Dragon 1/35 Pz.Kfw.38(t) Ausf. S with Fuel Drum Trailer
By Joe Lotz
Item No.:6435
MSRP: $49.95
History
The Panzer 38 (t) Ausf. S was initially the CKD/Praga TNH Export light tank. Besides a delivery of 50 vehicles to Iran, there was also an order of 90 tanks from Sweden. But due to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany the tanks were never delivered. Instead Germany confiscated those tanks and pressed them into service with their own Panzer Divisions as Panzer 38(t) Ausf. S. The TNH was the forerunner of the LT-38 which eventually became the Panzer 38 (t).
The Kit
This is Dragon’s new release of the Panzer 38 (t) Ausf. S. When opening the box you will find 18 light gray sprues, the lower hull, 1 clear sprue, 2 PE frets, 1 bag of Magic Track links, 2 braided metal cables (one for the tow cable and one for the track repair cable), a string for the fuel line from the trailer to the tank and a small decal sheet by Cartograph. Markings are provided for 4 different vehicles. Three of the markings are for unknown units and the fourth is for vehicle 535 of the 7th Panzer Division in Russia in 1941. This kit has a full interior including engine, transmission, and radios. All parts are flash free and very well detailed. I did not see any visible ejector marks nor any heavy mold lines.
The assembly starts as with most armor kits with suspension well as the rear hull plate and fenders. This is followed by the installation of the tracks. After tracks, the next step is the transmission with the option of using either a one-piece plastic part for the gear shifter or a 12 pc PE assembly with the handles added from the plastic part. Next in line is the 29 pc engine assembly. The next few steps deal with filling up the interior, installation of the engine and a lot a lot of sub assemblies. Next in line after all the interior parts have been added is the turret assembly. With final two steps covering the assembly of the fuel drum trailer. One nice touch is the slide molded fuel drum. The painting instructions call for 3 of the versions to be painted in overall Panzer Gray and the 4th to be painted in dark yellow with olive green and brown blotches. Unfortunately no painting references are given for any of the interior parts.
Conclusion
This is another beautifully made kit from Dragon. Due to the sheer number of parts and the full interior this is not a beginner’s kit. On the other hand having the full interior gives endless options for the diorama builder. I can recommend this kit to anyone with advanced modeling skills. This kit offers a lot of plastic for the money. I would like to thank Dragon USA for this review kit.
