History

During World War 2 the German Wehrmacht used half-tracks in great numbers and the Sd.Kfz.10 was no different. With approximately 14000 of this half-track built between 1938 and 1944, it served on almost every front, and was developed into many variants. Primarily designed by Demag 1934, several other companies were involved in the development and production throughout the war. The Sd.Kfz.10 was the basis for what became the Sd.Kfz.250.

During the course of the war, several variants were developed based on the Sd.Kfz.10, including the mounting of guns. Starting in 1941, the German’s saw the need for mobile anti-tank guns, and a number of Sd.Kfz.10’s were modified to mount a 5cm PaK 38 L/60 to create a light mobile anti-tank vehicle. The gun was removed from its wheel mount and mounted on a pedestal mounted in the vehicle. Extra armour plating was added to the vehicle for crew protection. All vehicles were assigned to Waffen SS units and served on the Eastern Front.

A quick note, while the model from Dragon has the name listed as 5cm PaK 38 (Sf) auf Zugkraftwagen 1t, during my research I found that vehicle was also listed at the 5cm PaK 38 (Sf) auf leichter Selbstfahrlafette.

Contents

Enter the kit from Dragon Models, another in their Smart Kit line. The Dragon kit (No.6719) is another model coming with a box packed with parts, and more joy for your spares box.

In the box you will find:

12 – plastic sprues
1 – moulded hull
1 – small fret of photo-etched
2 – bag of Dragon Magic track(96 pieces)
1 – small sheet of decals
1 – instruction set

Review

The kit comes molded in the typical Dragon light grey plastic, with great looking details, no visible flash, and from a quick scan of the instruction all ejectors marks should be covered upon assembly. The kit has a one piece hull for ease of assembly, and it looks to be done very well, including rib details on the bottom. The kit does include a motor to be built, but the kit does not add options to display it as the hood components are one solid piece that would require some cutting to expose the engine. The extra armour plating for the front is well done, but could use an aftermarket photo-etched set for an even more realistic thickness.

The front road wheels are the five piece “sandwich” style construction, the often lends itself to good tread definition. Also the rims are a separate part, so it could make painting a little easier. A look at the sprocket wheels, and they does contain great looking detail, while the rest of the running gear looks very well as well. The kit contains the two-piece Dragon Magic Track, which for some may be a little cumbersome due to the small parts, but having used it in the past, it does build up into some great looking track.

The crew compartment looks to be very well done, with great looking detail and decals included for the dash. The detailed transmission and transfer case also look to be well done, as parts of it will be visible upon completion. The kit does contain a new part for the mounting of the 5cm PaK 38. Unfortunately, the gun itself is the original release from Dragon, while not bad, could use to be updated. This is especially true for the front gun shields, as the plastic is a little thick. The kit does include a couple of ammunition boxes, but no extra ammunition.

Included is a small fret of photo-etched for adding a little detail, these parts are mostly the extra support brackets for the structure. As for the decals, a small sheet of generic plates and numbers has been included, but there are no unit insignia included on the decal sheet. A nice addition is the instruments for the dash are included on the decal sheet. One small drawback I see on the decals is the SS insignia for the plates are in two parts, which may cause a little frustration when applying.

The instruction sheet is the typical Dragon style of instructions with some steps a little busy and as always check your parts and dry fit during construction. The instructions include two paint schemes for the vehicle; one unknown Eastern Front, and the other Panzer Grenadier Div. LAH, Kharkov 1943. It should be noted the when looking to apply markings, these vehicles were only assigned to SS units.

Conclusion

Overall this is a great looking kit and subject from Dragon Models. The kit has the usual well done moldings with great looking detail we have come to expect from Dragon. Unfortunately the kit uses the older 5cm PaK 38 gun kit and is a little weak on markings for the vehicle. With a little research on markings and an aftermarket update for the gun, this could be an excellent model to have on your display shelf. I do recommend this kit, especially for the subject.