Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale =9139-=9145 Series Kit No.
6739; Sd.Kfz. 10/4 fuer 2 cm Flak 30 - Smart Kit; 883 parts (426 in grey styrene, 261 etched brass, 192 =93Magic Track=94 two-part links, 4 clear styrene); pre-order price US$48.95 via Dragon USA OnlineAdvantages: provides the earlier version of the light SP antiaircraft gun; uses proven DML parts from previous kits
Disadvantages: more than past time for a set of DS Plastic tracks for this suspension; ridiculous amount of etched brass defeats the =93Smart Kit=94 design mantra
Rating: Recommended
Recommendation: for all German halftrack and =93duck hunter=94 fans
As I noted when the first kit of the Sd.Kfz. 10/5 came out, the Germans were clearly the most adventurous and committed country in working on halftracked vehicles during WWII, and had multiple classes of vehicles covering the 1, 3, 5, 8, 12 and 18 ton classes on softskin platforms and 1 and 3 ton fully armored chassis. The Sd.Kfz. 10 chassis =96 and its armored Sd.Kfz. 250 equivalent - were the mainstay of the light end of the range.
Five different variants of the Sd.Kfz. 10 model were produced by DEMAG, and the latter two =96 Sd.Kfz.10/4 and Sd.Kfz. 10/5 - were self- propelled light antiaircraft variants. The differences between them were slight - the /4 mounted the 2 cm Flak 30 and the /5 the 2 cm Flak
- Both were apparently accounted for as one variant as the same chassis was used for both vehicles, and a total of over 600 of both variants was produced.
DML has now released the eariler version of this kit =96 it was an obvious choice once its cyber-hobby.com affiliate released the complete FlaK 30 kit. This one combines an upgraded version of that kit (now with a new set of wing nuts attached to the main sprue) and some of the original Sd.Kfz. 10/5 sprues with a new set of wheels and two new sets of body sprues but it also retains the Magic Track two- part links.
The kit has a totally new hull pan with individual torsion bars for the suspension and a complete engine and transmission assembly. The modeler only has the street=94 tire choice (two piece types) for this kit, but a new set of road wheels and new driver center are included.
As before, the hood and grille are impressive as all vanes and louvers are molded open and clear, with the ones on the hood being very petite and neatly done (be careful as I would bet a thick coat of paint would block them up and ruin the effect). No storage or rifles are included with this kit.
The cargo bed is new with four built-in mounts for the FlaK 30 carriage and a very intricate one piece frame (part D11) for it. The side frames are separate with etched brass grid inserts and ten spare
2 cm ammo magazines to mount on them. Oddly enough it also comes with the stock Sd.Kfz. 10 cargo body which appears to provide some parts, but DML forgot to use its =93blue-out=94 treatment on the parts layout to show which parts are not used. This will confuse some modelers who look to that to see which parts are used and which are spares.The 2 cm gun is the complete DML/cyber-hobby item. But as noted when it came out, the gun comes with a linked sight elevation system BUT it is not operable. The best solution I can offer to those who wish to build the gun in an elevated position is install the gun and the sight arm (A26), set it at the desired angle, =93freeze=94 the gun with a drop of liquid cement on the trunnions, and then install the sight (assembly B) and its linkage arm (A41).
The FlaK 30 now comes with an extensive brass set, but this goes down to bolt heads which are about 0.8mm in diameter. These apparently are all of the details for the gun shield and in point of fact some are not listed in the directions, albeit they are shown on the diagrams. But as the original concept of the =93Smart Kit=94 was to get away from the profusion of etched brass parts, this kit would seem to run counter to that with over 200 etched brass parts on the frets. Note that there are no styrene alternative parts for the gun shield.
Once more the kit retains tiny Magic Track links of two parts each. While they are nicely done and accurate, they are smaller than many
1/72 scale kits and very tedious to assemble.Technical consultants on this kit were Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson.
Three different finishing options are included, all =93Unidentified Unit=94: 1939, panzer grey with registration WL-51201; 1939, panzer grey with registration WH-129831; 1942/43, panzer grey with registration WL-140597. All decals are on a Cartograf sheet; also, four masks for the windshield are provided with the kit.
Overall this kit is a nice kit, but the proliferation of minuscule parts runs counter to DML=92s stated =93Smart Kit=94 philosophy and if all of them are used will try the patience of some modelers.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample
Cookie Sewell