ARM: Review - DML 1/35 Panzerfaerhe Prototype No. 1

Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale =9139-=9145 Series Kit No.

6625; Panzefaerhe Gepanzerte Landwasserschlepper Prototype No. 1 - Smart Kit; 654 parts (406 in grey styrene, 216 =93Magic Track=94 single link tracks, 22 etched brass, 9 clear styrene, 1 length of nylon string); estimated retail price US$59.95

Advantages: first kit of this vehicle in this scale in styrene

Disadvantages: requires second prototype and decking to create a ferry (see text)

Rating: Recommended (see text)

Recommendation: for all German Pzkw. IV fans

Like many combatant nations in WWII, the Germans were faced with river crossings roughly every 10 miles or so in European conditions. While taking bridges intact was obviously a priority and having engineer bridging units a must, they did not have any true means of amphibious crossings in hand during the war. The closest that they came was the boatlike Landwasserschlepper which was not armored. Later in the war Magirus was tasked with creating an armored replacement, and as such did produce two prototypes of the Panzerfaerhe (armored ferry) vehicle.

This it was not, as it was basically a large amphibious vehicle that carried any troops or cargo internally (ferries by their very nature carried their cargoes on open decking or at least on a main deck). As a result, experiments were made with a decking set that connected two of these vehicles together (and which was apparently tested with the two Magirus prototypes). But by that time (mid 1942) the Germans apparently saw such vehicles as a luxury they could no longer afford.

While several kits have recently been released of the curious Landwasserschlepper this is the first kit of the Panzerfaerhe to emerge. While it is an interesting vehicle on its own, as noted it requires two of them together to make an actual ferry and DML has shown advertising material they eventually plan to release just such a kit. (As an aside, note that the US was the only major combatant to create a true amphibious vehicle - the Roebling inspired LVT series - and get it into large-scale production. After the war the Soviets developed a number of amphibians and self-propelled tracked ferries such as the GSP.)

Other than the road wheel sets from its line of Pzkw. IV kits, DML=92s ferry is new from the ground up. The kit comes with a foam bumper over the mounting bracket for the vehicle=92s tow hook (seen in action on page 119 of the Chamberlain/Ellis/Jentz =93Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two=94 with an amphibious trailer in tow) which is a nice way to protect a fragile bracket.

Assembly is like that of the tank kits and begins with the suspension. It then moves to the propeller and propeller guard (I profess ignorance of the vehicle, for it seems to lack a rudder so I have no clue how it was steered!) The deck and casemate are next, and while they all come with separate hatches there is zero interior anywhere on the model to show by leaving them open. The armored flaps on the front of the casemate may also be positioned.

The four vent stacks come next, and where they may be folded down for travel on the original the kit only provides for them to be shown in the up or operating position. With some work they can apparently be folded down. The winch and crane are next and neither one may be shown in any position but stowed.

Step 9 covers general assembly and adding the false bow (flotation chambers) before attaching the deck. The tracks are next (dark gray left, light gray right) as well as two curious lengths of chain at the front and rear of the hull. The tracks appear to be the earlier 38 cm tracks and lack traction cleats.

Note that there are a number of holes that must be drilled out during construction. Also this kit came with an addendum that notes if you leave the armored flaps open you need to cement the clear styrene windows into the openings from the inside.

The nylon line is used on this kit for the handrail stanchions and is not part of the winch or any tow cable.

Technical assistance was provided by Notger Schlegtendal, Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundsen.

Finishing directions are provided for Prototype 1 in the hands of an unknown unit (probably either the factory or a weapons/engineer test range). A set of white crosses are provided on a Cartograf sheet.

Overall this is a nice enough model on its own, but it appears it requires the Number 2 prototype and decking to complete it as a prototype tactical ferry. Given today=92s prices that may be an expensive model.

Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

Cookie Sewell

Reply to
AMPSOne
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snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news:54af625a-63b0-4b90-bb2e- snipped-for-privacy@v41g2000yqv.googlegroups.com:

Cough-cough. At $60 for 1 unit, I'm thinking 2 plus decking is gonna run $150. For a one off from the losers. Gee how about all those A series cruisers the Brits used in N Africa and the BEF? How about investing in a truly modular approach to the M3/M4 series putting bogies, roadwheels, turrets and lower hulls/transmission covers on separate sprues and creating upper hulls with swappable rear decks so they could kit the entire M3/M4 line like they've created every freaking Panzer imaginable even the one offs and the paper projects at something less than $40 a pop. Not that it matters to me, 1/35 armor is off my list as to pricing and complexity (600+ parts is not my idea of a relaxing endeavor, it takes to damn long anymore), I don't care how good it is $60 for 2 lbs of styrene that needs another $20 to $100 in PE and resin or $40 for those superspecial tracks to be "correct" is a sick joke anyway.

As smart as we think we are I think the hobby companies really are laughing at the mass of you at this point. I am just as guilty as the next guy of having a stash, but my stash was acquired at 12 to 25 a pop for Tami, DML etc in the

90s and early 2000s. At the $60 mark unless I was defintely gonna build it right away, no way. And even then, I'd rather pull something out of the stash and try scratchbuilding extras, it still gives me more satisfaction.

Hell, I broke my own personal best with a 1/72 Char Bis from Trump. It as built less than 3 weeks after acquisition and with some snarling at the tracks that finally glued together. All in about 2 days. Now I'm just playing at picking camo schemes and getting the shades right, I have another French tank that I finished up at the same time (after sitting for over a year due to construction diffculties that I suddenly figured out how to solve) and adjusting the paint a bit for scale effect. Certainly more satifying for me than staring at 600+ parts for weeks at a time.

Reply to
Gray Ghost

The trick is to not catch AMS (Advanced Modeler's Syndrome) and built it out of the box. I realize that is hard to do (I am finishing up a T-28 Model 1939 that needed a lot of rework from the ICM/Alanger kit) but you do get things built!

Cookie Sewell

Reply to
AMPSOne

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