DRAGON MODELS LIMITED
Product Specifications.
6433, 7.5cm PaK40 w/Heer Gun Crew, Premium Edition. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit containing 355 styrene parts, 56 DS100 parts, four DS100 tires, two photo-etched brass frets, two stamped etched brass parts, 12 turned brass parts, water-slide decals and six pages of instructions in 10 steps.
Introduction.
The 7.5cm PaK40 was the ultimate conventional expression of Germany’s infantry anti-tank weaponry during WW2. It could theoretically destroy nearly every enemy AFV encountered on the battlefield from the frontal arc, while from the sides none could survive it. It was widely-used on every front where the Germans deployed; it saw service until war’s end and beyond. Additionally, it was mounted on a variety of tracked, semi-tracked and wheeled vehicles as a self-propelled anti-tank system.
Not surprisingly, the 7.5cm PaK40 is popular amongst both modelers and kit manufacturers, with releases in 1/35th-scale from Tamiya, Italeri, AFV Club and DML. This issue is DML’s second go-around; this kit has had the main faults seen in the first release, namely the length of the trails and the length of the recoil slide, both corrected.
An overall view of the assembled gun with almost all bits in place.
Carriage.
The carriage can be configured in travel or firing mode depending on how parts are placed. In most cases this simply means moving a part on its appropriate hinge (trails, towing lunette and cradle lock) but the lower shield section must be fixed in either the raised (travel mode) or lowered (firing mode) position. Three different pairs of wheel hubs are provided and two pairs of DS100 soft styrene tires are provided. One pair depicts new tires; the other pair is worn.
Three types of wheel hubs and three types of muzzle brake are some of the kit’s options.
The suspension system is especially noteworthy, as it contains a relatively large number of parts. It too can be fixed in the firing or travel mode.
Gun.
The gun tube itself is all-styrene; surprisingly, there is no turned aluminum substitute as is usually seen in a Premium Edition kit. The gun tube will require care in cleaning since there is a slight mold seam to be dealt with by the modeler. I strongly recommend the Flex-I-File, which works quite efficiently and with care will not leave a flat area where the seams once were.
There are several display options including: two styles of end caps for the recuperater housing and an internal part for use if the caps are shown in the removed or opened position; three styles of double-baffle muzzle brake (circular/circular, oval/oval and oval/circular) with styrene or etched brass internal retaining rings; and, a breech that can be modeled opened or closed. The gun tube is so designed that a round can be partially inserted through the opened breech into it, which will be of help in depicting an action scene. The gun can recoil as well as elevate; in addition two sight mounts are provided, one with and one without the optics. Due to its design, traversing the gun will be problematic, since the pivoting pin at the bottom of the cradle fits far too loosely onto the carriage.
There are two sets of spaced armor shields. One is made almost completely from styrene and has beveled edges to provide the illusion of scale thickness. It features a pair of sliding shutters for the gunner’s sight aperture as well as an etched brass part for the segment of the shield that slides up and down with the gun tube when it elevates. Various braces and accessory containers are then attached.
The pre-formed etched brass shields are joined by tiny turned brass armored bolt heads.
The second shield is composed of two pieces of etched brass that have been pre-formed. They are joined by tiny turned-brass pointed bolt heads and when fitted together they look great. The shields feature etched shutters for the gunner’s sight aperture as well as the segment that moves as the gun tube elevates. Other brass parts are used to detail it (stiffeners and attachment points for the styrene braces), while the styrene accessory cases are attached to it.
Accessories.
Two types of complete rounds for the PaK40 are provided (four each for a total of eight), as well as three spent cartridge cases. Ten metal single-round packing tubes are provided, six of which have separate end caps and slide-molded openings; these can be shown to be “discarded”. Two wooden multi-round boxes are also given; these have separate lids. The finishing touch is a water-slide decal sheet with stencil data for the rounds and their various containers.
PaK40 rounds and ammunition containers can be used to create a diorama.
Figures.
These consist of five men wearing Heer (Army) uniforms. Although their sprue contains the usual infantrymen’s gear, these are not for use. Several sprues of Gen2 equipment and weapons are instead provided; many are slide-molded so there is virtually no detail compromise. The Kar98ks all have pre-drilled bores and sights as well as detailed receivers. Separate bolts as well as etched brass slings allow for an excellent amount of detail. In addition, a sprue of DS100 “soft gear” (bread bags, ammo pouches, gas capes, etc.) is provided.
