Kit Review: cyber-hobby.com 1/35 scale Kit No. 42 (Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale =9139-=9145 series Kit No. 6569; Flakpanzer T-34 - Smart Kit; 746 parts (520 parts in grey styrene, 168 =93Magic Track=94 links, 55 etched brass, 3 clear styrene); retail price US$41.95
Advantages: another one-off variant of the =9134 with the excellent 2 cm Flakvierling mount; late version T-34 kit parts for detail
Disadvantages: another one-off with few references
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all German and =9334" fans
DML=92s affiliate cyber-hobby.com has found another one-off conversion to offer for German fans. This one is what appears to be a Factory No.
112 =93Krasnoye Sormovo=94 Model 1941 or 1942 tank that was captured and hastily retrofitted with a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 mount in a fixed casemate to the roof of the hull. Personally it doesn=92t seem to have been a great idea (the mount is fixed and therefore you have to turn the tank to face in the direction of fire) but I guess you use what you have.The kit combines baseline T-34 sprues with the 2 cm Flakvierling sprues from the Sd.Kfz. 7/1 kit and but 19 new styrene parts and a new set of etched brass.
This kit provides the nicer =93Magic Track=94 50 cm =93waffle=94 pattern tracks as well as the modified engine air exhaust grilles with your choice of either solid or etched brass grillework.
The lower hull is basically a straight-up early model T-34 with rounded nose hull, =93horizontal=94 slat air intake grilles, rectangular hatch rear plate, and pressed steel wheels with rubber tires with lightening holes around the rim. It uses the same standard DML T-34 hull pan with late-model double stops on the front road wheel mount.
As previously noted the gun assembly is gorgeous. It does however only provide for fixed elevation angles of 0 or 60 degrees wheh complete.
Credit for research goes to Thomas Anderson, Dan Graves, Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson.
The model comes but one finishing option: s/Pz.Jg.Abt. 653, Eastern Front, 1943 (tri-color over 4B0 green below the fenders). A tiny sheet of Cartograf decals completes the kit.
Overall this is another model seen as an occasional conversion and one now available as a kit.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell