The Matilda II may be a tad longer, but Vogelspinne is much, much wider. The look of the six legs all splayed out is what gives this walker that Weird War / Dieselpunk  aesthetic that you want but man, I don’t see this thing easily getting into any tight spaces! This is not a complaint. I love it. It’s both practical (as in, it looks like it would function) and silly (it’s a tank with spider legs) at the same time. Perfect for K47.

Here we have the Vogelspinne with a Warlord Games Firefly, Warlord Games US Infantry, and Wargames Atlantic BEF. I tossed the Vogelspinne onto a base to better align with the infantry. As you can see, the walker really has some height to it. The Commander is a tad on the small side (like all vehicle crew) but it’s hardly noticeable, especially on the table.

The Takeaway

Like the new Fireflies, the Vogelspinne is on par with the best we’ve seen from Warlord. The kit is crisp with no mold slippage and, besides the legs, minimal mold lines. The legs are solid, but it’s six little contact points on the ground. Even for folks that are averse to basing their vehicles, for a kit like this, I think it’s a must. You need that extra stability. Let’s not forget that you can fully build all three turrets and swap out any of the weapon options, which is a massive win! More of that please! Once again, I am damn impressed with a new Konflikt ’47 kit.

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Thank you to Warlord Games for providing the Vogelspinne Light Walker featured in this article. The Vogelspinne is up for pre-order now as part of the new Konflict ’47 Starter Set for a late-September release.

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More Konflict ’47 coverage:

• Chicago Dice Builds Firefly Airborne Infantry
• Chicago Dice Builds Stahltruppen Heavy Infantry
• Konflikt ’47 Review
• Chicago Dice Builds a Linebacker Jump Walker
• Chicago Dice Builds a Panzer IV Ausf. X Walker Tank