Geschützter Geländewagen

Wolf SSA

Neverland Hobby, 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Summary

Introduction

The Geschützter Geländewagen Wolf SSA (Schwerer Schutz Ausführung – “Heavy Protected Version”) represents one of the most distinctive evolutions of Mercedes-Benz’s long-serving Wolf 4x4, itself a militarised variant of the G-Class. Introduced in the late 1980s, the Wolf quickly became the standard light utility vehicle of the Bundeswehr, prized for its rugged chassis, dependable mechanics, and ease of maintenance in the field.

By the early 1990s, German forces found themselves increasingly deployed in volatile environments such as the Balkans, where the standard soft-skinned Wolf offered little protection against small-arms fire and mines. This experience drove the development of the Geschützter (armoured) variant. The SSA was fitted with an armoured capsule built by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, featuring steel and composite armour panels, bullet-resistant glass, and blast-protected floor plating.

Although visually similar to the standard G-Wagen, the SSA was markedly heavier and more purposeful in appearance. Power came from the proven Mercedes-Benz OM602 diesel engine, tuned to handle the extra weight. Access was via smaller, thickly armoured doors, and the roof could be fitted with a ring mount for an MG3 machine gun or other light weaponry.

The Wolf SSA entered service in the mid-1990s and saw extensive use in peacekeeping and security roles, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, and later Afghanistan. While never built in large numbers, it filled a critical niche before being gradually replaced by more advanced mine-resistant designs such as the Dingo.

Compact, functional, and unmistakable in design, the Geschützter Geländewagen Wolf SSA stands as an important transitional vehicle—bridging the gap between traditional light 4x4s and the fully protected patrol vehicles that dominate today’s military fleets.

Wolf in 1/35 scale

As far as I am aware, the only 1/35 scale long-run injection moulded kit of the Wolf is Revell’s offering, first released in 2008. This represents the Lkw gl leicht short wheelbase version.

Reports suggest that fit is generally good, although the suspension will benefit from careful alignment to ensure all four wheels touch the ground.

But let's see what Neverland Hobby has in store for us in 2025...

F i r s t L o o k

Last year, new player Neverland Hobby burst onto the modelling scene with its brand new 1/144 scale glueless Kriegsmarine U-Boat U-96 kit. This was an impressive offering with no real compromise in detail even with its press-fit assembly.

Now Neverland Hobby's has released their debut 1/35 scale kit - the Geschützter Geländewagen Wolf SSA.

The kit comprises 196 parts in dark yellow plastic, 24 parts in clear plastic, five black vinyl tyres, four 3d printed parts, one photo-etched fret with 15 parts, two self-adhesive reflective foil pieces, self-adhesive window masksand one decal sheet with markings for three vehicles.

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Thumbnail panels:

Moulding quality is very high with no sink marks or ejector pin marks anywhere that will be visible on the finished model.

The chassis is detailed with separate parts for the suspension and lower armour plate.

The bulk of the body is moulded as a single part.

The tyres are supplied in black vinyl. I’m not usually the biggest fan of vinyl tyres but these look really good - well detailed and with no sign of raised moulding seams. I would not hesitate to use these.

Interior detail is convincing. There is a fully equipped driver’s compartment with instrument panel, steering wheel, display screen, centre console with gear shift and transmission shift, four bucket seats, interior equipment rack.

The photo-etched fret comprises 15 parts including seat belts, buckles and other detail parts.

The driver’s, co-driver’s and rear crew doors are all detailed inside and out. It is not shown in the instructions, but they may be posed open or closed. The windows are all fixed closed as they are on the real vehicle.

A set of self-adhesive die-cut paper masks are included for the windows and windsceeen. This will make painting a lot faster and easier.

The windscreen and windows are all supplied as clear parts. Headlights, tail lights and indicators are on the clear sprue too.

Another thoughtful inclusion is a set of two self-adhesive die-cut foil mirrors.

The fine headlight guards and two other small detail parts are presented in a 3d printed cage.

Markings for three vehicles are offered in three different two and three colour disruptive camouflage schemes.

The instructions call colours out for Mr Color, AK Acrylic and Vallejo. It might have been nice to have a few more options including Tamiya.

Colours look good and the printing is in register.

C o n c l u s i o n

This is Neverland Hobby's debut 1:35 scale kit and it is very impressive.

Moulding quality is first class and the comprehensive fitout, including suspension and interior, is well done. Even so, assembly should not be overly complicated.

The parts count is not daunting, so Neverland's Wolf 1/35 scale SSA should be suitable for modellers from relative beginners to experts.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Neverland Hobby for the sample