Dragon's 1/35 German 3cm Flak 103/38 Jaboschreck w/trailer By Don Barry

History

From 1943 till the end of World War II, Germany's enemies fielded ever increasing numbers of faster and more heavily armed and armored fighter-bomber aircraft, and German light flak weapons were less and less capable of dealing with them. The main weapon of the Army flak battalions was the 2cm Flak 38, in either single or quadruple mounts. As the war progressed, the guns became obsolete, the impact of their ammunition insufficient, and the overall situation prevented the development of more effective weapons systems. By 1944, the Luftwaffe had replaced their Mk103 3cm guns with Mk 108 weapons, with the Mk 103 guns going into storage. This gun seemed suited for use as a light antiaircraft weapon, and as the armament for the prototype "Kugelblitz" antiaircraft tank. Within days of a decision being reached, the gun was mated to the carriage and trailer of the Flak 38 and sent for trials at the Kummersdorf proving grounds. Improvements to the muzzle brake and barrel reduced excessive vibrations during firing and led to a greater concentration of shells on target. Series production started quickly, but chaotic conditions prevented great numbers from being produced, estimated to be between 100 and 1000 total units. The gun was effective, the ammunition being much harder hitting, and the belt feeding feature eliminated jamming from defective or easily damaged magazines, and greatly increased the rate of fire. Yet another example of too little, too late.

The Kit

Dragon's is the first example of this weapon to be released as an injection-molded kit. In retrospect, it is a natural extension of their line, as the weapon shares the carriage and trailer of their previously released 2 cm
Flak 38, kit # 6288, though some substitute parts are used. The kit consists of 5 sprues of light gray plastic, a total of 174 parts, and a black slide box holding photo-etched gun shields, shell catcher nets, and various other brass "fiddly bits," a total of 66 pieces. 46 of the original Flak 38 parts are not used in this construction. The trailer can be built with or without fenders, and in travel or deployed configuration. The gun carriage contains linkage parts allowing for one of four elevation positions. (One could use rod and tubing to make the gun movable if one wished...just a thought.) A length of ammunition belt is provided to span the gap from magazine box to gun, as well as some loose rounds.

The molding detail and quality on this kit is simply excellent. There are NO ejector pin marks on any visible surface of this model, thanks to the numerous lugs that take the push of these pins. Mold offset is also nonexistent, resulting in faint, easily removed seams. The minuscule size of some parts will require extra care in their removal and cleanup to avoid breakage or loss, but the results will be worth it. All the photo-etched frets are packed individually nested in a vacuum-formed, slide apart tray. The gun shield parts are pre-folded, as are portions of the brass shell catcher nets. A single page, multi-fold instruction sheet shows 11 construction steps, with parts called out by sprue letter and part number. There are numerous sidebar detail drawings of various subassemblies and parts options. For example, all the gunshield parts can be built using either plastic or photo-etched components. Three paint colors are called for (steel, flat black and flat dark yellow) at various stages of the construction. Cartograph decals are included, but are limited to various styles of kill markings: no unit signs or tactical symbols are provided.

Conclusion

In my view, this kit is highly recommended to experienced builders, due to the abundance of tiny parts. This is another fine example of a lesser-known subject masterfully brought to life by Dragon. Late war conditions suggest that this weapon could have been mounted on just about anything that could carry it, giving an excellent opportunity for kit-bashing. A must-have for German World War II modellers. I purchased this kit from a local hobby shop. Happy Modeling!