Five full figures make up the gun crew. Not shown are the many Gen2 accessories and weapons that are also provided.
The figures themselves are conventionally-molded and depict a gun commander, gunner, loader and two ammunition handlers. The detail is crisp and their parts breakdown is typical for the type, meaning there are separate arms, legs and a torso, as well as a separate head for each of them. Their uniforms are characterized by jack-boots and tunics with opened collars. Careful assembly and painting, as well as replacement resin heads will make these an excellent addition to the gun.
Molding, Fit and Engineering.
Overall, I found no problems with the fit of nearly all of the major and minor components. Some work was required to erase the seam created when joining the recoil slide parts together, including the use of a small amount of putty. No sink marks were found. In every case except for the ground spades at the end of the trails, there were no visible ejector pin marks; these were rather pronounced and needed to be filled and sanded. There are the typical small nodes on many parts, which require lots of effort to clean. However, this is better than the alternative: ejector pin marks that need filling and sanding, with the obliteration of surrounding details a distinct possibility. Molding is typically crisp and all mold seams are restrained and easily cleaned. I also did not like the fact that the peg on the bottom of the gun mount will not sit tightly in the opening on the carriage; unless the unit is fixed in place, it will tilt unrealistically forward.
Accuracy.
Available scale drawings in the cited references indicate this kit is dimensionally very accurate. Photos also indicate that the details are very well-done in most cases. The prominent weld bead seen on the trails is not represented, while some smaller details are misrepresented. References will show the modeler where to add the weld bead as well as some of the details.
Instructions.
These are in the typical, and busy, line drawing style. There are some sub-steps within the main steps, but with patience and due diligence on the part of the modeler, all will be well in the end. The only place the modeler will encounter trouble is in step 6, where it relates to parts B26 and B27; their positions should be reversed and the proper fitting of part B52 should be studied before any glue is applied.
Decals and Markings Information.
DML’s usual sub-contractor, Italy’s Cartograf, has provided water-slide decal markings for the PaK40 rounds and the various ammunition containers. The decals have sharp detail and fine color saturation. Colors are keyed to Gunze and Testors paints.
Water slide decals are provided for the PaK40 rounds as well as the ammo containers. Note also the modest brass frets that include slings for the crew’s weapons.
Conclusion.
This is a well-done kit of an apparently popular subject. It contains enough options and accessories, as well as some nice figures, to satisfy.
Two views of the almost complete gun. Note the areas in red; they are the only places where putty was needed.
Recommended.
Frank V. Curley Stooge De Sisto
References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:
1. Marder III Part 2: Ausfürung H & 7.5cm PaK40 Mot. Zug.; Nuts & Bolts 18, by V. Andorfer, M. Block & J. Nelson.
2. German Anti-Tank Guns 37mm-50mm-75mm-88mm PaK, Schiffer, by W. Haupt.
3. German Anti-Tank Guns 1939-1945; Almark Publications, by T.J. Gander.
4. Anti-Tank Weapons; WW2 fact Files, Arco, by P. Chamberlain & T. Gander.
5. German Anti-Tank (Panzerjäger) Troops in World War II; Schiffer, by W. Fleischer & R. Eiermann.
6. PaK at War; PP, by K. Münch & W. Trojca.
7. German Artillery at War 1939-45, Vol.1; Concord 7059, by F. De Sisto & L. Lecocq, (soon to be published).
8. German Artillery at War 1939-45, Vol.2; Concord 7063, by F. De Sisto & L. Lecocq, (soon to be published).
9. Artyleria Niemiecka 1933-1945; Wydawnictwo Militaria, by M. Bryja.
10. Toadman’s German World War II Anti-Tank Guns CD; Toadman’s Tank Pictures, by Chris Hughes.
Reviewer’s note: Since May of 2005, I have been working on books for Concord Publications, a sister company to DML. The reader may wish to take this into consideration. For my part, I will attempt to maintain an objective viewpoint when writing these reviews.
DML kits are available from retail and on-line shops; for details visit their web site at: www.dragonmodelsltd.com.
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