The Luftwaffe was numerically outnumbered as WWII progressed, with the Fatherland and tactical units constantly being bombed and strafed by enemy aircraft. This called for more effective antiaircraft systems than Germany hitherto possessed. A new vehicle was planned – the 5.5cm Zwilling Flakpanzer V – though like the Flakpanzer V “Coelian”, it was never put into production. Development of the twin-barrel 5.5cm Zwilling was authorized on 8 May 1944 and it featured a special Krupp armored turret weighing 9.06 tonnes mounted on a Panther Ausf.G chassis. The antiaircraft vehicle would require a four-man crew and carry 104 ammo rounds. A wooden prototype turret was completed by January 1945, although further development of the 5.5cm Zwilling Flakpanzer V was eventually cancelled on 14 February

It is nice to see Dragon doing these one off and paper project tanks. For too long small scale armor fans have had to rely on resin kits for these sorts of things. This oe is a particularly neat looking flakpanzer with its angular turret and twin 55mm guns. The kit is basically your standard Panther chassis and hull with a newly molded turret and guns. At 75 parts, it is not all that parts intensive, but still offers enough detail to satisfy most modelers. Like many of their 1/72 kits, this one has the very nice DS track set. There is also no p.e. for those who do not like dealing with the brass bits.

Below is a full listing of features: 

- Newly tooled 5.5cm Zwilling Flak cannons can be posed at different angles
- Fully detailed 5.5cm cannons
- Realistic gun mantlet assembled from multiple parts
- Detailed design for rear plate and stowage boxes
- Engine deck w/delicate details
- Highly detailed commander's cupola on accurately molded Flak turret
- Slide-molded upper hull w/full detail
- Armored side skirt reproduced
- Intricate road wheels
- One-piece DS tracks

The kit comes with a set of generic insignias and a painting guide for two different vehicles. One is the interesting design with the broad tan stripes shown on the box art and the other is a pretty standard late war 'ambush' scheme.

In all it will make into a very neat looking vehicle and one that will fit right in with your WWII armor collection.

Dragon USA web site

September 2013 

Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. You can find this one at your favorite hobby shop or on-line retailer.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contactthe editor or see other details in the Note toContributors.

Back to the Main Page

Back to the Review Index Page

Back to the Previews Index Page