Dragon 1/35 Flakpanzer T-34

With its 76mm gun and well-sloped armor, Germany’s armed forces were shocked when they were confronted by the Russian T-34 tank’s superior qualities. Due to desperate shortages in their own armored units, the hard-pressed Germans often adopted captured Russian tanks, especially the T-34. One of the more unusual – and interesting – such adoptions was the Flakpanzer T-34(r). Based on a T-34/76 Model 1943 chassis, German field workshop technicians replaced the original turret with a quadruple mount for a 20mm Flakvierling 38 antiaircraft weapon. A makeshift turret for the antiaircraft weapon was constructed from armor plates removed from damaged halftracks. This Flakpanzer vehicle was then used by the headquarters of schwere Heeres Panzerjaeger Abteilung 653 on the Eastern Front in early and mid-1944.

Basically, what Dragon has done with this one is to combine its T-34/76 mod 1943 and its 20mm flakvierling, minus those bits not needed. I am not sure if anything is new tool on this, though the shield surrounding the gun looks different from what I've seen before (though it may be the same as that used on other FlaK tanks).

Most of the photo etch is for the T-34's hull and includes some brackets, engine screens and the like with a few small bits for the guns and mount.

This kit differs from some of Dragon's Smart kits in that it includes separate link tracks. There are many modelers who prefer these over the DS tracks and truthfully, they do look a lot nicer. This is especially so with Soviet armor as there is a lot of sag in their tracks.

It looks like the driver's hatch can be posed open and the guns can be elevated and rotated. As Dragon kits go, this one would be in the middle in terms of parts count with 415, many of those being the track links.

Instructions arenicely done with the usual Gunze and Model Master paint references. The decals are for the vehicle shown on the box art in a later war scheme of panzer yellow with green and brown camouflage squiggles. Apparently this vehicle was a one-off or there would be more markings options.

Dragon has been getting more and more esoteric in terms of its kit releases as of late and this one certainly fits into that mold. The kit itself is superbly cast and while it might take a bit of additional work due to the separate track links, the result will be a very cool vehicleCopyright ModelingMadness.com

July 2016

Copyright ModelingMadness.comThanks towww.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit

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